RECAP – FINAL: #Raptors 97 – #Nets 101

By jpaolantonio

Updated: March 11, 2014

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The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Toronto Raptors by a score of 101-97 in Brooklyn.

It was a putrid start for Brooklyn as their once stifling defense was non existent in giving up 30 points in the first quarter at home. Terrence Ross lit them up for 12 first quarter points while Kyle Lowry ran circles around Deron Williams as he always does.  The Raptors shot 64 percent to Nets 42 percent and only turned it over twice to give them a  30-19 after one on Brooklyn.

The Nets methodically came back in the second behind Shaun Livingston’s 10points and got a defensive spark from Alan Anderson, who scored 8 points, but still allowed Toronto to shoot 56 percent at half. The Nets took the second quarter 31-21 but Raptors held on to the lead 51-50 at halftime.

The Nets immediately went on an 14-0 run to take a 73-60 lead behind two 3-pointers by Williams and one by Joe Johnson.  The Raptors responded, as they always do, with an 11-0 run and the Nets hung on to lead 78-73 going into the final quarter.

The game went back and forth and game in the fourth and it was tied at 94 with 1:14 left when Paul Pierce hit a huge 3-pointer to the Barclays Center delight.  The Nets never trailed again, played good defense and hit their free throws to even the season series with Toronto at 2-2.

The Nets scoring leaders were Williams and Livingston each dropping 18 points each while Pierce scored 15 points and Johnson chipped in with 14 points.

The Nets have won a season-high 8 straight games at home and have won 15 of their last 17 games at Barclays Center to creep within three games of the Atlantic division.

The Nets are 30-1 when leading after 3 quarters and only trail the San Antonio Spurs in that stat.

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“I told Coach, ‘I’m playing.’ It’s as simple as that,” Pierce said. “He asked me, and I told him, ‘Yeah. I’m in. I knew the implications of this game. Maybe if it was a different type of game [I would have sat out], but this was one of our biggest games of the year against a division rival. There was a lot on the line, so you can always pencil me into those types of games.”