Toronto @ Brooklyn preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 14, 2019 ) Brooklyn 102, Toronto 110

Both the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets appear to be feeling the effects of injuries to key players. The Raptors will try to bounce back from their worst offensive effort of the season when they face the Nets - losers of a season-high four in a row - on Saturday in Brooklyn.

Toronto is 4-4 in a stretch in which it has played without leading scorer Pascal Siakam (groin), center Marc Gasol (hamstring) and guard Norman Powell (shoulder), and Thursday's 84-76 setback at Miami represented its lowest-scoring effort in over four years. "If we make five more 3s we win the game," guard Kyle Lowry told reporters after the Raptors shot 6-of-42 from 3-point range. "Still, give them credit, a great game plan and a great job by them, but it's something we'll look at and figure out for next time. The next team who plays zone I'm sure we're not going to shoot that bad." The Nets had been able to withstand injuries to guards Kyrie Irving (shoulder) and Caris LeVert (thumb) but are back below .500 for the first time since Nov. 23. LeVert, who averaged 16.8 points in nine games before getting injured, is expected to return to the lineup for this one.

TIME: 6 p.m. ET. TV: TSN, YES

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (23-12): Lowry and fellow standout guard Fred VanVleet were the primary culprits in the poor shooting display in Miami, combining to go 7-for-32 from the floor while making 3-of-23 3-pointers. "They didn't make much more than us, but they made just enough to get the win so give those guys credit," VanVleet, who is shooting 33.3 percent over a nine-game span, told reporters. Serge Ibaka is doing his part to fill in some gaps and is averaging 17.8 points and 9.9 rebounds during his last nine games with four straight double-doubles coming into Saturday.

ABOUT THE NETS (16-17): Spencer Dinwiddie led seven players in double figures with 19 points in Thursday's 123-111 loss at Dallas, in which the Nets faltered down the stretch for the second straight game. "We didn't get a stop," Dinwiddie told reporters. "Obviously, that's what kind of ballooned their lead and we obviously didn't make enough shots to keep pace." Little-used guard Dzanan Musa provided a boost with a career-high 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting in 17 minutes off the bench.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Nets SG Garrett Temple (knee) sat out Thursday's game and is day-to-day.

2. Raptors SG Terence Davis missed all five of his 3-point tries at Miami after going 7-of-13 over the previous two games.

3. Siakam, Powell and Gasol combined for 72 points to lead Toronto to a 110-102 win over Brooklyn at home earlier this season, extending its winning streak in the series to four games.

PREDICTION: Nets 106, Raptors 104