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Will Kevin Durant and James Harden Play Tonight? Brooklyn Nets vs Toronto Raptors: Team News, Lineups, and Predictions

Published 02/05/2021, 9:30 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

The Brooklyn Nets take on the Toronto Raptors in an Eastern Conference matchup. The Brooklyn Nets have been an offensive juggernaut. The trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving have been balling out since the Harden trade happened. However, the trio has significantly weakened the team defensively, making them the worst defense in the league right now.

The Raptors, on the other hand, have had a mixed season. Currently, they stand at 9-12 for this season. The losses of Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol during the off-season have significantly hurt them. But slowly, they have been picking up form. Fred VanVleet has looked reinvigorated over the past few games. He even dropped a career-high 54 points against the Orlando Magic.

With that in mind, take a look at the Nets vs Raptors game.

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Brooklyn Nets – Team News

USA Today via Reuters

The Nets have all of their available players. Only Spencer Dinwiddie and Nicolas Claxton are unavailable after suffering major injuries. But Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving are fit and ready to go. The trio has been phenomenal and is on track to be the greatest offense in the history of the NBA.

Dwyane Wade Explains Why He Prefers Brooklyn Nets’ James Harden Over Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving During Crunch Time

Predicted Lineup: Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Joe Harris, Jeff Green

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Toronto Raptors – Team News

USA Today via Reuters

Raptors’ head coach Nick Nurse confirmed that OG Anunoby will be unavailable for the game because of a strained left calf. Additionally, Patrick McCaw is also unavailable since he is recovering from his injury. However, the rest of the roster is available, and they will have their choice of starters.

Raptors’ Fred VanVleet Breaks Multiple Records During 54 Point Performance Against Magic

Predicted Lineup: Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, Norman Powell, Pascal Siakam, Aron Baynes

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Brooklyn Nets vs Toronto Raptors – Prediction

USA Today via Reuters

The Brooklyn Nets have been inconsistent so far. While the new big three have been an attacking force, they have been poor defensively. All the Nets’ games have been high scoring affairs on both ends. However, the Toronto Raptors have been poor in several stages this year and have failed to defeat a solid contender, so expect the Nets to get the win.

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Prediction: The Brooklyn Nets outscore the Raptors to pick up a major win.

Who will win between Toronto and Brooklyn? It promises to be an entertaining affair with players from both teams starting to find their form. The trio of James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving will be looking to build further chemistry.

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Written by:

Aaditya Krishnamurthy

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Aaditya Krishnamurthy is an NBA & NFL journalist for EssentiallySports, before which he worked at BusinessWorld magazine. He has been a fan of Basketball for over 10 years now, since Shaquille O’Neal was a Phoenix Suns player. During his time at Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts, he started a sports magazine for the college called the Overtime Tribune and hosted the Overtime Tribune Podcast until he graduated.
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