Brooklyn Nets Begin Nightmarish Week By Resting Lopez and Falling to the North
BrooklynNets104
The Brooklyn Nets fall to 1-13 on the road as they lose to the Raptors in Toronto, 104-116. The Nets and Raptors had a 47-and-47 record (including the playoffs) going into tonight’s game. Brooklyn has now lost their last 23 road games and all three contests without their franchise center.
Brook Lopez did not make the trip to Toronto and was officially out for rest. Luis Scola made his first start for the Nets in place of Lopez. Isaiah Whitehead was also out due to a left-foot injury. However, the Nets’ plan was to start Jeremy Lin before Whitehead was ruled out.
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Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 19 points on 8-for-15 (53 percent) shooting and led the Nets in scoring. Lin had 12 points and four assists in 25 minutes. Brooklyn shot 36-for-91 (39.6 percent) from the field and committed 17 turnovers, which turned into 24 points for Toronto.
The Raptors led by as much as 23, and the Nets never had a lead. Kyle Lowry ended with a game-high 23 points (8-for-12 shooting, 66.7 percent) and eight assists. DeMar DeRozan started off hot, but went cold and ended up not scoring in the second half. He went 6-for-20, finishing with 15 points.
Kenny Atkinson viewed Lopez’s absence as a way to further develop Justin Hamilton and Anthony Bennett. While both did not shoot the ball well, they both grabbed double-digit boards, ending the game with 11 rebounds and 10 rebounds, respectively.
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The Raptors ended the first half on a 17-3 run to lead 64-46 at halftime. The Nets went 16-for-45 in the first half (35.6 percent) as a team. DeRozan had a game-high 15 points at half. Three Raptors scored in double figures. Trevor Booker and Jeremy Lin tied to lead the Nets at half with nine points.
The Nets started the second half with aggression, but found themselves down by 20 midway through the third quarter. At the end of three, the Raptors held a 91-72 lead.
The Nets fall to 7-20 on the season. Brooklyn has scored 100-plus points in their last nine games. The Nets look to end this three-game losing streak when the defending Western Conference Champions, the Golden State Warriors come to Brooklyn on Thursday, December 22nd.
