The Raptors had a day of rest before this Brooklyn match-up and were looking to extend their season-high 8-game winning streak. The Brooklyn Nets were coming off an embarrassing 23-point loss at home a couple nights ago. The Nets were coming into this game with desperation and were looking to show their fans more fight after that poor performance prior. The Nets are currently ranked 13th and do not have their top draft pick so this season is just about development.
JV was dominant in this game and led the Raptors to the win in Brooklyn.
The Raptors were bombarded by a D’Angelo Russell who was in Kobe mode. To even compare someone’s performance to Kobe Bryant means you are doing something good. D’Angelo Russell dropped 24 points on the Toronto Raptors in 8 minutes of action. Brooklyn’s coach Kenny Atkinson benched Russell with 4 minutes to go in the first quarter which was strange since he was unconscious shooting the basketball. The Raptors managed to hold on with the Brooklyn Nets even though they were getting pummelled from the outside. The Nets were hitting everything from the outside and the Raptors were struggling to keep the Nets off the glass as well leading to extra possessions. The Raptors escaped the quarter with only an 8-point deficit (32-40).
The bench started the second quarter and played completely opposite of how the starters started the game. The bench played with energy, pushed the pace, and defended. The deficit was erased in a blink of an eye. Toronto were unable to definitively take the lead in the second quarter. The starters came back in and the game was definitely different. The Nets were able to outhustle, force turnovers, and score in transition against the starters. The Nets were going with an unconventional lineup with 5 shooters with Quincy Acy/Dante Cunningham playing center. The Raptors managed to take advantage of the points in the paint, but allowed a lot more open perimeter shots on defense. The halftime score was 57-67 in favor of the Brooklyn Nets.
The bench helped the Raptors get back into the game and changed the makeup of the game.
The Raptors in the second half were no different from how they left off in the first half. They were unable to defend the three and were being outhustled on the boards. After a quick 3:30 of nothing productive being shown on the court, Dwane Casey made a substitution. He subbed out Norman Powell for Fred VanVleet and the difference was huge. It was hard to put all the blame on Norman Powell, but the calm leadership and playmaking from VanVleet helped the Raptors get easier shots. VanVleet’s pesky defense on Russell didn’t allow him to score another point in the rest of the game. This lineup went on a 15-0 run where Kenny Atkinson had to call multiple timeouts to try and calm down the rampage the Raptors were on. What changed? The Raptors started going to Jonas more directly and he was able to take on anyone Brooklyn had on the court and gave Toronto extra possessions by crashing the glass. The third quarter changed the makeup of the game as the Raptors won the quarter, 30-18, and were up 89-87 going into the fourth.
The fourth quarter began with both teams trading baskets and no team could put together multiple stops and baskets at the same time. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was scoring constantly with his speed to get around the Toronto bigs. The game was tight before CJ Miles finally started to hit some shots and that was all that was needed to gain the separation to close out this game. DeMar DeRozan, who was quiet for a majority of this game, took over down the stretch. The Toronto closer scored multiple baskets in the closing minutes and the Raptors put together consecutive stops. The Raptors went up double-digits and then Casey emptied out the bench. Brooklyn scored 67 points in the first half and 35 points in the second half. The Raptors will be taking their 9-game winning streak into Indiana on Thursday who have playing well.
DeRozan was quiet on the night but was loudest when it mattered most as he closed the game.
Toronto Raptors Brooklyn Nets
116 102
Player of the Game
The Nets had their hands full all game long with the 7-foot Lithuanian monster.
Jonas Valaciunas
27 minutes, 26 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 0 steals, 1 block, 12/20 shooting, 0/1 3PT, 2/5 FT
Easy choice in this one as he was dominant in this game. The Raptors went directly to Jonas on multiple possessions and consecutively. Casey had his utmost trust in JV who was put into multiple pick-and-roll situations and had to guard shooters on defense. But his impact on the offensive end and the defensive glass was huge. Brooklyn were not trying to put a big to matchup with JV and he punished them inside. Casey’s trust in JV has been a welcome sight this season and JV has produced when given his opportunities.
Things To Take Away From This Game
1. Tale of Two Halves
The Raptors second half defensive effort was the type of defense expected from a top 5 defense. The bench’s ability to change the game in the first half carried over to the second half and changed the makeup of the game. The Raptors were consistent scoring the ball in the game but a difference of 32 points between two halves is huge.
2. Dwane Casey
Dwane Casey has shown that he is able to make adjustments and is willing to make decisions on the fly. The Norman Powell for Fred VanVleet substitution won this game and led the team to a 15-0 run. The coach known for being defensive minded showed off his defense in the second half. The Raptors locked up the hot shooting Brooklyn Nets in the second half. D’Angelo Russell scored 24 points in the first quarter and only 2 points in the rest of the game. Defense wins championships and this is what the backbone of the Raptors should be come playoff time.
3. Jonas Valanciunas
The beast in the middle came alive and was the wall that protected the paint. He was the go-to guy on offense and he awarded the guards with assists with every touch. In years past, Casey benched JV for not being able to punish the smaller guys and told him one thing to do if he wanted to stay on the court, “Dominate!”. This was the JV that Casey was searching for and found tonight. A huge double-double and took 7 more shots than the next closest Raptor. The trust and hard work from both sides is starting to bear fruit.
Pictures courtesy of:
http://www.nba.com/raptors/gallery/rapsnets-031318