Everything went well for the Toronto Raptors (20-36), dominating the Brooklyn Nets (21-34) in a 121-93 victory. Blowout wins have been hard to come by for the Raptors, with their last convincing victory coming over a month ago against the Miami Heat, one day after the Pascal Siakam trade. Once the game started, there was no question that Toronto would pull away the win.
The Raptors jumped to an early lead in the first quarter but it wasn’t until the second half in which they took over. Toronto dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring Brooklyn 39-22. An offensive explosion from the core unit was too much for the Nets to handle.
Gary Trent Jr. looked revitalized with one of his better performances of the season finishing with 25 points on 9-12 shooting from the field. He was joined by his backcourt mate, Immanuel Quickley, with 24 points and six assists, while connecting on five three-pointers. Trent finished the game with a plus/minus of +24 and Quickley led all players with +32 on the night.
Brooklyn played their first game under new interim head coach, Kevin Ollie. Although they have struggled throughout the season, it was apparent there’s still some adjustment needed within the team. Mikal Bridges led the way for Brooklyn, finishing with 21 points on 44 percent shooting from the field. The Nets were held to a field goal percentage of 41 percent and turned the ball over 19 times.
When the Raptors get out on the run, they are at their best and tonight was a prime example of that. Toronto finished with 46 fastbreak points to Brooklyn’s 10 points. The Raptors imposed their will and led by as much as 34 points.
This season has been filled with struggles for the Raptors, but a win like this helps tremendously. There won’t be much of a break as they will have a quick turnaround as they will quickly prepare to face the Atlanta Hawks tomorrow night at 7:30 PM ET.
