(23-28) BROOKLYN NETS, 118 VS. (39-14) TORONTO RAPTORS, 119 SCOTIABANK ARENA SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020
TORONTO RAPTORS QUOTES
NICK NURSE (HEAD COACH)
On running out of gas towards the end of the game … You’re right – we were, we didn’t make a three, I don’t think, forever, it seemed like there in the fourth. We had a couple of point-blank front- of- the-rimmers and we all knew it. We talked about it in a couple of the timeouts, man, we gotta gather everything we’ve got when we get it inside and try to finish, but we couldn’t quite do it. Big stop at the end, good job of pressing up and getting him disjointed down there.
On playing Matt Thomas for 15 straight minutes and continuously getting big performances from guys that never play … Our assistant coaches do a great job of keeping those guys ready. I think the mindset of you never know and stay ready maybe helps a little bit once in a while. When you don’t hit the scouting report because you haven’t played for a while too, so that is the other thing. He played great, man he came in there and like always every time he raises up you think it’s going in and he banged a bunch of them in. That was a big lift. That group was awesome, first half. They were incredible, they turned a lacklustre start to the game into an energetic game and they were great.
On starting Terence Davis … I just wanted the spacing, and he has been shooting the ball really well and I just wanted the spacing out there along with kind of considering Pat (McCaw) our backup point guard. I wanted him to be able to come in and sub for either him or Fred (VanVleet) and go from there.
On leaving the bench in the game with Brooklyn brought their starters back … I thought they were playing with great defensive energy, getting out on the open floor and they guarded great for about six straight minutes. They did their job, got it the down to about five and a half or something and we started filtering the guys. It was just based on their energy really, they had it going defensively and that was creating some offence for them.
FRED VANVLEET (29 points, six assists, two rebounds)
On tonight’s final minutes… Obviously it’s not a textbook way to close out a game, but when you have a long winning streak like that there will be different types of ways to finish it. We had a good idea they were probably going to give the ball to Caris (LeVert) in some sort of fashion and try to switch everything. I thought we did a good job of stopping their initial play that they were trying to give to Joe Harris for a pin down or something like that and then OG (Anunoby) was just great (with) one-on-one defence. We did give up an offensive rebound, he had a good look in the end, but it bounced out, so sometimes it’s good to be lucky too.
On the bench play… Those guys can play. I feel like we’ve had this conversation five to 10 times this year. It’s a good thing. Every time they step up and they play well people are surprised because they’re at the end of the bench, but you just have to wait for your turn (and) wait for (the) opportunity. Somebody like Matt (Thomas), who doesn’t’ really play on a consistent basis, stepped up there with a big first half, some key buckets. Obviously Terence (Davis) started tonight, but same thing with him. Those guys have been good for us all year; Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson), Chris (Boucher), and to do it on consistent nights … it’s special and that’s what we need out of those guys.
MATT THOMAS (15 points, six rebounds)
How much easier is it to get in a rhythm when you’re out there for an extended period of time? (For) any athlete when you get in the zone and you get in that rhythm, obviously it’s a lot easier. The game comes a lot naturally and you just play a lot more confident.
What is it about this team that makes everyone pretty comfortable with playing with different guys? I think it’s just a testament to how hard everyone works on the team. Everyone stays ready. We have a very deep and talented team and everyone is more than capable of coming in and making plays. Also, just shows the chemistry we have on this team. We’re all so good at playing off each other and everyone plays unselfishly and plays the right way.
BROOKLYN NETS QUOTES
KENNY ATKINSON (HEAD COACH)
In a game like that what stands out: the comeback or the deficit? Missed opportunities. On the road, I think 34, 33, 34 points is a lot to give up. It’s a lot to make up. The fourth quarter was fantastic. We held them to 19 points defensively. We obviously started to make some shots. That’s what got us back in it. I don’t think you can dig yourself a 20-point hole against a really good team like this.
How about DeAndre Jordan’s fourth quarter? He was our defensive anchor. I felt like we weren’t getting that resistance and he anchored our defence. He did a good job on (Serge) Ibaka, was patrolling the paint, he got us back in the game with his defence.
On the last possession… We wanted to go quicker. I think guys got into a little bit. You want to go as quick as possible. We wanted to get a good shot at the end of the day.
Did you want to them to get to the rim if possible? There were a couple of options on the play. They took away the first option. Joe was the second option coming off to stagger if we didn’t get him, and Caris went one-on-one
What do you think of the Raptors run? Incredible depth. Gasol is out, this guy is out, this guy is out. That’s a true sign of not only a good basketball team but a good program when you can have the injuries they’ve sustained and go deep into your roster. You’re going 11th man, 12th man. McCaw plays well. Boucher was really good tonight. They have young guys that are deep in their roster that have helped them win the game. That’s how you go on a long streak in this league. You can’t just do it with your top five or your top six, you’ve got to be deep. They are deep. They are playing great basketball.
On Caris LeVert’s progress… I said it when he wasn’t playing well, he’s going to catch his rhythm. He caught his rhythm and he’s doing it consistently now. It’s game after game after game. That’s kind of the all-star Caris we saw at the beginning of last year and the playoffs last year. It’s great to see and it’s great news for the Nets.
SPENCER DINWIDDIE (21 points, 11 assists, six rebounds)
What turned the game and allowed the Nets to get back in it? Finally in the fourth quarter we started getting stops. Obviously Caris was phenomenal offensively for us. Just our collective energy and effort beyond Caris’ offensive outburst was what got us back into the game.
Does the early deficit make this loss that much more disappointing? Definitely. If we had have played good defence the first three quarters – and credit Toronto, they are obviously a great basketball team, making shots and doing this to a lot of people – but 30-plus the first three quarters and then 19 in the fourth is tale of the tape right there.
Are there any positives to take from this loss? I don’t think we’re in the business of moral victories. We’re a playoff team as well. I think if you had asked me that two years ago we probably would’ve been like, “yeah, we played well. We fought. We’re a young group and we’re figuring it out.” We’re a playoff team. We need to figure out how to beat these teams that could be our first round matchup. We could play them, what, next week, four more or five more, six more times in the playoffs, right? You’ve got to be ready for that.
The view from left field 