TORONTO - In a match-up between first and worst, the unexpected Atlantic Division-leading Raptors (6-7) host the disappointing Brooklyn Nets (3-10) at the Air Canada Centre tonight. Watch the action live on TSN and listen on TSN 1050 Radio beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. The Raptors maintained their spot atop the Atlantic Friday after defeating the Wizards, 96-88, for their second win in a row. Meanwhile, the Nets have been the NBAs biggest early-season surprise, coming into Tuesdays contest losers of five straight. After trading for future hall of famers Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in the summer, the Nets - who are due to spend $190 million this season on salaries and luxury tax, an NBA-record payroll - were the obvious favourites in the division. Instead, theyve struggled out of the gate and are just 1-7, allowing 104.8 points per game on the road prior to visiting Toronto. "Believe me, Brooklyns going to be okay," head coach Dwane Casey insisted. "Theyre going to bounce back. Theyre playing with injuries right now." "I just hope and pray they dont get it together [against us]." Whats the importance of being an early-season division leader? TSN 1050s Josh Lewenberg and Duane Watson weigh in and preview Tuesdays meeting with the Nets on this weeks Raptors Report podcast. Deron Williams and Brook Lopez have been ruled out for Brooklyn, as both remain out with left ankle sprains. Williams has sat out four of the last five games while Lopez will miss his sixth straight. With the Nets all-stars sidelined, their new additions have struggled to pick up the slack. Pierce is scoring 13.0 points per contest on 38 per cent shooting and Garnett is averaging 6.5 points, connecting on 35 per cent of his field goal attempts, all career lows. "Theyve just started slow," said Rudy Gay, who has been battling a bout of the flu thats been going around the Raptors locker room. "I know theyll pick it up, we just have to take care of them before they do." Torontos offence continues to evolve after getting off to rough start. The Raptors averaged 92.3 points in their first six games of the season but have scored 102.3 per contest since. They have recorded 20 or more assists in back-to-back games after accomplishing that feat just once in their first 11. "Were playing harder than our opponents," Gay said. "And no matter what shots go in, what plays work or not, not matter what they do, we play hard." Trends and Tidbits The Nets were victorious in three of four meetings with the Raptors last season but have lost six of their past eight visits to Toronto. Toronto has won consecutive games during the month of November for the first time since 2010, when they team had a four-game winning streak. Combined, the Atlantic Division has a record of 24-46. What to Watch For Control the pace For the most part the Nets have been at the mercy of their opposition. Last in the league in defensive efficiency and fast-break scoring, Brooklyn has been unable to impose their will on either end of the floor. They have been especially ineffective without their starting centre. The Nets have allowed over 113 points per 100 possessions in the five games Lopez has missed, according to NBA.com, and have allowed just 98.7 in the 244 minutes he has played. Who comes to play in the third? The Nets and the Raptors are two of the NBAs three worst third-quarter teams, in terms of point differential. Brooklyn has been outscored by a league-most 67 points in the third frame so far this season, while the Raptors - who have been a net positive in each of the other three quarters - are a minus-44 after the halftime break. "Weve got to meditate," DeMar DeRozan joked, searching for answers to solve his teams third-quarter dilemma. "Whatever weve got to do at halftime, weve got to do it. Weve got to understand thats a critical point of the game." Toronto has turned the ball over 59 times in the third and are allowing opponents to shoot 52 per cent. The Raptors were outscored 32-15 in the period before going on a fourth-quarter run during Fridays win, however the Nets were bested 34-15 after the break, which sealed their fate in Sundays 109-97 loss to Detroit. Who to Watch For DeMar DeRozan Quietly, DeRozan has bounced back after a slow start to the season and is playing some of the best basketball of his career. After shooting 6-of-25 in a double overtime loss to Houston, the Raptors guard is averaging 26.8 points, shooting 51 per cent from the field and 9-of-19 from three-point range in five games, three of which his team has won. DeRozan tweaked an ankle twice in Fridays win over Washington but has been practicing in full and insists it wont be a problem for him going forward. Joe Johnson With Williams and Lopez sidelined and Pierce and Garnett struggling, Johnson has become the focal point of Brooklyns offence. The Nets guard is coming off his best game of the season, scoring 34 points in Sundays loss. Johnsons three-point shooting has been one of the lone bright spots for Brooklyn early in the year. He was 8-for-10 against Detroit and is now shooting 46 per cent from long distance on the season. Injury Report Gay, Amir Johnson and Tyler Hansbrough all participated in shoot around despite battling bouts of the flu. Theyre all expected to play Tuesday. Williams and Lopez have been ruled out for the Nets, still nursing sprained ankles. Jason Terry (knee) and Andrei Kirilenko (back) havent been practicing and are unlikely to be available against the Raptors. San Francisco 49ers Jerseys .com) - Bradley Beal deposited a season-high 33 points and John Wall posted another double-double as the Washington Wizards went on the road and beat the Houston Rockets, 104-103. Y.A. Tittle Jersey .com) - Carmelo Anthony tallied 31 points to help the New York Knicks continue their improved play of late with a 100-92 victory over a short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder squad. http://www.officialsanfrancisco49ersfoot...n-jersey-womens. "I just think what it does for everybody in life is real simple," said Babcock early on Friday afternoon. "You dont give in. You just keep on keeping on. Is it going to go your way every time? No. But you choose your attitude and how you perform and how hard you dig in." Nearly four years to the day of the 2010 gold medal match in Vancouver, his team dug in with its best effort of these Olympics, snuffing out the high-powered Americans for another opportunity at gold. Brock Coyle Jersey .com) - The Los Angeles Dodgers made it official Tuesday and signed pitcher Brandon McCarthy to a four-year contract. Roger Craig Jersey . The NFL announced Friday that the Texans sixth-year veteran offensive lineman will replace Philadelphia Eagles tackle Jason Peters in the Jan.MILWAUKEE -- In back-to-back innings, Jimmy Rollins broke up Matt Garzas no-hit bid and a shutout. Soon enough, a frustrating afternoon at the plate for the Philadelphia Phillies turned into a laugher at Miller Park. Rollins two-out, two-run single in the eighth sparked a seven-run outburst that helped Philadelphia complete a four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers with a 9-1 win Thursday. What a nice way for the last-place Phillies to head home after a 10-game road trip that had started 1-5. "I feel a lot better about the last four games. Thats something we can build on," manager Ryne Sandberg said. "To see the offence come alive for a four-game series against good pitching, I think its a step in the right direction." Rollins greeted reliever Will Smith in the eighth by singling to left to drive home two runs. After throwing 108 pitches, Garza (6-6) had just been pulled from the game to a standing ovation but could only watch helplessly from the dugout as his shutout evaporated. "Baseball is a funny game. (Garza) goes from a no-hitter to getting a loss and we get no-hit and then win it," Rollins said. The Phillies sent 12 batters to the plate in the eighth and got RBI ground-rule doubles from Ryan Howard and Cody Asche. Philadelphia swept a four-game series for the first time since taking four in Cincinnati in 2011. Now if Philadelphia can just carry over their winning streak back to Citizens Bank Park, where they are 18-27, maybe their fans will have something else to talk about this summer other than trade rumours. "This series should help with that with some momentum," Sandberg said about the subpar play at home. Rookie David Buchanan (5-5) struck out five in seven innings for the win, tossing one of his best games of the season in allowing just four hits. Carlos Gomez scored the Brewers only run with a solo shot to left-centre to lead off the sixth for a 1-0 lead with Garza no-hit bid still intact. It ended quickly after Rollins led off the seventh with a hard chopper past diving first baseman Mark Reynolds for a single into right. What folllowed was a swift and startling change of fortunes for a team clinging to its lead in the NL Central despite having lost five straight and nine of 10.dddddddddddd "It happens, man. My job is to not get guys on base. You leave two guys on, especially two guys with speed, and you pay for it," Garza said. "But it is what it is, you turn the page. We cant dwell on it too long." Perhaps more disappointing for the Brewers is that they were swept at home by the last-place team in the NL East that had been swept in its previous series in Pittsburgh. Asche and Dominic Brown each joined Rollins with two RBIs in the eighth. Things were going so well for Philadelphia that pinch-hitter Cesar Hernandez got to come up to the plate twice in the inning. "I look at the final score and thats ridiculous. Were way too good of a team, we have way too good of a bullpen to let a game get away like that," manager Ron Roenicke said. The Phillies eighth finally ended after Hernandezs infield single was overturned to an out following a Brewers replay challenge. Howard added a two-run shot in the ninth for his 15th homer of the year. Gomezs homer was his 14th of the season. Otherwise, Milwaukees lineup continues to struggle. After climbing to a season-high 19 games over .500 on June 28, the Brewers have watched their 6 1/2-game lead whittle away with second-place St. Louis due in town for a weekend series. NOTES: The Phillies swept Milwaukee in four games on the road for the first time. ... OF Ryan Braun returned to the lineup after missing a few games with a sore back. He hit fifth for the first time since 2008. ... The Brewers announced after the game that top pitching prospect Jimmy Nelson would be recalled from Triple-A Nashville to start Saturday against St. Louis, bumping Marco Estrada to the bullpen. Nelson was 10-2 in the minors, while Estrada had allowed a major league-high 27 homers. ...RHP Yovani Gallardo (5-5) opens the St. Louis series on Friday, while Philadelphia returns home to open a weekend series with Washington by sending RHP A.J. Burnett (5-8) to the hill. 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