In last season's playoffs, these two teams went head-to-head in the first round, all the way up until the final seconds of game seven. The Nets were able to come up with the win in that series but this season, Brooklyn finds itself being down 0-2 against the Raptors with two more meetings left to go. It wasn’t easy for Toronto to pick up the win, however, as they required an overtime period to come up on top.
The Raptors came out with full force as they started off the game 12-0. Brooklyn missed its first field goal attempts before calling for a timeout. Struggles continued to go on for them, as they were 1 of 10 midway through the first period. It was not until the final minutes of the quarter when they began to get it together and go on a mini 8-2 run. They were able to bring up their shooting percentage to 42 percent by the end of the quarter. The Raptors were shooting it at 55 percent at the time.
Good things began to come for the Nets as they were able to get their first lead of the night by the 9:36 mark of the second frame. Toronto then regained the lead as they entered halftime up, 66-54. Louis Williams visited the free-throw line 10 times during the first half and went 100 percent with his attempts to give him 18 points off the bench. The Nets had a player of their own who came off the bench and was in double-digit scoring. Brook Lopez contributed with 19 first half points. Jarrett Jack played all but 47 seconds of the first half and was able to put up 15 points
Similar to how the first period went, the Raptors started off scoring at a fast pace as they put up 10 points in the first four minutes of the third quarter. To end the period, the Nets went on a 12-4 run to cut the Raptor lead to nine. They were also able to outscore them in the quarter, 28-24. Jack continued to carry his team in the final 12 minutes of the game, as he knocked down back to back shots early in the frame.
Brooklyn was on a 15-2 run with 8:32 left in the game as Toronto was cold from the field for a short stint. That run would carry on as they were able to tie up the game after trailing by as many as 17. DeMar DeRoza responded to that run by scoring 10 straight points. Jack and Lopez continued to carry the team offensively as the lead kept switching hands in the final minutes of regulation. Lopez then had an opportunity to give the Nets a home win, as he released an open look, but it would not fall down.
The Raptors consistent offense and rebounding would be too much for the Nets to handle during the overtime period. Jack finished the game logging in a total of 52 minutes and despite playing the entire second half, he did a good job of staying productive. Jack not only achieved a new career-high, but was also two boards shy of earning a triple-double. He put up 35 points to go along with 13 assists. Lopez was able to get a double-double with 35 points and 12 boards. Joe Johnson had a solid game with 17 points and shot it at 50 percent from the field. The high man for Toronto was DeRozan, as he concluded the night with 26 points and nine assists.
Brooklyn put up a solid fight, giving it their all against one of the top teams in the East. Their offense picked up after a sluggish start, and they did a good job of protecting the ball, as they finished the game having fewer turnovers than the opposing team.
Toronto, the highest scoring team in the East, was simply unstoppable tonight, as they scored from all angles. From the starters to the bench, they had guys who were making this team an instant offensive machine.
Deron Williams, who has missed 11 straight games, is probably going to come back next week. Jack has played tremendous in his absence, but one must wonder the chunk of minutes he has put up each game will affect him in the second half of the season.
The Next game for Brooklyn will be on February 2nd against the Los Angeles Clippers. For the Raptors, they will match up against the Washington Wizards on January 31st.