Comment away. 14 straight!
 | BKN Nets | 118 | Final Box Score | 119 | TOR Raptors |  |
 B+ | P. Siakam34 MIN, 20 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 9-22 FG, 0-5 3FG, 2-4 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, -8 +/- Really strong start to this game, but he got really complacent with his offense. Took a lot of warmup jumpers, and wasted countless possessions. Still, he was able to make the Nets sweat down the stretch through sheer force of will. | ||||||||
 B- | O. Anunoby29 MIN, 5 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 2-4 FG, 0-1 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -5 +/- Good defense, of course. Really impressive on that last possession against LeVert. Had a couple nice drives to the bucket, too. | ||||||||
 B | S. Ibaka32 MIN, 12 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 5-9 FG, 1-3 3FG, 1-2 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, -4 +/- Had a few too many possessions where Jordan had his way in the paint, but he was still dependable for the most part. This was a game for the guards for both teams. | ||||||||
 A | F. VanVleet33 MIN, 29 PTS, 2 REB, 6 AST, 0 STL, 11-20 FG, 4-9 3FG, 3-3 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, -1 +/- Terrific job getting downhill, and made his shots from downtown count. Fell in with the rest of the team with some pretty uninspired defense in the second half, but he put the cape on down the stretch to salvage this win for the Raps. | ||||||||
 A+ | T. Davis30 MIN, 20 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 7-15 FG, 5-8 3FG, 1-1 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -8 +/- Not much more you can ask of him. He had those two early turnovers which weren’t really forced, but his impact on the floor was really profound. He’s profiling as a truly great off-ball presence, and he had a couple really nice rumbles to the rim. Helped out on the glass, too, as he is wont to do. | ||||||||
 A+ | M. Thomas22 MIN, 15 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST, 3 STL, 6-9 FG, 3-4 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 4 +/- The Raptors second unit had an incredible, sustained, and long stretch of success that was largely built off of his relocation and gravity on offense. He added a lot of offensive punch to the Raptors bench/905 lineup and it made for fantastic basketball. He eviscerated the Nets zone defense. | ||||||||
 B+ | P. McCaw19 MIN, 3 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 1-3 FG, 1-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 6 +/- Fit snugly into the Raptors grittiest lineup of the game and played well there. Hit a triple, played some solid defense. Good stuff. | ||||||||
 B+ | R. Hollis-Jefferson17 MIN, 5 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 2-6 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 6 +/- He’s probably taking too many possessions for himself lately. He really likes to get into a post-up from pretty far out, but he had a good eye for back-cuts etc. from his teammates. Had trouble keeping up with the bigger Nets on the defensive glass. | ||||||||
 A | C. Boucher16 MIN, 9 PTS, 5 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 2-5 FG, 0-2 3FG, 5-5 FT, 3 BLK, 2 TO, 5 +/- Really great game. Impressive defensive range, and he bolted through the guts of the Nets defense on more than one occasion. Great minutes with a shallow front-court. | ||||||||
 B+ | O. Brissett8 MIN, 1 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0-2 FG, 0-2 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 10 +/- HIs length and quick twitch athleticism is a great addition to the Raptors defense, and that’s why he had a great 8-minute stretch. Snaked a pick n’ roll before finding McCaw for 3. Didn’t hit shots, but brought the defense in spades. | ||||||||
 A- | Nick Nurse Credit him for sticking with the 905/bench unit for so long. Gotta love getting guys some extra run, and others rest. It’s also a clear indicator of what the Raptors are practicing in the margins: lots of movement, cutting with conviction, defending with heart. No one liked seeing the finish of the game, but the Raptors were pretty strapped for creators. Maybe he could’ve asked Siakam to relax with the fadeaways. | ||||||||
Things We Saw
- I’m not sure if Nurse has stumbled onto something he’s going to bring out on occasion with the 905/bench unit. But, that was a really cool thing to see in a long regular season. Brissett is one of my favourite players to watch on this team and it’s cool to see him utilized properly. Guys towards the end of the bench usually don’t have their playstyles accentuated.
- The Nets are a deeply disappointing team. Even though Irving has been injured, they have the talent to compete night in and night out. There’s a lot of fun pieces here, and I hope they sort themselves out before playoff time.
- Caris LeVert is one of the most incredible players to watch in the NBA. He’s this long, slithery, amoebic, dribbler. He can get wherever he wants on the court, and his touch tonight was awesome. He saved this game from being completely unwatchable from a Nets fans point of view.
