TORONTO – The Toronto Raptors were cruising along, leading by as many as 10 points, when their offence ground to a halt.
Cam Johnson went on a 13-4 run in the ultimate 2:24 of the sport because the Brooklyn Nets rallied past the Raptors 101-94 on Thursday for Toronto’s sixth straight loss. Johnson had 15 points within the quarter, just three fewer than the Raptors scored as a team over the 12-minute period.
“We just gave up more points than every other quarter,” said Scottie Barnes, who had two points, two turnovers and three personal fouls within the fourth. “That’s the quarter that we actually need to lock in, get stops.
“We put (Johnson) to the free-throw line about eight times at the tip of the sport, but that’s 1 / 4 you’ve just got to lock in and get stops and never have the option to foul. You’ve got to only stay solid.”
Related Videos
Johnson finished with a game-high 33 points and 10 rebounds with six assists as Brooklyn (11-16) ended a three-game skid. Ben Simmons added 12 points, seven assists, and five rebounds.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and all over the world, join for breaking news alerts delivered on to you once they occur.
Barnes had 16 points, six assists and three rebounds for Toronto (7-21) in his first game back since suffering a sprained right ankle. Barnes was inactive for 10 days but only missed two games after what looked like a severe injury healed relatively quickly.
“It felt bad at first, however it feels great now,” said Barnes. “No problem with that.”
Barnes wasn’t pain free, nonetheless. He caught a pointy elbow to his hip in Thursday’s game, which he said was still sore an hour after the sport ended.
Ochai Agbaji had 20 points on 4 for 8 three-point shooting for the Raptors, and Gradey Dick added 19 points on 4 for 8 three-point attempts.
Rookies Ja’Kobe Walter and Jonathan Mogbo began for the Raptors, bringing the common age of the lineup right down to 22 years 187 days, the youngest in franchise history.
“At all times a learning process when there may be a young group on the market, but I like playing on the market with a bunch of young guys,” said Agbaji, who at 24 was the oldest Raptors starter. “At all times have that energy and sort of that extra sort of chip in your shoulder being a younger team.”
The youth movement was essential with swingman RJ Barrett (illness) of Mississauga, Ont., and backup guard Davion Mitchell (strained right shoulder) out.
Brooklyn centre Nic Claxton was kicked out of the sport 3:14 into the second quarter after throwing a ball into the stands after he was fouled by Raptors forward Kelly Olynyk.
Claxton was leading the Nets with seven points and five rebounds on the time of the technical foul and threatened to throw a seat cushion onto the ground after he was ejected.
“He knows he must be higher, especially this one,” said Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez. “You’ve got to manage your frustrations, that’s no reason to do this. I understand that all of us have emotions however the team needs him, his teammates need him.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
