Nets fall to Raptors 122-105, rough stretch against Toronto continues

The Nets aimed to maintain the momentum in Toronto, but the Raptors turned the tables.

The Nets entered Toronto winning four of their previous five games, and brought it to the number one team in the Eastern Conference. Then the Raptors took control of the game as they topped Brooklyn by 122-105 at the ScotiaBank Arena on Friday night.

Brooklyn led Toronto by 35-28, with a 14-3 run to close out the first quarter. It was the highest the Nets have scored in the first quarter on the road this season. With three minutes left to go in the second quarter, the Nets still held a one-point lead at 51-50.

Then the Raptors answered back with a 15-3 run of their own in the last 2:55 of the second. Toronto outscored Brooklyn by 36-18 to end the second, and held the lead with a score of 64-53 at halftime.

The Nets faced a bigger deficit in the third quarter, as the Raptors pulled away with a 24-point lead. Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka combined for 16 of 32 shots to carry the Raptors with a score of 99-75 over Brooklyn.

Brooklyn outscored Toronto by 30-23 in the fourth and cut their lead to 17 points, but the Raptors held onto the victory with the final score of 122-105. The loss handed the Nets their 13th in their last 14 games against the Raptors. Toronto has now won their fourth-straight game, including six of their last seven.

Kawhi Leonard carried the Raptors with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Pascal Siacam followed with 16 points and six rebounds, while Serge Ibaka scored 14 points to go with nine rebounds.

D’Angelo Russell led the Nets with 24 points and nine assists, with 12 of those points coming in the first quarter. He was the only Net in the game to score double digits. Jarrett Allen came behind Russell with 9 and 12 rebounds, Joe Harris finished with seven points.

The Nets will now return home to host the Celtics at the Barclays Center on Monday night.