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Here’s a brief recap of Tuesday night’s festivities.
What happened: It was another wild finish in Toronto, but this one didn’t end “For Brooklyn:”
For 48 minutes, the Nets and Raptors went toe-to-toe in a game of rebounding vs. disruption, and rebounding won as a 52-30 rebounding disparity in favor of Toronto ended in a 100-95 victory for the Raptors in front of a sellout crowd at Air Canada Centre.
After a wild, turnaround jumper by DeMar DeRozan put the Raptors up 89-85 and a later Nets turnover led to a free throw, it looked like the Raptors had this one sealed up. But Paul Pierce put in a three-point play to cut the gap to 92-90 with under a minute left, opening the door ever so slightly for the Nets to take a commanding 2-0 lead heading to two games at home.
But the Raptors kept hitting shots and free throws, and Pierce missed two open three-pointers, both cruelly rimming out to seal the series at one game apiece. DeRozan led the Raptors with 30 points (9-21 shooting on some tough shots, 12-14 FT), and Jonas Valanciunas put up his second consecutive double-double with 15 points & 14 rebounds in the Raptors win.
The Nets ripped out to an 8-1 start in the first three minutes behind some of the best defense they’ve played all season, forcing turnovers and terrible shots alike. After a time-out, Toronto re-jiggered their offense and Kevin Garnett left the game, allowing Jonas Valanciunas to burrow inside, score in the paint, and grab rebounds, even one while he was sitting on the ground. A 15-3 run put the Raptors up to close the first quarter.
The Nets picked up a quick burst of offense in the third as Deron Williams hit a three-pointer and Shaun Livingston picked up back-to-back layups, the first on a fast-break and the second on a goaltending call, and then it was the Joe Johnson show: Johnson did a little bit of everything, from hitting a corner three to burrowing into the paint to flashing a few spin moves en route to 12 third-quarter points, pushing the Nets from down six to up two heading into the deciding fourth quarter.
Game Grades: Read ’em here.
Drake, lint rolling his pants courtside:
Ian Eagle, Out of Context: “I was pulled over just before the George Washington Bridge. I was doing the speed limit, I’m sure of it.”
Rob Ford, In Attendance:
Toronto mayor and admitted crack smoker Rob Ford was in attendance in the upper levels (reportedly section 318) to take in the night’s festivities, apparently wearing a shirt that mimics his facial flush.
We Weren’t Kidding About The Fans Outside:
The unofficial count listed 5,000 fans. Not a bad idea for a franchise to try. Would like to see the Nets give this a shot.
Kevin Garnett, Alive:
Garnett had a solid game, playing near-impeccable pick-and-roll defense and hitting his shots, but most impressively threw down this one-hand flush in the third quarter off a Deron Williams assist. He also heard a chorus of “KG SUCKS!” chants throughout the game. He threw down the quote of the night after the game:
"I don't know if you can say "F Brooklyn" and then come into Brooklyn, so we're about to see what it's like," Kevin Garnett said.
— Andrew Keh (@andrewkeh) April 23, 2014
More Things That Happened:
Andrei Kirilenko is awesome.
Kevin Garnett’s Phantom Technical.
Next up: Game 3 is on Friday in Brooklyn.
Want to see our 4 Game 2 takeaways? Hit the “next” button below to get started.
