In the fourth Game 7 of the weekend, the Brooklyn Nets became the first road team to win as they took down the Toronto Raptors, 104-103. Six members of the Nets scored in double figures while Joe Johnson led the team with 26 points. Kevin Garnett and Andray Blatche stepped up, grabbing 10 offensive rebounds and making some pivotal plays down the stretch. But it was Paul Pierce who came up with the game-saving block on Kyle Lowry.
Nets vs. Raptors results, NBA playoffs 2014: Brooklyn escapes with 104-103 win in Toronto
The Toronto Raptors made it *very* interesting, but the Brooklyn Nets won Game 7 and will be moving on to play the Miami Heat.
The Nets got solid contributions from all over their roster in the first half. Pierce and Johnson set the pace early in the game, but the biggest surprise came from Marcus Thornton and his 14 first-half points. He came off the bench and played just 20 minutes in the game, but shot 4-of-6 on three-pointers and finished with 17 points. The Nets' bench as a whole had a huge game, providing 38 points.
A strong Brooklyn run late in the second quarter gave the Nets a 61-53 lead going into the locker room. As a team, the Nets hit on 6 of their 11 three-point attempts in the first half. For the game, Brooklyn shot 8-of-23 from deep. The Raptors defense wasn’t particularly good throughout the first two quarters, but you have to give Brooklyn credit for knocking down shots.
Amir Johnson gave the Raptors a huge boost in the first half. He scored eight points within the first few minutes and did a nice job of keeping his team in the game while the Toronto guards struggled. Although Johnson doesn't have the most aesthetically pleasing style of play, it got the job done. Johnson attacked the basket and got into the paint with ease. By the end of the first half, he led the Raptors with 18 points and six rebounds.
Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan both got off to slow starts in this game. Lowry picked up three early fouls and couldn't get his shot to fall. While the Brooklyn Nets were bombing away from three-point land, the Raptors started just 2-of-8 from long distance. All things considered, the Raptors were fortunate to be down just eight points at halftime.
NetsDaily
A few minutes into the second half, Toronto’s Johnson picked up his fourth and fifth personal fouls. Considering the fact that he was the only member of the Raptors who was playing well in this game at the time, his foul trouble was a huge blow to Toronto’s chances. It became clear that if the Raptors intended on winning this game and advancing to the next round of the playoffs, they would need DeRozan and Lowry to step up. They just couldn’t get it going and were never able to combine solid offensive possessions with stops on the defensive end. Lowry finished with 28 points and three assists while DeRozan dropped 18 points in the loss.
DeRozan hit a big three at the end of the third quarter to cut the Brooklyn lead to 81-73, but the Raptors still had a lot of work to do. Whenever Toronto seemed to make a run in the fourth quarter, the Nets responded with a big bucket. Once Johnson fouled out with 7:53 remaining, the task got a lot more difficult for the home team. Johnson finished the game with 20 points and 10 rebounds while his backup, Patrick Patterson, added 16 points and 8 rebounds.
Toronto made a late run and made things very interesting. They trailed 104-103 with 8.8 seconds left. The Nets had the ball, but were unable to inbound it cleanly. Terrence Ross came up with an enormous steal and gave Toronto one last shot to win the game.
But Lowry dribbled into a crowd and had his final shot blocked by Pierce as the Nets escaped with a win.
With the Game 7 win on the road, the Nets earn the right to play the defending champion Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Miami will certainly be the favorite going into that series, but the Nets did win all four meetings during the regular season. That series will start on Tuesday in Miami.
See More:
