The Brooklyn Nets were supposed to be pushovers for the Toronto Raptors. A hideous Q2 put the Raptors in a deep hole they barely managed to crawl out of.
In an extreme example of that cliche about the NBA being a league of runs, the Toronto Raptors were able to subdue the visiting Brooklyn Nets – but not easily. Toronto had sqandered a decent lead by allowing the Nets to open the second quarter on a 16-3 romp, with such household names as Willie Reed and Sean Kilpatrick doing damage. The Nets closed the quarter 11-2, as the Raptors could not tame Brook Lopez.
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Mid-way through Q3, the cause looked lost. Brooklyn seemed determined to not surrender their hefty lead. But a Kyle Lowry 3-ball lit a spark. The Raptors finished the quarter on a 25-14 run to narrow the deficit to a basket. Their hot play continued to kick off Q4, as Terrence Ross finally showed up with some long balls. His jumper in the paint pushed the Raptors lead to 12, and a Bismack Biyombo slam (he initiated the play by stealing the ball from Lopez, then raced down the floor to accept a long pass from Cory Joseph – nicely done, Biz) made it 14. Then the basket snapped shut for Toronto, and Brooklyn’s long shots found nothing but net. They closed the gap to 3 points twice, but only managed one basket in the final 2:15. A wobbly win was in the books.
Despite their winning record, the Raptors consistently display a shocking ability to play basketball down to the level of sadsack opponents. Tuesday’s night second quarter was an extreme example of this most undesirable tendency. The Raptors ran like they had strapped on ankle weights as a training camp inhibitor, or as a handicap to even up the match. The Nets couldn’t miss, and the Raptors could. When Brook Lopez banked in a jumper at the buzzer, Toronto had lost the quarter by 21 points. The Raptors made 7 turnovers against a pitiful 3 field goals to register perhaps the worst 12 minutes of the last 3 seasons.
Fortunately coach Dwane Casey had some inspirational or perhaps insulting words to say at halftime. Whatever his message, the Raptors took it to heart, particularly our All-Star backcourt. DeMar DeRozan displayed his usual fearlessness, attacking the basket with gusto. He connected on all nine of his free-throws attempts and ended with 25 points. Lowry’s shooting from the line has been lousy lately, his 5-of-9 continuing a troubling trend. Happily his jump shooting has not deserted him, as he hit half his eight 3-balls and totalled 23.
The Nets starting guards combined for 10 points. Without Robin Lopez, I’m not sure the Nets could defeat a D-League squad. Their giant centre was a huge load at both ends of the floor. He missed only 4 of his 17 shots, none of his nine free throws (he was the only Net to get to the line!), and blocked 7 Raptors attempts. While Jonas Valanciunas managed 10 points, he couldn’t control Lopez. Biyombo bodied him more aggressively, and was able to turn and grab some boards.
Loyal readers know I had pushed for Jason Thompson to start at power forward, and that’s exactly what happened. He played half the game, scored 9 points with 5 rebounds, and was minus_2. He wasn’t any great revelation, but he certainly didn’t do his cause any damage either. I’d like to see more.
The easy part of this lengthy home stand is over. Atlanta, Miami and Chicago are coming to town.