Fresh from back-to-back wins, the Toronto Raptors will be aiming to seal their first round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Centre. This is not what the Nets had planned after taking a 2-1 lead, but after a number of rollercoaster contests, they are on the brink of elimination.
The Raptors have put themselves in a series winning position, which was unthinkable in the presence of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. However, they spent most of the time on bench in the last game, as Pierce only scored 10 points, while Garnett had a moderate outing.
Brooklyn coach Jason Kidd said he will stick with the same lineup and was his veterans would make an impact in the crucial tie.
A victory here will setup Toronto's second round clash with the Miami Heat. The Raptors' Greivis Vasquez said they were hoping to finish the series off, while not underestimating Brooklyn's abilities.
"We have no doubt. We're very confident," Vasquez said. "We're not going to underestimate them, but we're going to go there with the mentality that we're going to fight and we're going to do whatever it takes to get this win. We're very humble, but at the same time we're very hungry. We need to leave it all on the court. We've got to win Friday. It's not going to be easy but that's what we're looking for."
In the last game, the Raptors built a 26-point lead, but the Nets rallied in the final quarter to score 44 points. Kyle Lowry, who finished with 36 points including a crucial three-pointer in the dying stages, said the team has learnt from its mistakes.
"We still won the game," said Lowry "At the end of the day, the 'W' still counts. It's a positive, we won the game. We learned from the things we did and we learn. We're winning the series right now and we have to go out and win another game."
Kidd said his team needs to show urgency on the floor. "We've got to start the game off that way," Kidd said. "We've got to be in attack mode for 48 minutes."
Where to Watch Live
The game is scheduled for a 7:00 pm ET (4:30 am IST, 11:00 pm GMT) start with live coverage on Sony Six and Sony Six HD in India. The game can be watched on ESPN in the US with the live streaming option HERE. The game can be live streamed by international viewers, including India, HERE.
