Game 3: Raptors 104, Nets 103
Monday January 27, 2014: Again, I’ll have to check with Elias. But this might be the first time the same team broke up two five-game winning streaks for another team… in the same month.
After leaving Toronto vanquished earlier in January, the Nets reeled off five straight again before falling in a heartbreaker to the Raptors in the first matchup of the season between the two teams at Barclays. The Nets would lose their next home game to OKC before firing off a franchise record 15 game home winning streak for much of the rest of the season.
Paul Pierce, who admitted to being distracted by the video tribute to him in Boston the night before, put up his first 30 point game in a Nets uniform against the Raptors. He had 33 points but would have needed 35 to win as his last second awkward shot wouldn’t go down. The Nets had the ball with ten seconds left and a 103-102 lead, but Deron Williams coughed up an inbounds pass to Patrick Patterson, who then scored the game winning jumpshot on assist from Kyle Lowry. Lowry led the Raptors with 31 points and 7 assists.
