NBA: Nets stretch impressive streak after beating Raptors
Toronto, Canada - The Brooklyn Nets continue to roll as they got yet another win, this time against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
The Nets beat the Raptors 116-103 for their fifth-straight victory now after a shaky start to the NBA regular season.
These two Atlantic Division foes went back and forth, but it was the great second-half defense by Brooklyn that made the difference by the final buzzer.
The Nets defense needed to come up big in this one as Toronto dominated the paint for much of the game, ringing up over half of their total points with 54 points by the basket.
It was a tight affair in the first quarter as the Nets led by three, but then the Raptors turned things around to get into halftime with a 60-53 lead for themselves.
Brooklyn made strong defensive adjustments and held Toronto to 17 points in the third quarter as the Nets snatched the lead back.
They kept the momentum going in the fourth to hold off the Raptors for the win.
The player spotlight
Former league MVP Kevin Durant (33) has been leading the Nets through the continued absence of Kyrie Irving in fine style, once again leading his team in scoring.
He was nearly outdone by teammate James Harden, who was two assists shy of a triple-double.
Durant went 11-for-18, scoring 31 points to go with seven rebounds and seven assists.
He’s now scored 20 points for the 10th straight game, a career-best streak to begin a season and also a record for the Nets franchise.
The big picture
While Irving hasn’t played in a single game so far this season, the Nets are playing like they don’t need him. They seem to have learned how to shut out all the noise surrounding their star and are now laser-focused on what matters.
Brooklyn is now sitting pretty among the top teams in the Eastern Conference, which is exactly what was expected of them.
This week, the Nets have a great chance to stay above the lesser teams and even fight for the division lead with the Sixers.
On Monday, the Nets are in Chicago to run with the Bulls, while the Raptors are on the road to play the Celtics on Wednesday.
Cover photo: imago/ZUMA Press