Nets at Raptors
The Brooklyn Nets look to grab a commanding lead of their best-of-seven series with the Toronto Raptors when the teams meet Tuesday in Toronto. Brooklyn rode a solid closing stretch to a 94-87 win in the series opener on Saturday to win its playoff opener for the second straight season and improve to 6-2 all-time against the Raptors in the postseason. Joe Johnson and Deron Williams scored 24 points apiece and Paul Pierce had nine of his 15 points in the closing moments.
Toronto will be looking for more from leading scorer DeMar DeRozan, who missed his first eight shots en route to a a 3-for-13 showing that had some question his playoff readiness. "The coaches got on me for being too passive,” DeRozan told reporters Sunday, admitting that he considered returning to the gym to practice shooting late in the evening. Fellow star guard Kyle Lowry did not shrink from the atmosphere, producing 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in the loss.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, YES (Brooklyn), TSN (Toronto)
ABOUT THE NETS: Brooklyn ranked as one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the Eastern Conference this season but struggled mightily in Game 1. After making three of their first four attempts from beyond the arc, the Nets missed 19 in a row before Pierce hit a big one with less than three minutes remaining. The Brooklyn bench combined to miss all 12 of its long-range tries and Johnson - the team leader in makes, attempts and percentage during the regular season - got off only one attempt and missed it.
ABOUT THE RAPTORS: The Game 1 performance was sloppy all-around in Toronto, where a clock malfunction forced officials to utilize stopwatches as the Raptors committed 19 turnovers. They stayed in the game by gaining a 45-37 advantage on the glass - including 18 rebounds by center Jonas Valanciunas - and converting 23-of-25 free throws. Greivis Vasquez looked like the team's best player behind Lowry, coming off the bench to produce 18 points and eight rebounds in 29 minutes.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Toronto has lost back-to-back home games just once since its Dec. 9 trade with Sacramento.
2. Brooklyn is 13-0 when holding its opponent under 40 percent shooting; Toronto shot 39.4 percent Saturday.
3. Valanciunas is the third player in the last 25 years (Shaquille O'Neal, Ben Wallace) to tally at least 15 points, 15 rebounds and two blocked shots in a playoff debut.