TORONTO — The Raptors were on the longest skid in the NBA.
Then the Nets showed them how losing is done — losing not just a game but two players.
Brooklyn got mauled 130-113 by the woeful Raptors before 19,104 at Scotiabank Arena, a defeat that was useful in the lottery standings but humbling on the court.
And to make matters worse, Noah Clowney and Maxwell Lewis both left the game hurt, the latter seemingly seriously.
Newly acquired D’Angelo Russell had 22 points and eight assists off the bench in his (second) Nets debut, and Cam Johnson added a team-high 24.
5 D’Angelo Russell, who scored 22 points and added eight assists, dribbles up court during the Nets’ 130-113 road loss to the Raptors on Jan. 1, 2025 in Toronto. Getty Images
But Brooklyn still trailed by as much as 21 and saw Clowney leave with a lower back injury in the third quarter and Lewis, who arrived with Russell and was making his debut, have to be carried off in the fourth with an apparent knee injury.
“The toughest part of today is seeing one of your guys going down. We’re all, thinking about the kid, Max,” head coach Jordi Fernandez said. “We don’t know the extent of the injury. Obviously, we’ll MRI, but all our group was thinking about him, and we’re sending all positive energy.
“So, that’s what’s more important. The rest of the game doesn’t matter right now.”
5 Brooklyn Nets forward Maxwell Lewis (27) is carried off the floor after suffering an injury against the Toronto Raptors in the second half at Scotiabank Arena. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Russell was stellar with no real practice time, while Ben Simmons was a team-worst minus-18.
But Scottie Barnes had 33 points for Toronto, which used a 7-0 run in the third to break a 67-all tie — and the Nets. Brooklyn never responded and fell behind by 21.
“It’s frustrating,” Simmons said. “That’s the NBA. We gotta learn from it. You gotta learn quick because there’s a lot of games like that. You just don’t get them back, and we need those ones.”
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But do they really?
It’s a loss that will make a segment of their tank-happy fans very pleased.
The Nets, who came in with the seventh-worst record in the league, fell to 12-21.
And they did it against a toothless team that to all the world seemed like easy prey.
5 Cam Johnson dribbles looks to make a move during the Nets’ loss. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Toronto (8-26) was on an NBA-worst 11-game losing streak, coming off a 54-point loss to Boston that was the biggest loss in team history and worst in the league all season.
The Raptors came into Wednesday having given up 555 points in their past four games, averaging 138.7 points allowed — the most conceded in a four-game stretch by any team since the Denver Nuggets in 1991.
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That’s the sad-sack team Brooklyn just got routed by.
But on the upside, they closed to within 4 ½ of the Raptors in the lottery standings and a half-game of Portland for the sixth-best odds.
“Honestly, I kind of just looked up and realized we were down 20. One play carries over to the next, some big 3s, offensive rebounds,” Russell said. “Its the NBA. You look up, teams can break the game open just like that, and I think that’s kind of what happened.”
5 Scottie Barnes slams home a dunk during the second half of the Nets’ loss to the Raptors. Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
5 Brooklyn Nets’ Noah Clowney (21) lies on the court after landing awkwardly during his team’s loss to the Toronto Raptors in an NBA basketball game in Toronto on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. AP
The Nets play Thursday in Milwaukee on the tail end of the back to back.
Clowney wasn’t sure if he can play vs. the Bucks but said his sore back shouldn’t be long term.
Simmons hasn’t yet been cleared for back-to-backs and presumably won’t play.