Kyrie Irving gave life to the Brooklyn Nets as he hit a 3-pointer with 3.7 seconds left of the fourth quarter to give them a road win over the Toronto Raptors.
The Nets came into last night's game on a four game winning streak after a win over the Washington Wizards on Monday. The Nets seem to be getting hot this past month, only losing 2 of their last 12 games since the end of November. The Nets even managed to squeeze in a win without any of their star players in a 136 to 133 win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.
The Raptors controlled the tempo of the game for the first half, with Fred VanVleet taking the charge and putting up 12 points in the first quarter. This offensive dominance by VanVleet carried the Raptors to a 10 point lead, going up 29 to 19 heading into the second quarter.
The Nets made an effort climb back in the second quarter but could not match up against the Raptors, going down to as much as 18 points midway through the second quarter. However, a 3-pointer by Yuta Watanabe, and a handful of points by Kevin Durant and T.J. Warren gave the momentum that the Nets would need in the second half and trailed against the Raptors by 10 points at the end of the second quarter.
The Nets turned it on after halftime, holding the Raptors to 0 points in the first two minutes of the 3rd quarter as the Nets were able to slowly chop down the lead. With 5 points by Irving and a pair of free-throws by Nic Claxton in the first few minutes of the third quarter, this offensive stretch decreased the Raptors’ lead to only 4 points. While the Raptors tried to increase the lead in anyway they could, it was not enough as the Nets kept the scoring momentum going and their performance in the 3rd quarter gave the Nets a fighting chance to win the game in the fourth quarter.
It was a back-and-forth game in the fourth quarter, with neither team leading by double-digits as the game was winding down to the last few minutes. It came down to the final seconds where a 3-pointer by Watanabe put the Nets up by 2 points, but a pair of free-throws by Scottie Barnes tied up the game with 3.7 seconds left.
It was up to Irving as he had the ball with little time left on the clock. A little shimmy by Irving left VanVleet slipping on the court which gave enough space for Irving to hit a 3-pointer to give the Nets a 116 to 113 win on the road, silencing the rowdy Toronto crowd.
Irving described his game-winning 3-pointer in a post game interview:
“I talked to my dad before I came on this trip...he told me to get my balance underneath me every time I shoot my threes. Haven’t been shooting as great as I want on the season, but just gotta keep repping it out. Once you got the ball in your hands at the end of the game, it’s what you dream about,” Irving said.
Irving ended the game with 32 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds, shooting 3 of 9 from the 3-point line. Behind him was Durant with 28 points, shooting 10 of 15 from the field, and Claxton with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
VanVleet had 39 points, shooting 4 of 9 from the 3-point line, Barnes with 26 points, and Pascal Siakam with 17 points, but it was not enough to gain a win over the Nets. The Raptors have now lost their fourth game in a row, and are currently 10th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 13-16.
For the Nets, this win gives them their fifth straight win, improving their record to 18-12 and are currently placed fourth in the Eastern Conference. The Nets look to continue their winning streak on Sunday where they finish their road trip in Detroit as they play the Pistons before returning to Brooklyn on Wednesday where they face the Golden State Warriors.
