NBA returns as Raptors face Nets at Bell Centre in October

The NBA Canada series will return to the Bell Centre on Oct. 10, when the Toronto Raptors face the Brooklyn Nets in a pre-season game.

The Raptors, who are coming off the most successful regular season (5923) in franchise history, will be led by all-star guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.

“We’re excited for our pre-season game in Montreal as part of the NBA Canada Series,” said Nets general manager and former Rap tor Sean Marks.

“This will be a good opportunity for our players and staff to experience the rich culture of the city and the exciting atmosphere created by the fans.”

Toronto has a new coach, Nick Nurse, who was promoted from assistant coach after Dwayne Casey was fired.

Casey, who was let go after the Raptors were swept by Le B ron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the NBA playoffs, was subsequently honoured as the NBA coach of the year.

The Nets will provide some Canadian content in Nik Stauskas, a Mississauga, Ont., native who played at the University of Michigan. The Nets also feature guard Jeremy Lin, who suffered a knee injury in Brooklyn’s opening game and missed the remainder of the 2017-18 season.

The Bell Centre hosted sold-out NBA exhibition games from 2012 to 2015. The NBA Canada series was limited to games in Calgary and Vancouver in 2016 and there were no NBA Canada series games last year because of an early start to the NBA regular season. Postmedia News contributed to this report.