Pesky tank competitors no more, the Toronto Raptors were still intent on annoying the Brooklyn Nets tonight in Scotiabank Arena.
Toronto, with the Eastern Conference’s second-best record, were eager to reintroduce the Nets to their reshaped persona. While both teams already faced off this season, the Raptors didn’t have the buzz they had when they played two weeks ago, sitting with a 5-5 record and coming off a loss. Since then, they’ve won and won and won, going into Sunday night with six straight.
To emphasize things, the Raptors went up 12-0 to begin the game, keeping the Nets off the scoreboard until the 9:01 mark of the first.
“It just started with our intentions from the beginning,” Jordi Fernández said. “We were not ready to play…We battled back, and we were fighting for the game, but if you put yourself in that situation, it’s just really hard. We came out flat with no energy, and it’s not the way you want to start games.”
The usual suspects started again, but unlike in the Boston game where Drake Powell came off the bench first with Tyrese Martin, it was Ziaire Williams who joined him. They at least helped the Nets counter with a 9-2 run.
It was a good start to the game for Brooklyn’s 3-point shooters who’ve developed a newfound love for putting the ball on the deck and pressuring the rim. Noah Clowney’s continued aggression as a driver led him to nine first period points. Tyrese Martin pitched in 10, tying his career-high for most points scored in any quarter…
Despite their efforts, the Nets trailed 34-28 going into the second frame. Toronto moved the ball with the confidence that belies runs like that. They assisted on 10 of their 13 first quarter field goals and shot 52.4% from the floor.
The Raptors also started the game 8-14 from deep. That hurt the Nets on the scoreboard and possibly from a tactical standpoint. The Nets looked a bit too queued in on Toronto’s outside shooting capabilities in the second. They conceded the baseline on one too many occasions, looking intent on getting in passing lanes to disrupt their perimeter ball movement but opening lanes to the rim in the process.
The Nets still outscored Toronto in the paint in the first half. While their initial defensive positioning was questionable, their secondary efforts were inspiring. Brooklyn rejected six shots in the first half. Nic Claxton got two of them, as did Williams. Porter Jr. and Clowney got in on the action too, but the latter’s best moment at the rim came on the other end…
Even with Clowney hitting the Raptors like the Chicxulub asteroid on that play, Toronto led at half 65-58 after getting a dozen from RJ Barrett. Michael Porter Jr. led all scorers at the break, grabbing 14 points in 5-11 shooting, followed by Clowney with nine, who got all his points inside the 3-point line by going 5-10 from the field.
Egor Dëmin experienced a quiet opening half, not getting his first points until around the 10-minute mark of the third when he splashed a three after coming off a screen. He did help out in the rebounding department though, where the Nets pulled off an upset tonight even with Jakob Poeltl out. They beat Toronto on the boards 40-32, winning a battle there for only the third time this year. Their efforts primarily shined through in the third, where they out rebounded Toronto 16-4. After grabbing four offensive rebounds in the entire first half, they pulled down five less than five minutes into the third quarter.
Momentum slowly but surely turned in Brooklyn’s favor as that period progressed. Barrett left the game at the 7:13 point of the quarter and was later ruled out with a sprained knee. About a minute later, Porter Jr. hit his third three of the game to make it a two-point contest with about six left in the quarter. He finished the game with 25 points, four assists, a blocked shot, and a steal after shooting 9-of-18 from the field and 4-of-9 from three.
But then, the Nets started giving up possessions, and control of the game. Brooklyn matched their total turnovers for the entire first quarter less than 10 minutes into the third. One could even say they had “butter fingers”…
The Nets ended up turning it over 19 times leading to 26 Toronto points. To Toronto’s credit, their blitzes were well-timed and they relentlessly pressured the ball, which Fernández should appreciate.
“We only shot 34 threes with past threes. We didn’t space the floor properly,” he said. “You know, 14 turnovers are mine, so five of them should have been shots at the rim or threes, and if they don’t go in, we have the chance to offensive rebound. And you know, it just didn’t happen. And those five turnovers are probably the key to the game, plus our defensive effort to start the game. So, a lot to clean up.”
Barrett’s replacement also came ready to play. Ja’Kobe Walter put in eight points in seven minutes that gave Toronto’s lead some much needed insurance. They stayed in front 87-82 going into the fourth, helped by a buzzer-beating turn around jumper from Scottie Barnes. He ended up leading the Raptors with 17 points after shooting 6-13 from the field. He also tallied four blocked shots, two steals, seven rebounds, and four assists.
But next it was Martin’s turn to provide an off-the-bench punch. Moving around Day’Ron Sharpe screens like a calm quarterback in a collapsing pocket, the all-purpose 26-year-old found his way to eight points in the period’s first three minutes. His second triple of the period tied game 94-94 with 9:15 to go.
Martin ended up leading the Nets with 26 points for game after shooting 7-of-14 from the field and 5-of-7 from three. The five triples and his total scoring output were each second-bests for his career. The Nets and Raptors each matched their next 10 points, keeping us tied at 104-104 as time trickled down to the 3:31 mark of the third.
Fernández featured both Dëmin and Powell down the stretch of the fourth. As well all know, rookie play is often a mixed bag, filled with encouraging leaps and growing pains alike. So, two days removed from their best collective showing in the clutch, Powell and Dëmin showed us the other side of the coin.
Toronto started to pull away when Powell fouled Jamal Shead, putting him at Toronto ahead by a deuce. Brooklyn’s next time down the floor, Dëmin air-balled a deep, but wide open triple.
Neither Powell nor Dëmin had “bad” nights by any means. The 20-year-old Powell finished with six points and two assists in 14 minutes of play. Dëmin shot just 2-of-10 from the field, but still gathered five points, four assists, and three rebounds.
But like Dëmin’s final three in the Boston game, those moments stood out as turning points in the game. Shortly after, Immanuel Quickly made two threes in a row, giving Toronto a 113-104 lead with 2:20 to play.
A Clowney three with 1:13 to play made it a seven point game, but Seton Hall product Sandro Mamukelashvili matched it next time down the floor. Eventually, the Nets ran out of time — and back into the losing column.
“It started with our intentions from the beginning, right? We were not ready to play. If you’re picking and choosing, then basketball gods go, ‘Everything gets in the right place,’ ” said Fernández summing up post-game. “It’s just a matter of our starting unit started 12-0 in the first quarter and 5-0 in the third quarter.
“So to start the first half, in the second half we’re minus-17. And I trust those guys, and those guys have done a great job. We battled back and we were fighting for the game. But if you put yourself in that situation, it’s just really hard. We came out flat with no energy and it’s not the way you want to start games.”
Final: Toronto Raptors 119, Brooklyn Nets 109
Noah Clowney had his first 20-point game of the season and fifth of his career. He’s tied his season high in scoring (twice, 11/21 at BOS and 11/7 vs DET). This is his second career instance scoring 19+ points in back-to-back games (12/23/24 [19 points] – 12/26/24 [20]).Nic Claxton (10 points, 10 rebounds) recorded his team-leading fourth double-double of the season. It is the 80th of his career, which moves him to a tie with Keith Van Horn for the 9th-most in franchise history.Claxton had two blocks tonight and now 556 in his career, three shy of tying Derrick Coleman (559) for the 5th-most as a Net.Tyrese Martin’s 26 points tonight were the most off-the-bench by a Net all seasonWhen Michael Porter Jr. reached 21 points, he extended his career-long streak to nine straight games with 20+ points. He is tied with Cam Thomas (3/27 – 4/12/24) and Mikal Bridges (3/23 – 4/7/23) as the longest such streaks by a Net since Kevin Durant’s 14 from 12/4/22 to 1/6/23.Brooklyn went 10-of-11 from the free throw line in the first quarter, their most free throws made in the opening quarter of a game since 3/10/24 at Cleveland.
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The Nets will play another familiar opponent tomorrow evening, heading back home to host the New York Knicks. They mopped the floor with Brooklyn earlier this month. The Nets haven’t beaten the Knicks since January of 2023.