As victories go, call it a painkiller. Beating the New Jersey Nets, on pace to collect the worst record in NBA history, is hardly a cure for what ails the Raptors.

So while Toronto's hoopsters escaped the Meadowlands with a 100-90 win on Saturday night, the game wasn't so much a corner turned as more turmoil avoided.

"I would say it was a must-win for us – you drop a game like this, you lose the whole team's morale," said Antoine Wright, the Raptors forward. "I think we did a good job of understanding what was at stake here."