Vince Carter (photo. Mannion)

Five matchups to watch from Monday’s nine-game schedule…

NJ @ Toronto: Vince Carter vs. Canada
While the Raptors hope they were able to bottle some of whatever it was that helped them limit Vince to three points on 0-for-13 shooting in Jersey last week, the Nets are banking on the knowledge that their man rebounded from that stinker to drop 39 on the Bulls, and that he’ll bring out his “I Wanna Kill Sam (Mitchell)” tools and replicate last month’s 39-point fish gutting in the Air Canada Centre.
(NBA League Pass, 7 p.m. EST)

Utah @ Boston: Paul Millsap/Mehmet Okur vs. Doc Rivers
It’ll be interesting to see how Doc plays this one. Do you pull the League’s best defender away from the rim to guard Memo, thereby sacrificing your top rebounder and shot-blocker for the benefit of getting a hand in Okur’s face when he’s launching threes? Or do you put Perk on Memo, knowing you’ll give up some open shots while allowing KG to mix it up with Millsap (which could also lead to foul trouble for KG)? And where do Leon Powe and Big Baby fit into the equation?
(NBA League Pass, 7:30 p.m. EST)

Milwaukee @ Miami: Michael Redd vs. Dwyane Wade
His last time out, Redd dropped 27 points on the Pacers, including a couple of dagger threes during a game-ending 19-0 run. As for Wade, he got a faceful of J’s from O.J. Mayo in his last outing while putting up a subpar 17 points of his own. Wade is as good as anyone in the game right now, but Redd has the hot hand and could capitalize on Miami’s negative momentum. The Heat have lost two in a row.
(NBA League Pass, 7:30 p.m. EST)

Orlando @ Golden State: Marcin Gortat vs. Air & Opportunity
Dwight Howard (knee) is out, meaning Gortat gets another start at the five. The 6-11, 240-pound second-year pro out of Poland just cracked the 100-minute checkpoint in his first NBA start against the Jazz over the weekend, where he blocked four shots. He’s little more than a stop-gap until Dwight gets healthy, but the Warriors are known for giving up breakout nights and career games against opposing big men. Don’t be surprised if Gortat posts at least a double-double, maybe more.
(NBA League Pass, 10:30 p.m. EST)

Minnesota @ Sacramento: Al Jefferson vs. Spencer Hawes
Honestly, there’s really not that much intrigue here. I just want to see what the Wolves and Kings respective front-offices see in their flawed rosters that makes them think coaching has been the problem. Is one Lottery spot apparently that much better than the next? All you’re doing at this point is creating a culture of discontinuity for your young players.
(NBA League Pass, 10 p.m. EST)