The Toronto Raptors defeated the Brooklyn Nets 127-125. The Nets lost a heartbreaker tonight in Toronto. They fought the entire night, and never let Toronto get too far ahead. Their three point shooting kept them in the game, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Let me start from the beginning. The Nets came out hot in the first quarter. Joe Harris hit 5 threes in the first quarter alone, as the Nets took a 29-21 lead heading into the second quarter. The Raptors would bounce back in the second quarter, outscoring the Nets 35-31 in the quarter. The Nets second unit struggled in the second quarter, as Caris LeVert came back down to earth in his second game back. Still, the Nets took a 4 point lead heading into halftime. D’Angelo Russell, who was very quiet in the first half, took over in the third quarter. It was Russell vs Ibaka, as both players seemingly could not miss. The Raptors would get the advantage, as they outscored the Nets 36-32 in the third. The Nets and Raptors headed to the 4th tied at 92. Newly acquired Marc Gasol took over for the Raptors in the 4th. He was making no look passes, and drilling threes. Gasol led the Raptors to a 7 point lead with about 8 minutes to go before the Nets came back. Shabazz Napier hit a big three, and then Allen Crabbe hit 2 huge threes to tie the game with 1:30 to go. With about 50 seconds to go, D’Angelo Russell hit a difficult three to put the Nets up by 3. Danny Green would then answer, and the game was tied with 30 seconds to go. The Nets were unable to convert, and the Raptors got the ball with the shot clock turned off. Kyle Lowry dribbled our the clock to 9 seconds and then gave the ball to Kawhi. Future Net Kawhi Leonard then ripped Nets fans hearts out when he banked in a very difficult shot with 4.2 seconds left. The Nets then went for the win with a D’Angelo Russell three, but he was off the mark. The Nets showed a lot of promise in this game as Toronto is one of the best teams in the NBA, and Brooklyn gave them their all. The Nets will have to break their winless streak in Toronto next year. Hopefully the young Nets have quick memories, as they need to win Wednesday’s game in Cleveland. The Nets have had a great first half, and it would be awesome for them to head into the break 1 game above .500.

The Nets were once again led by D’Angelo Russell. Russell recorded another double double (near triple double) finishing with 28 points 14 assists and 7 rebounds. Russell struggled in the first half (just 3 points), but he was the source of offense in the second half. Russell tried his best to guide the Nets to victory when he hit a very tough 3 with less than a minute to go, but the Raptors were relentless. Joe Harris also had a very nice game for the Nets, finishing with 24 points on 7-8 shooting from deep. Harris was on fire from deep in the first half, but then was held in check in the second half. If Harris shoots like he did tonight in the 3 point contest on Saturday, he will run away with the award. Lastly, Allen Crabbe had another good game in his 3rd game back from injury, finishing with 22 points on 8-13 shooting. Crabbe has not skipped a beat since he return from a knee injury, and did his best tonight to try to get the Nets a victory.

Kawhi Leonard led the way for the Raptors. Leonard finished with 30 points on 10-20 shooting, and more importantly hit the dagger shot with 4.2 seconds left to gift the Raptors a win. Hopefully Leonard will be wearing black and white next season. Newly acquired Marc Gasol had a good game in his first home game, finishing with 16 points and 6 rebounds on 7-9 shooting. The Raptors got significantly better in their acquisition of Gasol. Gasol might just be the missing piece to lead the Raptors to the NBA finals. Lastly, Serge Ibaka (18 points and 12 rebounds) and Pascal Siakim (17 points on 6-13 shooting) hurt the Nets with mid rangers and rebounding. Ibaka caught fire to start the second half, and the Nets never were able to adjust to him.

What’s Next?

The Nets travel to Cleveland to face the Cavs on Wednesday, while the Raptors remain home to take on the Wizards on Wednesday.

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