February 12, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson (3) carries the ball against the Toronto Raptors during the first half at the Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Nuggets 109-108 loss to the Toronto Raptors was largely due to the three players who were on the bench for the Nuggets but George Karl’s team isn’t one to make excuses. Ty Lawson has scored 29 points in each of the past two games and has been a large part of the Nuggets recent success. On Tuesday night, the Nuggets were without Danilo Gallinari and Andre Iguodala in the starting lineup. Gallo is averaging 17.2 points per game while Iggy is averaging 13.4 per game. They were replaced with Corey Brewer and Evan Fournier who combined for only 15 points. Gallinari and Iguodala, along with center JaVale McGee and forward Wilson Chandler, are all listed as day-to-day.

For  the Nets, Brooks Lopez and Joe Johnson have been leading them. Lopez is averaging 18.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game this season while Johnson is averaging 16.8 points per contest. Reggie Evans has been coming up big on the block when it comes to rebounding. Last time out, Evans pulled in 22 boards. The Nets will need to bang with the Nuggets down low to keep up with the Nuggets bigs.

Stat to Watch: Rebounding

The Nuggets have Kenneth Faried and Kosta Koufos down low who can pull down rebounds seemingly at will. The Nets have two of those guys also in Lopez and Evans. Whichever team can create second chance buckets and take them away from the other team, will come out on top.

Tipoff is set for 7:30 pm ET (5:30 pm MST) from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

You can follow Matt on Twitter @Welch1048.

May 8, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) celebrates defeating the Boston Celtics in game five of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 87-86. Mandatory Credit: Paul Abell-US PRESSWIRE

It seems every summer another superstar in the NBA causes drama. Last summer it was Chris Paul, two summers ago it was our beloved Carmelo Anthony and three summers ago it was LeBron James.

This summer, Dwight Howard is following suit and is demanding to get traded from the Orlando Magic. Of course, he’s not making life easy for the Magic by saying that there is one team on his list and it is the Brooklyn (formerly New Jersey) Nets.

Of course, the Nets cap space is closing up quickly after re-signing Gerald Wallace ($40 million/4 years) and trading for Joe Johnson (who will be making nearly $87 million over the next four years). They also are expected to offer point guard Deron Williams the max as well which doesn’t leave a lot of money to get Howard.

Brooklyn could obviously swing a deal involving a sign-and-trade with big man Brook Lopez, young shooting guard MarShon Brooks and draft picks.

The Magic would probably want more than the Nets scraps for arguably the best big man in the NBA, teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks could also swoop in and make offers to acquire the so-called Superman.

The Denve Nuggets, on the other hand, seem to be content to stand on the sidelines this off-season. They stand by their word that they want to see how this team can do for a full season. It’s hard to argue with how the team finished last season, but it’s also fair to believe it is still short a few pieces of contending with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat.

But is Dwight Howard the answer? No doubt the Nuggets don’t want anything to do with Howard, especially after what they went through with Anthony. However, they have assets that intrigue other teams and they should at least explore their options as a third team in the trade. Especially if names like Al Horford, MarShon Brooks and Brook Lopez are getting thrown around.

No doubt Denver wants to re-sign restricted free agent JaVale McGee, but if the sides can’t come close on a contract the Nuggets should see what Horford’s value is. The 26-year-old big man is somebody that the Nuggets organization has been fond off, they attempted to acquire the former Florida star for Nene at the trade deadline and Horford has a special bond with former teammate and current Denver Nugget reserve Corey Brewer. He is also one of the most skilled big man in the NBA and is a legitimate low-post threat. He missed most of last year due to a shoulder injury, but returned to lead the Hawks to a Game 5 victory. He scored Atlanta’s final two basket and finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Brooks, who averaged 12.6 points during his rookie season for the Nets, has impressed many with his scoring prowess and could be somebody that takes the Nuggets over the top. Lopez battled injuries last season, but averaged 20.4 points for the Nets in 2010-11. He also brought down only 5.9 rebounds a game.