The Raptors withstood a furious comeback to hold on to a 127-122 win in Brooklyn. Toronto used a balanced attack – four Raptors scored five or more points in the quarter — to jump out to a 16-3 lead to start the game. Defensively, the Raps did a nice job of staying active in the passing lanes and forcing Brooklyn into a number of long twos by double teaming their big guards in the post. The Nets settled into rhythm after a time out at the 6:38 mark and ended the quarter on a 14-4 run of their own.
Lou Williams did what he does best for the Raptors in the second quarter. He got to the line seven times in seven minutes and connected on a pair of left corner threes to finish with 13 points in the period. This was basically a quarter of fighting fire with fire. The Nets scored 31 points on 59 percent shooting, but Toronto was even better, putting up 37 points on a steamy 63 percent shooting in the quarter. Although they had some trouble stopping guard penetration, per usual, and allowed Brook Lopez to score 19 points in 19 minutes for the half, the Raps scored 66 points in the half and took a twelve-point lead into halftime. Amir and Jonas combined for 20 points, going a perfect 9 of 9 in the half.
Valanciunas and Amir Johnson continued their efficient ways to start the third, as the Raptors extended their lead to 17 with 7:27 to play. Things soon changed, however, as Joe Johnson, whom the Raptors so effectively double teamed in the first half, started to get his shots and Jarrett Jack relentlessly attacked the rim to bring the game within nine points going into the fourth. Johnson and Jack finished with 9 and 10 points in the quarter, respectively.
The Nets carried the momentum they built in the previous quarter into the fourth, going on a 21-2 run over the two quarters, to build a 97-93 lead. The Raptors couldn’t get anything rolling, going 0/8 to start the quarter, while Jarrett Jack continued to hit difficult jumpers. Down four with 6:35 to play, DeMar decided that enough was enough and took the game into his own hands, connecting on four straight tough jumpers, including two And-1s, to bring the Raptors back within a point with 3:58 to play. Down 113-111 with 21.4 to play, the Raptors ran a nifty little play that saw Derozan receive a handoff from Amir Johnson off a curl, which drew a second defender and allowed an easy return drop off dunk for a rolling Amir. Brooklyn had a chance to win it on the other end but Lowry came up with a huge strip of Jack with 1.4 seconds to play and Brook Lopez missed a 21-foot jumper at the buzzer to send it into overtime.
The dog fight continued into overtime but the Nets, who had four guys log over forty minutes in the game, were damn near out of steam and Derozan kept his foot on the gas to help the Raptors come out with a five-point win.
Thoughts:
- DeMar was absolutely wonderful. He played such a well-rounded game and was biggest when the Raptors needed him the most. They would not have won this game if he didn’t hit those four straight jumpers to stop the run in the fourth. It was also great to see him rack up nine assists.
- This was probably my favorite Amir performance of the season. He was 10-11 from the field and had some huge put backs to save the game in overtime. He also did a fantastic job of doubling Joe Johnson in the first half.
- Jonas was a perfect 7 of 7 from the field but he didn’t get any shots in the 4:46 that he actually played forth quarter. I don’t know, man.
- Lowry was bad on both ends. I don’t mind seeing a team leader have a bad night from the field but his shot selection was pretty terrible. All those shots early in possessions were kind of ridiculous. He had a huge strip on the final possession in regulation, though.
- This game didn’t bother me as much as it seemed to bother most Raptors fans. It sucks to blow a 17-point lead but the resiliency was commendable. A lot of guys played really well and Brooklyn is a desparate team who just kind of caught fire midway through the third.
- Five straight wins. 6 of the last 7. Undefeated in the Atlantic. Hells yea, baby.
