TD BANKNORTH GARDEN TIPOFF: 7: 30 p.m. TV: TSN RADIO: FAN 590
PROBABLE STARTERS
Toronto: Jose Calderon, DeMar DeRozan, Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani
Boston: Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins
KEY MATCHUP
DeRozan v. Allen
If there's one player who consistently exposed the Raptors' porous perimeter defence last season - and yes, there was more than one - it was Ray Allen. The veteran sharpshooter feasted on the Raptors in four meetings a season ago, averaging 22 points a game while shooting a deadly 55.6 per cent from three-point range. No surprise Boston, with that kind of go-to production from deep, won all four games.
NOTES
Friday's game marks
Jay Triano's 82nd as an NBA head coach, symbolic of his first full campaign on the job after taking over the team 17 games into last season. His won-loss record is 32-49, a .395 winning percentage.
Only one Raptors coach has been better than .500 in his first 82 games in Toronto. Lenny Wilkens coached
the 2000-01 Raptors to a 47-35 mark.
Friday's game marks Toronto's first this season against a fellow resident
of the Atlantic Division.
UP NEXT
Phoenix Suns visit the Air Canada Centre on Sunday
(1 p.m., CBC.)
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