Lowry leads Raptors over Nets
TORONTO -- Kyle Lowry scored 23 points and added eight assists and the Toronto Raptors defeated the Brooklyn Nets 116-104 on Tuesday night.
The Raptors won for the 12th time in their past 14 games in giving the Nets their third straight loss.
The Nets are 1-13 on the road and the Raptors are 11-5 at home.
Norman Powell added 21 points off the bench for the Raptors. DeMarre Carroll scored 17 points, DeMar DeRozan had 15, Cory Joseph scored 11 while Jonas Valanciunas recorded 10 points and 14 rebounds for Toronto (20-8).
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 19 points for Brooklyn (7-20) before fouling out with 6:11 to play. Jeremy Lin added 12 points for the Nets, Trevor Booker contributed 11 and Spencer Dinwiddie chipped in with 14.
The Raptors led 29-23 after the first quarter with DeRozan scoring nine points and Carroll seven. The Raptors' biggest lead in the quarter was eight points, the Nets never had the lead and the score was tied once at 17 with 4:52 to play.
The Raptors increased their lead to 12 points on Lowry's layup with 2:36 left in the first half. Valanciunas finished the half by sinking two free throws to give Toronto a 64-46 lead. DeRozan had 15 points in the first half. Booker and Lin led the Nets with nine points each.
The Nets scored the first six points of the second half, trimming the Raptors' lead to 12. The Raptors soon took over again and built a 20-point lead after a pair of free throws by Valanciunas.
Carroll's 3-pointer with 4:55 to play in the third quarter had the Toronto lead at 23.
The Raptors led 91-72 after three quarters.
A 3-pointer by Hollis-Jefferson reduced the Toronto lead to 16 points with 6:46 to play.
Joseph's 3-pointer had the lead to 18 with two minutes left.
NOTES: Brooklyn C Brook Lopez (rest) did not play Tuesday. He was being rested for back-to-back games against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. F Luis Scola, a Raptor last season, started at center for the Nets. ... Raptors G Cory Joseph, who missed the win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday because of flu symptoms, was ready to play Tuesday. ... The Raptors recalled G Fred VanVleet and F Bruno Caboclo Tuesday from Raptors 905 of the D-League. Both played in the Raptors 905 day-game at the Air Canada Centre. VanVleet filled in for Joseph Sunday as reserve point guard and had four points, four assists and three steals in 23 minutes. ... The Raptors visit the Utah Jazz Friday open a six-game trip. ..The Nets are home to Golden State on Thursday.