Nets unbeatable in January -- except against Raptors

The Nets will be relieved Friday night when they look across the court and see a team other than the Toronto Raptors warming up. Brooklyn is 10-0 in January against teams other than the Raptors, but 0-2 against the Atlantic Division leaders.

The team's fortunes began to turn around on Jan. 2, when the Nets defeated the Thunder in Oklahoma City. Deron Williams scored a season-high 29 points to help the Nets pull off the upset that night. They will look to finish up a strong month Friday night at Barclays Center when they take on the Thunder and surging superstar Kevin Durant.

Paul Pierce scored a season-high 33 points in Monday night's 104-103 loss to Toronto and will look to build off that performance. Both he and Kevin Garnett have played better of late, after sluggish and disappointing starts to the season.

The Nets have undergone a complete turnaround this month, surging to the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and improving their record from 10-21 to 20-23. Tomorrow night kicks off a tough stretch in the Nets' schedule, as they will play the Thunder, Pacers and Spurs -- teams which lead their respective divisions -- in three of their next four games.