GAME RECAP – FINAL: #Nets 113 – #Raptors 115

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The Brooklyn Nets were defeated by the Toronto Raptors by a score of 115-113  in Toronto to take Game 5 and lead the series at 3-2.

Rundown:

The Nets made it through the emotional first and trailed 28-25 after one.  The offense looked timid and Deron Williams was the leader to timid.   Brooklyn shot 50% to the  Raptors 47% and a horrible 13 fouls were called in first.  The second began well for the Nets and they were up 40-36 with 5:26 left in the second before the wheels came off and Toronto went on a 26-4 run in the final 5:13 of the first half and Kyle Lowry hit a crazy buzzer-beater to end of 1st half.  Lowry had 21 points on 4-for-5 from 3-point range and Toronto led Brooklyn 62-44 at halftime.

Joe Johnson didn’t want his season to end and came out and scored 18 of Brooklyn’s 25 third quarter points but the Raptors hit 11 of their 19 shots including 3-of -5 threes and lead by a whopping 91-69 after three.  The fourth quarter began with the bench in the game and out of nowhere they started to get back into the game fighting back from a 20-point deficit to cut it to 8 midway in the fourth 97-89.  Johnson continued to be on fire and the Nets tied it at 101 on a Johnson 3-pointer with 3:18 left. The game was slipping away from Toronto and with the Nets down 115-112 with :06 seconds to play.  Andray Blatche hit first free throw and missed the second only to see Shaun Livingston fly into the picture, get fouled without a call,  and tap the rebound to Blatche who obviously was not aware of the score and thought Nets were down 3 and threw ball into the backcourt looking for Williams to end game.  The Nets almost pulled off the biggest fourth quarter comeback in NBA playoff history erasing a 22-point deficit but fell short 115-113.
Momentum Changers:

Joe Johnson took it upon himself to single handedly bring Brooklyn back in the third and fourth quarters with his hot shooting and leadership.

NUMBERS:

Joe Johnson’s 3rd career 30+ point game in the playoffs and his 1st since 5/2/11 (Atlanta at Chicago).

Mirza Teletovic has the Nets’ single game playoff record for most 3-pointers made off the bench at four overtaking (Boki Nachbar, Rodney Rogers, Brian Scalabrine).

The Nets’ 44 points in the 4th quarter are the most in ANY quarter in the NBA Playoffs since 5/8/03 & the most in a 4th quarter since 6/1/01.

The Nets tied a franchise playoff record for points scored in a 2nd half (69 points) tonight (also accomplished 4/11/79 at PHI)

Johnson (30) – Teletovic (17) – Anderson (13) – Williams (13)

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