(SportsNetwork.com) - The Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic will collide Wednesday night at the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets are aiming for a third straight win and have posted consecutive victories after losing three straight, including a 110-101 road triumph Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Former Orlando guard Arron Afflalo scored a season-high 34 points and finished 4-of-6 from 3-point range, while J.J. Hickson led the reserves with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Jusuf Nurkic and Nate Robinson scored 14 and 12 points, respectively, off the bench. Kenneth Faried netted 15 points for the Nuggets, whose bench recorded 47 points. The Nuggets led by a 35-21 score after the first quarter, made 54.8 percent from the field and snapped a seven-game road losing streak. The first half I think was probably the best half of basketball weve played, both offensively and defensively combined, said Nuggets coach Brian Shaw. Afflalo is averaging 25.3 ppg in his last three games. Ty Lawson had eight points and 12 assists in the win. He is probable Wednesday with a bruised knee and leads the team in points (16.3) and assists (10.2). Orlando hopes to find some success on the road and will play four straight away from home against the Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers and Chicago Bulls. The Magic lost all three games on a recent homestand and most recently dropped a 98-90 decision to the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. Victor Oladipo and Nikola Vucevic scored 21 and 20 points, respectively, with the latter grabbing 10 rebounds. Tobias Harris had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Magic, losers in four straight at home. We just have to get out of the funk and see what we can do better, Magic guard Ben Gordon said. Orlando is 9-12 on the road this season and has won two in a row away from home. The Magic and Nuggets will play the first of two matchups this season and are scheduled to square off March 22 in central Florida. Denver took both games in this series last season and is 8-3 in the last 11 meetings. The Nuggets have won five in a row at home versus Orlando. Vapormax Plus Australia . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. From Pierre LeBrun While Anaheim GM Bob Murray said earlier this season he was not going to trade Jonas Hiller despite the fact hes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, some sources have told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun that Murray might be willing to move another goalie. Jordan 1 Retro Australia .C. -- Authorities say the brother of Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White has been shot and killed outside a South Carolina nightclub. http://www.salenikeshoesaustralia.com/air-force-1-clearance/air-force-1-07-cheap.html .Simon will work with head coach Gord Dineen and associate coach Derek King behind the bench of the Toronto Maple Leafs American Hockey League affiliate for the 2014-15 season. Nike Shoes Outlet Australia . You can watch coverage on TSN, TSN2 and CTV beginning today at 3pm et/Noon pt. The championships will feature approximately 250 of Canadas best figure skaters in senior, junior and novice as they vie for spots on the national team, international assignments and will act as the final step in the 2014 Olympic qualification process. Asics Shoes Sale Australia . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins (5) – He had a brilliant game; it was a huge response for his average games before.RALEIGH, N.C. – The Maple Leafs were probably due for this. Despite reeling off wins in 10 of their previous 12 games, there was growing concern around the club that the tide was trending in a troublesome direction, one that would eventually catch up to them at some point. That thinking proved right for at least a night in North Carolina. The Leafs were dealt a minor wake-up call Thursday night in Raleigh, their season-long six-game win streak halted by a struggling Hurricanes squad that had tumbled to the very bottom of the league with six consecutive losses previously. It was just the second defeat in regulation for Toronto since Nov. 18 (10-2-1). When you start to get away from the little details of your game these are the things that creep up on you, said Peter Holland following the 4-1 defeat. The trouble started early. Listless from the point of puck-drop, the Leafs surrendered a pair of goals in a span of less than two minutes in the first frame, including one shorthanded. They also yielded 16 shots and lost more than 70 per cent of the faceoffs. Randy Carlyle felt his club was simply outworked in the early-going. Right from the get-go we were in trouble, said Stephane Robidas afterward. We didnt start the game on time. They took advantage of it. With some reconfigured line combinations, a bit more fight and a few less turnovers, the Leafs pushed back some in the middle period and cut the gap in half on the second goal of the year from Dion Phaneuf. But then with an all-too-perfect opportunity to even the score on a third period power-play, Cody Franson took a penalty. Franson cross-checked Nathan Gerbe, a player precisely one foot shorter than him. Andrej Sekera predictably scored for the home side on the ensuing power-play, the final nail in any comeback attempt. When we commit the undisciplined acts that we committed tonight it comes back and bites you, Carlyle said, referring repeatedly to that penalty specifically afterward. It just takes you right out of the hockey game. Carlyles concern has been brewing for the past couple weeks, even as the wins kept piling up. After a 6-2 win over the Ducks on Tuesday he observed that his teams play had slipped, referring to an increase in mistakes before the game in Carolina. While scoring in bunches, the Leafs have surrendered a worrisome number of shots and have been leaning more and more on their tandem in goal to mind that gap. It was a formula that ended up in failure last season and one they remain weary of repeating. You cant rely on your goalie to win games every night, said Robidas. Its not the right recipe to win. Jonathan Bernier faced 36 shots on this night and was ultimately outdueled by Cam Ward, who stopped all but one of the 26 that came his way. Carolina had scored just a single goal in each of their previous six losses, but had four on this night, including that shorthanded marker in the first. Justin Faulk finished that two-on-one rush with Morgan Rielly caught deep and flat-footed in the Hurricanes zone, the second of two first period goals for the home side. The first came when Chris Terry outmaneuvered Jake Gardiner for a rebound in front. If not quite the warning shot of that 9-2 loss to Nashville last month or the one-sided defeat in Buffalo a few nights before that, the loss was indeed a reminder of where the road will turn if the current formula is maintained. And its not a happy place. I dont think we need to fix the big picture here, Holland said, I think its just a couple little things we need to adjust again and then hopefully well end up back on the right side of the score-sheet. An opportunity to respond comes Saturday when the Flyers visit the ACC. Five Points 1. Lesson Learned? The Leafs have increasingly resembled the group from last year of late and that has concern seeping in. The club went on a equally scorching 11-2-1 run prior to the Olympic break last February before spiraling out of a playoff position thereafter. The underlying numbers appear similar. Comparing Seasons 2014-15 2013-14 Record 10-2-1 11-2-1 Goals Per Game 3.85 3.64 Shots Against Per Game 34.2 35.7 Possession* 44.3% 43.1% *Entering Thursdays play Hopefully last years was a learning experience for us, that you cant take anything for granted, said Carlyle.ddddddddddddThings change dramatically and when the wave starts to go with you you want to ride it as long as you possibly can and when the wave goes against you youve got to find a formidable wall and build that and say enoughs enough. Among the bigger differences from last years Leafs to this years version is vastly improved depth, a much sturdier penalty kill and a step forward from the likes of Nazem Kadri and Peter Holland. I dont like to look back on the past because we cant change what happened and it was a negative, Carlyle said. What wed like to do is build on the positive of getting the points, but yet [recognize the need for improvement]. 2. Possession Showing slight improvement early in the season the Leafs have dipped again in the possession game, 27th overall coming into Thursdays play. Thats led to extended shifts in the defensive zone, a whole bunch of shots for Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer, and an obvious area for improvement for the teams head coach. We feel the majority of teams that are having success in the league are spending extended shifts in the oppositions zone and we havent done that on a consistent basis here in the last three or four games, Carlyle said. There was an old coach from Sudbury by the name of Al Arbour who said that the least amount of time you spend in your zone usually defers to you having success in the outcome of the hockey game. During the previous 12 games, of which they won 10, the Leafs had an even-strength possession of 44 per cent, third-worst in the league in that stretch. They managed a 42 per cent clip against Carolina. 3. Possession II Torontos best line previously at sustaining offensive zone pressure had been that of Nazem Kadri, Mike Santorelli and Daniel Winnik – all three hovering near 50 per cent on the year. Why? They keep it simple, Carlyle said. If theres not an opportunity to advance the puck on a three-on-two or two-on-one or odd-man rush they put the puck in and they skate off it. With todays rules you cant hold up in the neutral ice anymore so there should not be any reason to not get the puck in deep if the situation presents itself. Thats the issue, [its] more about reading when to do it and when not to do it. 4. Pushing for 1,000 Holland hit the 100-game mark as an NHL player on Thursday night. Hes more than 900 games behind the teams oldest player, the 37-year-old Robidas. Robidas is the type of player and personality the Leafs want their young players (like Holland) to watch carefully and emulate, studying just how a seventh-round pick from Quebec managed to stick around all these years. It didnt happen overnight. Robidas remembers eating McDonalds four or five times a week when he played junior hockey in Shawinigan, but when he turned pro with the Montreal Canadiens AHL affiliate in Fredericton he approached the clubs strength coach looking to make a change. Hey I want to get to the next level, Robidas recalled saying. Can you help me? And with that help he changed his nutrition, sleeping patterns, workout regimen and general routine for preparing to play. And come next season, if he remains healthy, Robidas will be in line to cross the 1,000-game threshold. If I didnt change I dont think Id be sitting here, he said. 5. Faceoffs If theres one point for improvement that Carlyle would like to see from the 24-year-old Holland its in the faceoff circle. Holland, who lost nine of 15 draws on Thursday, is amongst the worst regulars in the league at 44.6 per cent. As a team the Leafs sit 15th overall at 49.7 per cent. Stats-Pack 100 – Career games for Peter Holland. 18:58 – Ice-time for Roman Polak in his return to the Toronto lineup. 32 – Faceoff winning percentage for the Leafs on Thursday. 52-38 – Possession advantage for the Hurricanes. 5-3-3 – Leafs road record this season. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-3 Season: 20.5 per cent PK: 2-3 Season: 83.5 per cent Quote of the Night Its not a 9-2 loss to Nashville, thats for sure. -Peter Holland, on whether Thursdays defeat classified as a minor wake-up call. Up Next The Leafs host the Flyers on Saturday night. ' ' '