Every game down the stretch has playoff implications and, on Wednesday night, the Brooklyn Nets played like they were already there. The Toronto Raptors were more than happy to indulge them in a taste of what the playoffs would be like.

What became clear out of the gate is that the physicality of the defense was going to be elevated, with both Rodions Kurucs and Ed Davis picking up three fouls in the first half. The Raptors weren’t slouching either as they gave All-Star D’Angelo Russell a sample of playoff defense, holding him to just seven points in the first half. That did not slow the Nets down at all though, as Kurucs continued to frustrate Kawhi Leonard.

Kawhi was fed up pic.twitter.com/aVEdfkpIai

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 3, 2019

That defensive intensity, however, would not directly translate to the other aspects of Brooklyn’s game as they struggled to produce consistently on offense, giving up extra possessions in the form of offensive rebounds and turnovers. It was so bad that the Raptors shot the ball 19 more times than the Nets — that is an absolutely crazy number, especially when Brooklyn only lost by 10.

The biggest story of this game though, and what will likely be the most impactful category when it comes to winning playoff games, was three-point shooting. The Nets struggled for most of the contest to knock down their shots from behind the arc, while Serge Ibaka managed to shoot 5-for-5. Brooklyn lives and dies by the three-point shot — so when it isn’t falling, the team looks rough. They shot under 30 percent for the majority of the contest until Russell got hot to end the fourth quarter.

Usually, a loss to one of the best teams in the league and the second seed in the conference would be both excusable and acceptable — the stakes, and therefore the expectations, are much higher with a playoff spot on the line. While the difference between the eighth and ninth seed may only be a single game this season, that change could have a huge impact on Brooklyn’s potential pitches to free agents over the off-season.

It’s much easier to sell someone like a Kevin Durant or a Tobias Harris on a playoff team than a lottery squad. As of now, the Nets are walking the line between both.