RAPTORS QUOTES
NICK NURSE
On the defense after the first quarter: “I think from the four-minute mark of the second quarter onward we really got down to a plan. We were into the ball. We were making catches tough. Everything was pretty tough. When Brooklyn did take it to the rim, which they can do very well, we were better. We were better protecting. We were better cracking in on the bigs so there wasn’t that little dump off there as much. Just much more energy and toughness.”
On Kyle Lowry’s toughness tonight: “Yeah, he was into it. There were a couple of weird scenarios with him. He got involved in a couple of scrums, but he’s going to do that and he’s probably playing really well when he’s doing that. He was still taking charges and throwing his body around and then he got a little juice from the perimeter. He was big, it was good. There was a lot of silliness, it seemed like, for us over kicking the ball around for the first 15 minutes of the game and then after that we looked really well organized. To me, that’s all I really want is for us to look like we know what we’re doing out there. Those guys (Lowry and Fred VanVleet) did a good job of running the team.”
KYLE LOWRY
On turning this around: “He (Nick Nurse) kind of got on us every single timeout. At halftime, he got on us about doing the same things over and over. Once we kind of settled down a little bit and got smart about what we were doing and got better spots, better positioning and playing some defense, it worked out.”
On whether it was more the offense or the defense in terms of settling down: “Both. We played pretty good defense, but it’s also understanding what we’re doing, kind of understanding the game play a little bit better and doing the game plan and executing the game plan a little bit better. Offensively, it’s about getting to the paint. Getting to the paint, kick out, getting to the spots and knowing where those spots are going to be.”
On whether it’s hard to fight the frustration when you start 1-11: “We know that that Miami game was a game that ain’t going to happen much. Just got to keep playing. We’ve got to keep putting them up. That’s what we do. We believe in the work that we put in and no one’s going to say this or that. We’re going to keep shooting the shots that are there and keep playing and working.”
RONDAE HOLLIS-JEFFERSON
On his thoughts and feelings being back at Barclays Center playing the Nets: “Man, it felt good. The energy, the love the people were showing me. It felt good to be here, to see the people that I spent four years with, a lot of familiar faces. But it felt really good to get the win. At the end of the day, that’s what the focus was, to compete and play hard.”
On Kyle Lowry’s competitive spirit: “I love it. Me and Kyle being from the same area, that’s how we play basketball. That’s how we get after it. If Kyle’s got a problem with anybody, I got a problem too, so I’ve got his back at all times no matter what. That’s the way the game should be played. At the end of the day, we’re just playing basketball, but we’re making it a little bit fun.”
On what turned this one: “I would say the energy. Energy, defensive stops, pushing the pace, getting some transition buckets, things like that. That helped us a lot.”
NETS QUOTES
KENNY ATKINSON
On if he notices a reoccurring theme in the second half of the last few games: “Fourth quarter. Last four out of five games, we were right there, or led, or close. That’s a theme. That’s a big theme right now. We have to figure out why. Fourth quarters have really been a thorn in our sides. It was again tonight. We competed for three quarters of the game, a little bit more than three quarters. I think when we subbed the starters back in the game, it was a six- or seven-point game and then they kind of went on a run and I’ve kind of seen that film before recently, so we have to figure it out. We have to figure out why we’re running out of gas. Is it physical? Is it execution? It’s probably a combination of all of those things.”
On the return of Caris LeVert: “Caris’ (LeVert) job is to get his feet wet and get back into rhythm, but it just makes a difference. I know there was some good stuff in there. There were some mistakes, but it’s nice when you know the player and you trust the player. It makes mine and all our staff’s job easier.”
On how concerned he is about the recent slump: “When I first started this job, we had 20 wins and were the worst team in the league, so we’ve been through the losing streaks and it’s just part of this league. It happens, but this will test us, test our character. I told the guys in the locker room, this happens during the NBA, but we’ll get it back down the road when we get five out of six or win six in a row. I have enough confidence in the team. We have to stick with our habits and our principles and trust what we do and we’ll get out of this.”
JOE HARRIS
On the reoccurring fourth-quarter problems: “I think just looking at it, defensively, we’ve given up a lot of points in these fourth-quarter stretches – where it may be a lack of execution on one end or the other. Tonight was sort of cumulative – it kind of built up there in the third, where we gave up 35 points. In the fourth we gave up 38, which is way too many. You’re not going to win a lot of games, especially finishing out games like that.”
On if the team is searching for answers: “I think some of the games are frustrating. At the end of the day, a lot of us have been around – maybe for some of the younger guys it’s a little bit different. We talk about it a lot – there’s a lot of ebbs and flows individually through the course of the season and there’s a lot of ebbs and flows collectively as a team over the course of the season. Obviously, you don’t want to go through four or five-game losing streaks, but these things happen. You stick with the process, you stay level-headed and you trust in the process that we are going to figure it out and get it back on the right track.”
On Caris LeVert’s impact: “It was great to see Caris – we wish that he wasn’t on a minute restriction and he could play a little bit more. He looked great. I thought he came in and looked like himself. He said that he was trying to get his wind a little bit, but I thought that there didn’t look to be any rust whatsoever.”
CARIS LEVERT
On tonight’s game: “I felt pretty good out there. Obviously we wanted to get a win, but just me personally, I felt pretty good.”
On the next step in overcoming the minute restrictions: “I’m not sure – I’m just out here to play – that’s for coach and the performance staff. Whatever minutes I’m given, I’m just going to try to go out there and do what I can.”
On if making back-to-back shots made him forget about his thumb: “I wasn’t really thinking about my thumb at all out there.”
On the most difficult thing to overcome tonight: “Probably defensive rebounding – I feel like I could’ve done a lot better job there. I think I could’ve done a much better job helping out the rebounding.”
On how frustrating it has been sitting out of games: “Very frustrating. You know I love the game; I love being a part of it. Love helping my team out in any way that I can. It was tough being out, but I’m glad to be back.”
FINAL SCORE: 121-102 DATE: January 4, 2020 – Game #34 (Home Game #16)
FINAL SCORE RECORD HIGH POINTS HIGH REBOUNDS HIGH ASSISTS
Toronto 121 24-12 VanVleet – 29 Ibaka – 12 VanVleet – 11
Brooklyn 102 16-18 Dinwiddie – 23 Jordan – 8 Dinwiddie – 7
TEAM NOTABLES
➢ The Nets fell to 16-18 tonight with their loss to Toronto this evening, while the Raptors improved to 24-12 on the season with tonight’s victory.
o Up next for Brooklyn: The Nets will travel to Orlando to play the Magic on Monday, 1/6, at 7 p.m., ET. o Up next for Toronto: The Raptors will return home to Toronto to host Portland on Tuesday, 1/6, at 7 p.m. ET. ➢ Brooklyn blocked a season-high 11 shots tonight (previous high: 10 blocks, twice, most recently in OT on 12/17 at New Orleans) and edged the Raptors 11-4 in locks.
o DeAndre Jordan led Brooklyn with a season-high-tying four blocks, while Jarrett Allen and Wilson Chandler each added two
apiece. ➢ The Nets’ .478 field goal percentage (32-of-67 FG) marked their second-highest field goal percentage in a loss this season.
PLAYER NOTABLES
➢ Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets with 23 points (6-of-12 FG, 9-of-12 FT) and seven assists with three rebounds and a block in 31 minutes.
o Dinwiddie has now scored 20+ points in 19 of his last 23 games and has scored 20+ points a single-season career-high 23
times (in 34 games). He scored 20+ points 18 times all of last season (68 games).
o Dinwiddie has scored 20+ points in 11 straight games at Barclays Center, dating back to 11/18 vs. Indiana, which marks the
longest streak of 20-point games at home for a Net since Vince Carter did it in 13 straight games in the 2005-06 season.
o Dinwiddie has recorded a 20-point game, a double-double or both in 22 of his last 23 games (all but 1/2 at Dallas, when he fell a point shy with 19 points).
➢ Joe Harris scored 18 points with three rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes tonight vs. Toronto. He shot 4-of-6 from the field, 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe.
o Harris has now scored in double figures 27 times this season.
➢ Caris LeVert returned to action for Brooklyn tonight and recorded 13 points (5-of-7 FG, 2-of-2 3FG) in 16 minutes off the bench.
o LeVert played for the first time since 11/10 at Phoenix after returning from right thumb surgery.
➢ Garrett Temple totaled 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal in 30 minutes this evening against the Raptors.
o Temple returned to the starting lineup tonight after missing Brooklyn’s last game with a right knee contusion. o Temple has scored in double figures in 15 of his last 22 games after doing so three times in his first 11 games this season.
➢ Taurean Prince also scored in double figures for Brooklyn tonight with 10 points, six boards, two assists and a block in 28 minutes.
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The view from left field 