Live Game Thread: Brooklyn Nets vs. Toronto Raptors, 7:30 PM EST

The Nets are coming off their biggest win of the season, having beaten a healthy Los Angeles Clippers squad on national TV.

Next up, also on national TV - hey, I can get used to this - is a Toronto Raptors team that always gives the Nets some trouble.

Toronto is on a two-game winning streak and starting to look like your grandfather’s Raptors, once again, but these Nets are really, really good. Scary good.

Do we need to retire “scary”?

It seems we’re close, right?

WHO: Brooklyn Nets (14-9) vs. Toronto Raptors (9-12)

WHEN: 7:30 PM EST

WHERE: ESPN (national), YES (local), WFAN (radio)

Game Thread.

This is the first leg of a back-to-back for the Nets. They’re in Philly to play the 76ers Saturday night.

On a stylistic note, those Jean-Michel Basquiat jerseys and the court are A+++. Nets will bring em back Friday and every time they have a showcase game.

With this being the first half of a back-to-back and a big game awaiting the team in Philadelphia, I wonder how Steve Nash will manage the rotations and minutes of the team tonight. DeAndre Jordan didn’t start due to the matchup disadvantage he faced against the Clippers, but I think he’ll be back in there tonight and almost certainly Saturday in Philly.

The Nets are a difficult problem to solve. Ostensibly, somebody is the third option on offense. But as an opponent, what do you even do when the third option is someone as amazing as Kevin Durant? KD only took 13 shots and had a relatively low usage right, but was marvelous as he scored 28 points and played crucial defense on Kawhi Leonard late in the game. For all the legitimate questions we have about Brooklyn’s defense, if it’s close, the Nets have one of the game’s greatest players of all time ready to raise hell and bury their opponents in an avalanche of jumpers.

For more on the Raptors, check out Raptors HQ.