Jacque Vaughn wanted his players to match the physicality and hit first. Bruce Brown called it a needed-win game. In the end, the physicality was there but not a win. Instead, it was a tough defeat was the outcome.
The Raptors held off the Nets in Toronto, 109-108, in front of a near sellout crowd of 18,903 Scotia Bank Arena crowd, the first since the pandemic. With the loss, Brooklyn stands only one game above .500 (32-31), and Toronto, which now leads the Nets has knotted up the season series at 2-2 — a big factor if these two teams finish the regular season with identical records and are vying for seeding in the play-in tournament.