The immortal words of Admiral Akbar from Return of the Jedi perfectly describe what this game was for Toronto- “It’s a trap!”
Before last night- the Raptors have shown no mercy to Brooklyn, they had beaten them twelve times in a row. It’s understandable why many would think it would be an instant win for Toronto when these two meet up.
It was not the case last night.
Coming off of another heartbreaking loss at home in the dying seconds, the Nets came out to play against the best in the League. They managed to stick around for the entire game, despite a few large runs by Toronto. Overtime was forced after a Spencer Dinwiddie layup was blocked by Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors had a chance to take the win in OT, but a missed three-pointer by Fred VanVleet sunk that ship.
D’Angelo Russel scored 29 points and more than half of the ones in overtime. Two other Nets added 10+ points in the winning effort.
Meanwhile on the Raptors end, Leonard was excellent for Toronto.
Leonard scored a team high 32 points, including a couple of clutch shots that brought the game into OT. Jonas Valanciunas scored 24 points in his tenth start of the season. Leonard added most of the points in overtime.
Problems for the Raptors continued to eat away. The three point shot has still been cold, and Kyle Lowry’s struggles continue. Lowry contributed three points in the loss.
Up Next: The Raptors return home to play the second place Milwaukee Bucks Sunday night. The Nets visit rivals New York Saturday.
