NBA: Raptors thrash Nets, ruin Kevin Ollie’s debut
Published February 23, 2024 11:19am Scottie Barnes scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors blitzed the visiting Brooklyn Nets 121-93 on Thursday. The loss spoiled Kevin Ollie’s debut as interim coach of the Nets, who have lost three in a row and six of seven. Gary Trent Jr. added 25 points […]
Tomas Kauer - News Moderator 
Scottie Barnes scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors blitzed the visiting Brooklyn Nets 121-93 on Thursday.
The loss spoiled Kevin Ollie’s debut as interim coach of the Nets, who have lost three in a row and six of seven.
Gary Trent Jr. added 25 points and Immanuel Quickley scored 24 points for the Raptors, who snapped a three-game losing streak. RJ Barrett added 12 points for Toronto.
Mikal Bridges scored 21 points for the Nets, and Cam Thomas added 19 points. Lonnie Walker IV contributed 11 points, and Nic Claxton produced six points and 10 rebounds.
Toronto took an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter before starting to pull away by putting up the first six points.
Barrett and Trent later hit consecutive 3-pointers to increase Toronto’s lead to 22 points. Trent made a 3-pointer with 5:55 left and the Raptors went up by 25. Gradey Dick’s layup bumped the margin to 29 with 4:10 to play, and Chris Boucher’s two free throws made the lead 31.
Toronto was ahead 30-21 after the first quarter.
The Nets opened the second quarter with a 9-4 burst, but Trent later scored five straight points to restore Toronto’s nine-point lead.
Brooklyn cut the margin to three points when Bridges made a 3-point shot with 4:49 left in the second quarter. Toronto answered with a 15-3 run to lead by 15 with 1:06 to play. Thomas scored the final four points of the half to trim the Raptors’ edge to 59-48.
Toronto shot 51.3 percent (20-for-39) from the field in the first half with Barnes scoring 14 points.
Bridges put up 15 first-half points for Brooklyn, which shot 39.1 percent (18-for-46) from the field before the break.
Brooklyn opened the third quarter with a 12-2 run, cutting the deficit to one. The Raptors came back to regain an 11-point lead on Dick’s putback layup with 7:07 to play in the third.
Toronto stretched the margin to 13 on Quickley’s two free throws. The Raptors led by 15 when Quickley made a 3-pointer with 2:10 left in the third, but the Nets scored the final four points of the period to climb within 82-71.
–Field Level Media/Reuters
