It was Era’s Night at the Toronto Raptors as they lost 101-94 to the Brooklyn Nets.
For the first time this season, the Toronto Raptors were odds favourites going into their game. Welcoming the Brooklyn Nets into Toronto for “Era’s Night”, which was NOT an ode to Taylor Swift somehow (??), this was a game between two lottery teams. While a healthy Toronto Raptors would certainly not be a lottery team, the same could not be said about the Nets, which is probably why Toronto had the better odds.
That did not mean they won though... they lost. The Nets were able to squeeze out a win despite the Raptors leading for most of the second half. Very tanky of them, honestly. Like usual, they played well despite losing.
With RJ Barrett out with an illness, Jakob Poeltl out with a groin strain, and Immanuel Quickley still out with his elbow injury, the Raptors opted to start Scottie Barnes, Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji, Jonathan Mogbo, and Ja’Kobe Walter.
Funny enough, as the Raptors celebrated the 90s in the first quarter of “Eras Night”, none of their starting lineup was alive in the 90s. Luckily, Kelly Olynyk was able to come balance that out for us.
A few fun things before we get into some key points of the game:
Nic Claxton was ejected in the second quarter after throwing a basketball into the crowd when he was given an offensive foul. On his way out, he picked up a chair cushion on the Nets’ bench, seemingly ready to throw that, but was stopped and lead back to the locker room.
Scottie achieved his longest three-point shot ever, except for the time he made a half-court heave.
That 3 was the 2nd-longest make of Scottie Barnes's career, and the longest that wasn't a buzzer-beater heave.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) December 20, 2024
Jamal Shead forced three illegal screens onto the Nets resulting in fouls on Brooklyn. It’ll be fun to see the highly anticipated Shead vs Fred VanVleet match up when Freddy and the Rockets come to town Sunday afternoon.
that's the third moving screen forced by jamal shead tonight. incredible effort by shead as always.
— William Lou (@william_lou) December 20, 2024
Now, with some fun facts out of the way, let’s talk about the game. Despite the loss, the Raptors had some fun moments and great performances. I’m not just talking about the Raptor doing the HOTTOGO dance during a timeout.
The Raptor doing HOTTOGO pic.twitter.com/FcMMlMTldZ
— chelsea leite (@chelsealeite) December 20, 2024
Here’s what stood out from Toronto tonight:
Agbaji has been given a larger role on the team this season, both from roster changes and due to the never-ending cycle of injuries this team has experienced. Despite having a rocky start to his Toronto-tenure last season when he averaged 6.7 points per game, he has improved in the first third of this season.
Starting in 25 of the 27 games he has played for the Raptors so far this season, he has averaged 11.4 points per game. Tonight he scored 20 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal against Brooklyn, leading the Raptors.
With RJ Barrett missing the game due to illness, the offensive responsibility had to be distributed to other players. Gradey stepped up, scoring 19 points on 50% shooting from distance.
Scottie was the next highest scorer for the Raptors with 16 points. He was the only Raptors starter in a positive net rating and also 6 assists, 2 blocks, 3 rebounds.
The Raptors are now 7-21 on the season, and their next game will be Sunday against the Houston Rockets. That means a few fan favourites in Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks will be in town. It’s the team’s last game before their short Christmas break, and they’ll be back in action in Memphis on the 26th.
