After posting 15 victories in a row, the reigning NBA champions, Toronto Raptors laid down their arms before the Brooklyn Nets. The hosts defeated Toronto at the Barclays Center, 101-91, making one of the biggest surprises of the night.
Even though the Raps had Kyle Lowry who posted a triple-double and an opponent with just 40.9% of shooting from the field, they weren’t able to get away with a win.
Toronto made just 34 of 90 shots this Wednesday night, and was below expectations in almost every aspect of play. Nick Nurse’s team was outrebounded, 62-54, had fewer assists, 21-27, allowed more points inside the paint, 38-50.
“We didn’t play well. Simple as that,” Lowry said. “They played well and give them credit, they played their butts off. They beat us. It’s only one game.”
Lowry had 12 points and assists each, with 11 rebounds, but also shot poorly from the floor, making 4 of 13 attempts, three being behind the three-point line. He, as well as all of his teammates, couldn’t find a proper rhythm and way to deal with the Nets.
The hosts started to slowly pull away from the Raptors in the middle of the opening period. The first notable lead they’ve created took place in the early part of the second quarter once Nets took a 30-19 advantage.
Slowly, Kenny Atkinson’s side became more and more confident before taking over the control of the game and routing the champs. Even though, Brooklyn didn’t have any big lead; the Raptors weren’t in a position to endanger them. Each time the Canadians made some push, the response was immediate.
“The execution wasn’t perfect, but our will to win was at a super-high level. That’s why we came out with the W,” said Atkinson. “I thought our physicality, the things we were missing in the last two games against them, I thought we just raised that. We wanted it bad.”
Among the Nets, Caris LeVert posted a team-high with 20 points, seven boards, and fours steal and assists each. Joe Harris had 19 with 6 rebounds, while Spencer Dinwiddie had 17, with nine assists and 6 boards.
Jarrett Allen posted a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebs.
On the other side, Serge Ibaka continued his stretch of excellent performances. The Spanish international made five threes, totalling for 28 points, and adding 9 boards. Fred VanVleet scored 22 points and Pascal Siakam 16 with eight boards.
The champs lacked their usual help off the bench, as non-starters contributed with only nine points. It is by far their worst performance since the season began, and even though the rotation was shorter than usual due to injuries, there is no justification for such bad productivity.
Up next, Toronto (40-15) comes back to Canada for a four-game homestand. Raptors’ next opponents will be Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks and the Charlotte Hornets. The game against the Bucks is set for February 26.
On the other side, the Nets (25-28) have a division clash against the 76ers in Philly, and after that travel to North, Carolins to face the Hornets.
