10 things: Lowry and Siakam thrive, while NBA bungles COVID protocols

Here are 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors’ 123-117 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

One — Gritty: It was a sloppy and choppy game from start to finish but it was the Raptors who emerged victorious over the heavily-favored Nets. The Raptors came out strong, capitalizing on the Nets’ soft interior defense for a parade of layups, but the Nets closed the gap with scorching three-point shooting and a foul shooting disparity that was 17-3 at halftime in their favor. The two teams traded punches in a second half, and it was Kyle Lowry who pushed the Raptors over the top with a series of brilliant plays in the fourth quarter. This was a strange game for many reasons, and no matter what comes of it,…