Shorthanded Nets facing dynamic duo
TORONTO — The Nets end their trip Tuesday at the Atlantic Division-leading Raptors, facing the Eastern Conference’s highest-scoring duo, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, and they will do so with point guard Jeremy Lin’s minutes potentially limited and star center Brook Lopez resting and unavailable for the game (7:30 p.m. on YES).
Hey, nobody said the NBA was easy.
“[DeRozan and Lowry] are two great players, two AllStars. You can’t deny that, but we have to come out and compete,” Sean Kilpatrick said. “With those two in the backcourt, it’s a big deal, especially in the East. You can’t let those guys have space because they’re too good.
“When you have those guys able to do what they want, they have the space to see any and everything throughout the defense. They can pick you apart. We have to come out with physicality and make sure we’re being physical.”
DeRozan and Lowry were the driving force behind the Raptors making last season’s conference final and are the reason they sit atop the divi- sion at 19-8. DeRozan is third in the league in scoring at 28.4 points per game and was named the league’s player of the week, while floor general Lowry is adding 21.2 points, 7.4 assists and 44.9 percent shooting from 3-point range.
“We’re going to have to come with it. They’re as tough a duo as you’ll ever find in the NBA, of all 30 teams,” said Lin, who came off the bench the last two games and is getting closer to full strength. “We were saying [Sunday] the guards had to help the big men. [On Tuesday,] the big men have to help the guards.”
That defensive mindset can’t end up in the wanton, reckless fouling that put Orlando on the free-throw line 42 times Friday. But they’ll need to be physical with the Raptors guards, and Lin said his back won’t keep him from doing so.
“I can be physical. I’m healthy, so I know whatever time I get on the floor, when I’m out there, I need to be physical,” Lin said. “I’m feeling pretty good. The staff has done a great job getting me right, getting me healthy. It’s been around the clock at times, but it’s working.”