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Raptors @ Nets: Friday, November 2nd By Matt McQueeny, NJNets.com Nets Lose 106-69 to Raptors The Nets lost 106-69 to the Raptors at IZOD CENTER. Richard Jefferson led the way with 27 points, but had trouble soliciting help. No other player on the Nets scored in double-digits. Vince Carter played 26 minutes, scoring seven points on 2-of-6 from the field. Jason Kidd had two points, six assists, and three rebounds in 25 minutes. Rookie Sean Williams got into his first NBA regular-season game action; he played nearly 21 minutes and scored four points, grabbed four rebounds, and blocked four shots. Andrea Bargnani led six Raptors in double-figure scoring, with 21. Toronto was 59.1% from three-point range (13-of-22). The point-guard duo of Ford and Calderon teamed for 18 points and 15 assists. “We were totally not competitive," said Coach Frank. "You have to give Toronto a lot of credit. At every end, they completely outplayed us. This was a very disappointing and unacceptable performance.” “We brought our starters back in and cut it to nine (in the second quarter) and then the game went south on us. We didn’t compete and we didn’t play very smart. We obviously didn’t play very hard, but I don’t want to take anything away from Toronto. They came into our building and totally embarrassed us.” “They showed why they are the division champs. It is very disappointing to get beat as bad as we did. We played a good game against Chicago and then we come back in the second game and we obviously didn’t put forth the type of performance we need to even be competitive." “We took one straight in the mouth,” said Vince Carter. “We just need to regroup and try again tomorrow and try to take the terrible taste out of our mouth.” Said Kidd, “It was very disappointing. We had no energy after the first quarter. We were making offensive mistakes and we were offering no defense. This was basically a butt-kicking and we have to bounce back tomorrow.” Jefferson – who scored 39% of the team’s points in the game – would not take personal bows in a loss. “It’s not about that. This is about a team. There are going to be some nights when Jason (Kidd) or Vince (Carter) or Nenad (Krstic) or somebody else is going to have to carry us. It’s about people stepping up, so if anything I could have done more.” “We didn’t play very well,” he continued. “To their credit they shot the ball extremely well. The sad thing is that even with our inability to score, we still outscored them in the paint. That basically means that they were hitting a lot of jumpers and while it’s our job to contest those and make it difficult, sometimes you just got to tip your hat to them.” Raptors Open Up the Game Nenad Krstic started third quarter scoring when he hit a promising right baseline jumper at the 11:41 mark, bringing the Nets within 13 (56-43). That would, however, be the only score for the Nets until Bostjan Nachbar hit a three-pointer at the 4:23 mark. In that span of 7:18, the Raptors scored 18, pushing out to a 31-point lead (74-43). The Nets showed some life late in the quarter, but got no closer than 24; An Anthony Parker three at 33.8 closed scoring, giving the Raptors an 80-53 lead going into the fourth. In the third, Sean Williams got into his first regular-season action. He came in at the 8:35 mark, played through the end of the quarter, and had two points, two rebounds, and two blocks. Raptors Take Command in Second; Lead 56-41 at Half The Raptors carried momentum from the late first quarter right into the second, combining for a 22-3 run over a seven-minute period spanning the two quarters. Richard Jefferson, who kept the Nets in it with 13 points in the quarter, broke the drought with two free-throws at the 8:31 mark of the second. The Nets got as close as nine (47-39) with 1:22 before halftime, but Toronto closed on a 9-2 run, capped by a buzzer-beating half-court heave by Chris Bosh as time expired in the half. The Raptors outscored the Nets 35-20 in the quarter. Richard Jefferson had 22 first-half points and Chris Bosh had 13, 11 of which came in the second. Juan Dixon had eight of his 10 first-half points in the second quarter. All Tied at 21 After One The Nets jumped out 8-2 in the first quarter, with Richard Jefferson scoring five and Nenad Krstic scoring the other three. Toronto came back unanswered to take an 11-8 lead; Andrea Bargnani scored seven during the run. New Jersey responded 10-0 but Toronto closed on a 9-3 spurt; The Nets and Raptors stood tied 21-21 after one. Richard Jefferson led all scorers in the quarter with nine. Vince Carter scored six; the point total put him at 15,000 points for his career, making him the third fastest active player in the NBA to do that (Allen Iverson and Shaquille O’Neal are the others). Bargnani had eight for the Raptors. Toronto Tonight In come the Raptors to IZOD CENTER for the first time since the Nets beat them, and ended their season, in Game 6 of the first round of last year’s Eastern Conference Playoffs. Toronto is the defending Atlantic Division Champion, a team who blew by expectations last year on their way to 47 wins. With dynamic duos at point guard, in T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon, and starting up front, in Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani, the Raptors are a difficult match up for any team to contend with. The Nets were 2-2 in the regular season last year against the Raptors; both wins came at home. “Toronto to state the obvious are the defending division champs,” said Nets Coach Lawrence Frank. “They’ve added more shooting now with (Jason) Kapono and (Carlos) Delfino. They’re an outstanding team and I’m sure they’re going to come in here with their last memory being game 6. We obviously have a high-level of respect for that team because we went against them so many times. They’re only going to get better. They have parts that they’ve kept together and (Head Coach) Sam’s (Mitchell) done a great job. That’s what I think the NBA’s come to – specifically with the Division and the Conference – is there’s so much parity. If you let down your guard, and you’re not focused and prepared, you’re not going to win the game.” Like the Nets, Toronto won their 2007-08 season opener at home, 106-97 over the Sixers. Bargnani, 2006’s number one draft pick, led the way with 20 points and converted on a critical four-point play late in the fourth quarter. The lightning-quick Ford scored 14 and dished 12 assists. “Offensively, this team is very gifted,” said Frank. “You have point guards who are very effective at probing and their surrounded by shooting, including their bigs. They stretch you and they can put up a lot of points because they’re capable of making a ton of jump shots and any given night.” Nenad Krstic – heading into his second regular-season game in his return from a torn ACL – will have the unenviable task of starting up against Bargnani, a player Frank called “so unique.” “He has such a quick trigger and he’s got great range and he’s so damn tall. He just shoots over you and if you run him off the line, he’s very good with one dribble and pulling up.” |
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