There was nothing wrong with how the Raptors played, how hard they competed and how much energy would get expended.
The problem is no moral victories are kept in the standings when all that matters is posting a win.
Once again, a win eluded the Raptors, who went toe-to-toe down the stretch against the visiting Brooklyn Nets Friday night in a wildly entertaining game that would get decided by the thinnest of margins.
In fact, it would get decided at the buzzer when Kyrie Irving delivered the dagger in a thrilling 119-116 Nets win.
Say what you want about Irving, but the bottom line is he can flat-out play.
When he’s in rhythm, there isn’t any shot from any spot on the floor he can’t make, whether he’s going to his right, left, from distance or off penetration.
There was a stretch in the fourth quarter when Irving was on fire.
Irving and Kevin Durant each reached the 20-point total as Brooklyn led, 105-99.
The Raptors responded, only to have Pascal Siakam turn the ball over.
Despite the turnover, the Raptors were very much in the game as the outcome remained very much in doubt with three minutes left in a one-possession game.
Toronto tied it on a three-ball, but the Nets quickly regained the lead.
The game’s opening 12 minutes turned into the Fred VanVleet show as he put on a shooting clinic.
During one explosive stretch, the point guard netted 12 points in a row for the Raptors.
He ended the night with a game-high 39 points.
Toronto needed VanVleet’s offence with Gary Trent Jr. ruled out of the game because of left quad soreness.
With OG Anunoby already out following a hip issue, Toronto’s roster could be best described as depleted and generally characterized as underwhelming.
So thin was the roster that Juancho Hernangomez started in the frontcourt.
Undaunted, the Raptors did get off a pretty solid start by attacking Brooklyn’s paint.
The energy was palpable, the execution as good as it has been of late.
Following a timeout with 2:54 left in the period, the Raptors summoned Malachi Flynn and Thad Young off the bench.
With so few guards available, the Raptors needed Flynn to step up and the under-valued Flynnhad one of his finest games of the season.
The Nets countered by having Yuta Watanabe on the floor.
When he was introduced to the crowd, fans at the Scotiabank Arena greeted the former Raptors forward with a warm applause.
He responded by scoring on a pull-up in the paint on his first touch.
Watanabe then spotted up for a corner three, but his heave hit iron.
For the most part, the Raptors had the game and pace under control.
Then came a mental blunder by Siakam, who committed a sloppy reach-in foul on Durant with 12.6 seconds left in the quarter.
It was Siakam’s second personal and it was committed some 40 feet from the basket.
Brooklyn never led at any point, while the Raptors led by as many as 12 points.
The quarter ended with the Raptors leading 29-19.
Brooklyn made only one three-pointer.
Not much changed in the second quarter, the Raptors once again being the more aggressive team and clearly the most desperate.
They extended their advantage to 16 points.
Durant then buried a mid-range jumper over rookie Christian Koloko, who picked up his first foul.
Durant completed the three-point play and then scored his second basket in a row over Siakam.
The Raptors began the game by having Siakam guard Durant, while Scottie Barnes was matched up against Ben Simmons.
When Siakam drew a double team in the post, he swung the ball to the corner baseline.
A second pass would be made to an open VanVleet, who missed his look from distance.
With two minutes remaining in the opening half, the Raptors were leading 56-44.
It would get extended by three following a Hernangomez make, his first of the game.
With 6.1 seconds left, VanVleet was called for a foul on a questionable play.
The half would end with the Raptors leading 62-52, but it had the feel of a more lopsided game.
Toronto was a plus-14 in points off turnovers and outscored the Nets by 12 in three-point shots.
When the second half began, the Nets played with greater urgency.
They also started to make three-point shots as Toronto’s lead turned tenuous.
Mid-way through the third quarter, it was a one-point game.
The game finally found its competitive edge as every possession was contested.
On one play, Barnes was double-teamed after losing his dribble.
One of the issues with the Raptors involved Barnes and his inability to score.
He was aggressive on this night and unafraid of the stage as he made big play after big play in big moments and even tied the game with 8 seconds left in regulation by making two clutch free throws.
At the end of three quarters, New Jersey was leading 88-84.
The Nets’ final basket of the period was set up by Durant, who was double-teamed on the perimeter on a sequence that led to an uncontested dunk by T.J. Warren.
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