They might not be pesky tank competitors anymore, but the Toronto Raptors were intent on annoying the Brooklyn Nets tonight in Scotiabank Arena.
Toronto, with the Eastern Conference’s second-best record entering tonight, looked like a confident young team from the jump, going up 12-0 to begin the game. The Nets didn’t score until the 9:01 mark of the first after an and-one drive from Noah Clowney. Unlike in the Boston game where Drake Powell came off the bench first with Tyrese Martin, Ziaire Williams
joined him tonight while the rookie stayed on the bench. They helped the Nets counter with a 9-2 run.
It was a good start to the game for 3-point shooters with newfound love for putting the ball on the deck and pressuring the rim. Clowney’s continued aggression as a driver led him to nine first period points. 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 has won six games in a row and moved the ball with the confidence that builds during 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. Despite being a bottom-10 team in triples made per game this month, the Nets were queued in on their outside shooting capabilities tonight, perhaps a bit too much. They gave up the baseline on one too many occasions, looking intent on getting in passing lanes to disrupt their perimeter ball movement, but giving up runs to the rim in the process.
That said, the Nets still outscored Toronto in the paint in the first half. While their initial defensive positionings were questionable, their secondary efforts were inspiring. Brooklyn rejected six shots in the first half. Nic Claxton got two of them, as did Williams, but Porter Jr. and Clowney each got in on the action too. However, the latter’s best moment at the rim came on the other end…
Even with Clowney embodying the meteor that killed dinosaurs 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 points, who got all his points inside the 3-point line, 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. However he did dish four assists and grab two rebounds.
With the Nets being the second word rebounding team in the league, Toronto likely thought they could get by without Jakob Poeltl, but that simply wasn’t the case. They beat Toronto on the boards, winning a battle there for only the third time this year. Their efforts really shined through in the third, where they out rebounded Toronto 16-4. After grabbing four offensive rebounds in the 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 third.
Then, they gave up a few too many possessions, and control of the game. They 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 tonight leading to 26 points. To Toronto’s credit, their blitzes were well-timed and they relentlessly pressured the ball tonight, which Jordi Fernández should appreciate.
Barrett’s replacement also came ready to play. Ja’Kobe Walter entered the game after RJ left to 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.
But then it was Martin’s turn to provide an off-the-bench punch. Moving around Day’Ron Sharpe screens like a calm quarterback in a pocked, he 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.
The two teams 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, and two days removed from their best collective showing from Powell and Dëmin, they got the other side of the coin. Powell fouled Jamal Shead, which put him on the line to give Toronto a two point lead. Brooklyn’s next time down the floor, Dëmin air-balled a triple. Immanuel Quickly then made two in a row, putting Toronto up 113-104 with 2:20 to play.
A Noah 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. The Nets ran out of time — and back into the losing column.
Final: Toronto Raptors 119, Brooklyn Nets 109
Next Up
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.
