The Toronto Raptors defeated the Brooklyn Nets for a second time this month, 112-100, to match a season high with their fifth straight victory.
Brooklyn's Lead After One Before Toronto Heats Up
Brooklyn started off the game on one of six shooting but then quickly turned things around and went on a 7-0. Joe Johnson, who played the entire first stanza of the game, tallied 13 first quarter points and drained a pair of three-pointers.
The Nets ended the first 12 minutes of the contest being up by 10 and shot 58 percent from the field. Toronto then began the second frame on a 13-4 run with Nets’ turnovers piling up in a hurry. By halftime, the Raptors held a slight advantage being up 52-49 after showcasing a 74 percent shooting performance in the second quarter and outscoring their opponents by 13.
Nets Lead After Three But Falter Late
Brooklyn retaliated in the third frame by displaying a 35 point performance and regained the lead to enter the final period up by three. With 6:34 left in regulation, the game was tied at 84. Terrence Ross then helped the Raptors march towards victory with five straight points and go up 103-98 with 5:48 left in the game. Toronto put the exclamation point to the game wrapping it up on a 14-2 run; Brooklyn went ice cold from the floor and had no response.
Top Performers
Ross ended the night shooting 5 of 5 from the field and scored 12 points. Patrick Patterson had his share of 12 points of the bench. Johnson finished with 22 points on 9 of 12 shooting. Brook Lopez lead his team with 29 points and 10 boards. Thaddeus Young had 11 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double. Donald Sloan chipped in 13 points.
Team Stats
Nets
-Concluded the game shooting 51.3 percent.
- After nailing 4 of their first 5 three point attempts, Brooklyn dropped its shooting percentage from beyond the arc to 36 percent.
-Outrebounded their opponents 40-36.
-Had 14 turnovers
Raptors
-Shot 50.6 percent from the field
-Shot 54 percent from beyond the arc
-The bench scoring was in their favor 33-21
-Committed 7 turnovers
Other Things To Note
-A total of 8 lead changes and 11 ties took place.
-Andrea Bargnani (Nets), Jarrett Jack (Nets) and DeMarre Carroll (Raptors) sat out with injuries.
-Nets are now 4-16 on the road this season.
-Prior to the start of January, Johnson was averaging 10 points per contest. In the last ten games, his scoring average has been boosted to 15 points a contest.
Up Next
-The Nets will open a four game home stand and host the Cleveland Cavaliers, who currently hold the best record in the Eastern Conference. The game will be on Wednesday, January 20th at 7:30 P.M. EST.
-The Raptors, who ended a five game road trip prior tonight’s game, will continue to be home for the next six games. They will face the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, January 20th, at 7:30 P.M. EST.