(13-12) BROOKLYN NETS, 102 VS. (17-8) TORONTO RAPTORS, 110 SCOTIABANK ARENA SATURDAY, DEC. 14, 2019
TORONTO RAPTORS QUOTES
NICK NURSE (HEAD COACH)
On the game … We had a really, really good offensive flow, I thought, until the fourth. I thought for a long stretch of the season, I didn’t say our offense was beautiful or anything – but it looked organized, and looked like we’re going to the right guys at the right time, and I thought that was the case most of the time tonight until we got a little haywire in two sections of the game.
On the team defence … I have to look at the second half a little bit, but the first half, I looked at a lot of it at halftime and we were really active and we were really flying around and helping each other, chasing a guy off the line and somebody else would fill in and they would kick it again and we would chase them off again. We were really flying around and so that was great to see, and I don’t think I have seen that for a while. I have to check the second half a little bit, film-wise, to get a better read for it, but it certainly (there) was great energy and great team defence in the first half.
On using Patrick McCaw down the stretch in the fourth quarter … I just liked Pat’s energy on defence and (Spencer) Dinwiddie, (Joe) Harris, give him a chance to guard one of those two, probably there biggest threats out there in the game and I thought he was doing a really good job of just fitting in at the offensive end.
On Marc Gasol… I don’t think I would I say in totality here for the season we have been that happy, because I think he’s been a low scoring guy and at times he is a big time scorer, he will hurt you from in and out. So I am glad to see him get some more opportunities, we actually ran a couple plays for post-ups for him tonight that he scored, or else he missed and got his own rebound and put it in back in …scored eventually. I still think he is a threat down there and we have to do a better job of getting him deep touches like that.
PASCAL SIAKAM (30 points, 11 rebounds, five assists)
What worked on defence that created opportunities at the offensive end? Our energy was where we want it to be. We made a lot of mistakes, but we covered it up with our energy, just playing hard and that’s how we have to play every single night. We can’t come in and not play that way because that’s the way we play, so we have to play like that every single night. It starts with me, I have to bring my team to that energy level every single night and I’m going to try my best to do that.
Thoughts on team ball movement tonight… I liked it. We play for each other like we always do. Move the ball around; get the open shots and today they went in, so we have to continue to play.
On Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol posting double- doubles in same game for first time this season… That’s big for us, we need those guys. A big night for Marc and Serge. They did a hell of a job on defence, rebounding and also scoring, so we are going to need that from them every single night.
NORMAN POWELL (25 points,four rebounds)
Was it good to see shots falling in the first half? I think the way we came out defensively, they hit a couple early shots early on, but after tightening it down a little bit and being able to get out on transition, moving the ball, we were able to find some good looks that were able to go. But I really think tonight’s game was fuelled by the defence we had.
What does getting out on transition do for your game? I think that’s my game. Getting out on transition, attacking early, trying to get into the paint, see what the defence is doing. It allows the flow of the offence to get in there, kick out, next pass, next action, so I think it really gets the offence going when we get deep into the paint, having defences rotating and scrambling around out there help make the kick out. Just staying aggressive when I have those opportunities.
KYLE LOWRY (17 points, four rebounds, six assists)
On having Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol playing well at both ends of the floor… It’s always good to have that option to go back to traditional basketball. When Serge has got a smaller guy on him, I’m going to go with that, you know those chances every time of him getting rebounds and it’s kind of funny when he has a smaller guy on him, he just turns into even more of a madman. We need that and Marc spaces the floor well, makes the right plays and him and Serge have a good combination down there.
BROOKLYN NETS QUOTES
KENNY ATKINSON (HEAD COACH)
What was the story of the game from your view? The first quarter, they were hot and they got going. Didn’t love how we contested shots – for some reason we weren’t contesting shots the way we needed to, and then after the first quarter our defence settled down. I thought we were pretty good the last three quarters defensively. Then, offensively, two things: we turned it over too much and didn’t make enough shots. I thought we had a lot of open looks, they didn’t go down – but the turnovers hurt us too.
Is ball handling a bit of a problem? I think it is. That’s Toronto’s strength, they turn you over, they’re an excellent defensive team. I knew coming in that the issue tonight was going to be scoring on these guys. We did not handle the ball well enough. Not only the second unit, I thought the first unit struggled too. So just in general, turnovers were a problem.
Did you get the looks from three that you wanted? I thought a lot of good looks. The one I feel you can control are the turnovers. You don’t get a shot, and then usually turnovers turn into great shots for the other team down the other end. You have 20 turnovers, and then you miss the amount of shots we did, it’s just not good enough. We knew we were going to get threes tonight, we knew they pack it in and we were going to get shots. We encourage our guys to shoot them, they just didn’t go in tonight.
TAUREAN PRINCE (14 points, 10 rebounds, two assists)
On tonight’s game… We just missed some shots we usually make. (We) just have to correct that.
What were you seeing defensively? I think we lacked a bit of intensity on the transition defence, but for the most part we were stopping them at halfcourt. I think we could have done a better job in transition. I think that’s on us. I don’t think they did anything that we weren’t expecting or that we couldn’t fix, so that’s a good thing coming out of the game. (There were) a lot of the shots we could have made that we missed (and) that were wide open that we usually hit, but it’s a good learning curve, especially going into Philly tomorrow.
On the turnovers tonight … That’s their job to contest everything. Our job is to continue to move the ball. This is the NBA, so you have to hit shots when people are right in your face. We didn’t hit many, even our wide open ones. I think we had a ton of wide open threes with no contest, so we tried to hit those.
GARRETT TEMPLE (16 points, four rebounds, two assists)
How much of tonight was about making shots? They went (9-of-12) in the first quarter and then it’s tough for us to win (when) I go 2-for-14. We got the shots that we expected to get and we were comfortable with. We’ll take those same exact shots, you know, 100 times out of 100 times when we play. We just have to knock them down at the end of the day and be a little more decisive in transition defence, and take care of the ball. I think we had 20 turnovers, so with a team that plays that fast, when they get out on transition, they are going to make shots (and) get to the rim, and if they’re making threes it’s tough.
What would you attribute the team turnovers to? It might have been a case where we were trying to play, and you know, got caught up in their pace. Like I said, they were playing really fast, but just those few unforced turnovers that we could have not had. They are a long team. That’s what they do. They create turnovers. Got to give them some credit, but I think a lot of it was unforced.
FINAL SCORE: TORONTO RAPTORS 110, BROOKLYN NETS 102
DATE: DECEMBER 14, 2019 ATTENDANCE: 19,800 (Sellout)
FINAL SCORE RECORD HIGH POINTS HIGH REBOUNDS HIGH ASSISTS Brooklyn 102 13-12 Dinwiddie – 24 Jordan – 13 Dinwiddie – 8
Toronto 110 17-8 Siakam – 30 Gasol – 15 Lowry – 6
KEY RUN Leading 90-85 early in the fourth quarter, Toronto scored nine straight points to extend the lead to 14 with 8:32 left … Brooklyn closed the gap to eight with 6:56 remaining but couldn’t pull any closer. KEY STAT The Raptors shot .350 (14-for-40) form three-point range, including .750 (9-for-12) in the first quarter … Toronto made 14 threes after converting 15 three-pointers the previous two games combined (Dec. 9-11).
RAPTORS NOTES: • With the win, Toronto improves to 17-8 this season and 10-3 at home … The victory snaps a threegame losing streak at home … The Raptors finish a three-game homestand (Dec. 11-16) Monday night when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers. • Since the start of the 2015-16 season, the Raptors have won 16-of-17 meetings with the Nets, including nine straight games at Scotiabank Arena. • Toronto has won an NBA record 34 consecutive games at home vs. the Atlantic Division. • The Raptors are now 3-4 in December … Six of Toronto’s first seven games this month have been against teams currently with a +.500 record. • Toronto outscored the Nets 32-17 on the fast-break. • Pascal Siakam scored 14 of his game-high 30 points (10-26 FG, 3-5 3PT, 7-10 FT) in the first quarter – his ninth 30-point of the season … Siakam added 11 rebounds in 34 minutes of action for his ninth double-double on the season. • Marc Gasol posted his third double-double on the year with season highs of 17 points and 15 rebounds in 34 minutes … Gasol has totaled 26 rebounds over the last two games (Dec. 11-13). • The Raptors had five players score double figures – Siakam (30), Norman Powell (25), Gasol (17), Kyle Lowry (17) and Serge Ibaka (12) … Ibaka added 12 rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench for his second double-double in the last three games.
NETS NOTES: • With the loss, Brooklyn falls to 13-12 on the season and 6-7 on the road … The Nets have dropped consecutive games (Dec. 11-14) after winning three in a row (Dec. 4-8). • Brooklyn grabbed a season-high 59 rebounds. • The Nets had five players score in double digits – Spencer Dinwiddie (24), Garrett Temple (16), Taurean Prince (14), Joe Harris (13) and David Nwaba (10) … Prince and James Harden are the only players in the NBA who have made at least one three in each of their team’s games this season. • Jarrett Allen finished with seven points and 10 rebounds in 25 minutes of play … Allen has now collected 10+ rebounds in a career-long 10 straight games (Nov. 24 – Dec. 14) – the longest streak by a Nets player since Reggie Evans grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 18 straight games in 2012-13.
On the keys to tonight’s game being the matchup against Edmonton’s top line and depth: Yeah, it was. We knew that we had to do a job against those top guys, but we also thought that our depth would be a factor in the game today. It seems like that’s how it worked out.
On Tyson Barrie’s status: No update other than his X-rays that we had were negative, but he just didn’t feel comfortable enough to go back. We’ll just see how he is when we get home.
On the performance of the Engvall-Kerfoot-Mikheyev line tonight: They were great. They just skated; they skated, they worked, they made plays, they attacked the net. There was a lot of really good things they were doing. They were feeling it today. It’s a good sign for our team just with three guys like that that skate the way that they do and work. I felt comfortable no matter who they were on the ice against, even if it was McDavid.
On Justin Holl’s performance following Barrie’s departure: He was excellent. I thought all of our defence. You know, it’s the end of a long trip. I think this is our ninth day on the road here and a guy goes down early with Barrie there and it’s a tough task and you’re leading for 55 minutes or whatever it was in the game. So, you know they’re going to be pushing and they’re going to be coming. Our guys did a great job. Hollsy was great. I thought Jake Muzzin was outstanding and really competitive. [Rielly], [Ceci], everybody was really good.
FREDERIK ANDERSEN (200TH CAREER NHL WIN)
On finishing the road trip 3-1: Yeah, it was great. I think the road trip has been good up to this point. Obviously, we wanted to finish it off the right way. I thought we answered really good with the way we played in the third the other night. It was great tonight so that was awesome to see. I thought we didn’t really give them too much except on the power play maybe. I think overall a really good game.
On what it means to be the fastest European goalie to reach 200 wins: That I’ve been on really good teams. I think I’ve just been lucky to be a part of really good teams with a lot of good guys around me. You can’t do that by yourself. You’ve just got to do your part and hope the other guys do their part as well.
On if he’ll save the puck: Yeah, I think Muzzin actually grabbed it, so we’ll see.
ALEX KERFOOT (1 GOAL,1 ASSIST)
On what was clicking for his line tonight: It was obviously a great road trip for us. We generated a few chances and were able to capitalize on them.
On keeping Edmonton to the outside: I think we did a pretty good job; they got a couple transition opportunities but for the most part we were above to stay above their top line and that’s when they are so dangerous. Throughout a game they are going to get chances, but I thought we did a pretty good job of limiting them.
On what he lines about the way his line is composed: I think those guys have a ton of speed, both Pierre and [Mikheyev] can fly and make it hard on the opposition. They get onto guys quickly and make them force plays. They are just tough to play against.
MORGAN RIELLY (1 ASSIST)
On what it was like playing with five defencemen once Barrie left the game: Yeah, it’s always tough when you lose a guy, but I thought Muzzin and [Holl] did a great job. They played outstanding and obviously played a lot of minutes. It’s important with our group we have players that are available, can take extra responsibility and play well with it. That was the case tonight.
On playing with the lead: I think it was good. Obviously, we know what happened a couple nights ago and we wanted to change the script, so we came out and played right. We played good, we managed the puck, didn’t create turnovers so we’ll take it.
On the energy boost from players scoring their first goal in a while: It’s nice. Obviously, you want those guys to play well. They’re important to our team. Our big strength is depth. We’ve got guys playing well and when you’re moving the puck and put the puck in, it feels good and you get excited. Obviously, that’s a big part of our game.
JOHN TAVARES (20:02 TOI)
On shutting down Edmonton’s top line: We knew we had to be ready for their top line, especially those two guys. We know how dynamic they are, they don’t need much. We just tried to play a good, smart road game and take care of the puck, play with it. Create our opportunities and then defend well when we had to so, good job by everyone. [Defence] stepped up big time, guys played hard, especially once we went down to five and a huge credit to them. Obviously, Freddie made some big saves.
On getting some depth scoring: Great to see those guys get rewarded. I thought they were skating really well. Really connected and making good, quick plays. Their speed and their hockey sense make them really good players and a really good line so huge for us.
Alex Kerfoot opened the scoring for the Maple Leafs at 4:38 of the first period and later registered the primary assist on Ilya Mikheyev’s second period goal. Tonight’s game is Kerfoot’s third multi-point game of the season. He has seven points (5 goals, 2 assists) in six career games against the Oilers.
Ilya Mikheyev scored the second Toronto goal of the game at 5:27 of the second period. Mikheyev has registered 12 (3-9-12) of his 18 points on the road this season. He has six points (2-4-6) in eight games against Pacific Division opponents.
Frederik Gauthier scored the Maple Leafs’ third goal of the night at 13:49 of the third period. Gauthier has three goals and three assists in 30 games played this season.
Mitch Marner scored Toronto’s fourth goal of the game on the power play into an empty net 18:39 of the third period. Marner has goals (2) in two consecutive games and points (2-5-7) in four consecutive games. He has eight points (2 goals, 6 assists) in six games against Pacific Division teams this season.
Pierre Engvall registered the primary assist on Kerfoot’s first period goal and later had the secondary assist on Mikheyev’s second period goal. Tonight’s game is Engvall’s first career multi-assist and multi-point night. He has three assists over his last four games.
Morgan Rielly collected the secondary assist on Kerfoot’s first period goal. Rielly has 11 assists in 19 road games this season. He has eight points (1 goal, 7 assists) in 14 games against Western Conference teams this season.
Dmytro Timashov had the lone assist on Gauthier’s third period goal. Timashov has two goals and five assists in 22 games played this season. He has registered three points (1-2-3) in his last six games played.
Zach Hyman recorded the lone assist on Marner’s empty net goal. Hyman has five points (4-1-5) over his last five games. He has seven points (6-1-7) in eight games against Western Conference opponents in 2019-20.
Frederik Andersen stopped 36 shots to earn his 16th win of the season. Tonight’s victory is Andersen’s 200th career NHL win.
The Maple Leafs went 1-for-2 on the penalty kill and went 1-for-1 on the power play tonight.
At 12:53 of the second period in tonight’s game, a video review was initiated to determine how the puck entered the Edmonton net. Video review confirmed the puck went under the Edmonton net, therefore, did not enter in a legal fashion. The original call was upheld – No goal Toronto
Toronto’s line of Pierre Engvall, Alex Kerfoot and Ilya Mikheyev started 16.7 percent of their 5-on-5 shifts in the offensive zone, which was the lowest mark among Toronto skaters.
Jake Muzzin was on the ice for a team-high 28 Toronto shot attempts-for at 5-on-5 tonight. Muzzin finished the game with a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 54.9 percent (28 for, 23 against).
John Tavares was 6-for-10 (60%) in the faceoff circle when taking defensive zone draws.
UPCOMING GAMES:
Tuesday, December 17, 7:00 p.m. vs. Buffalo Sabres (TSN4, TSN 1050)
Friday, December 20, 7:00 p.m. at New York Rangers (Sportsnet Ontario, FAN 590)
Saturday, December 21, 7:00 p.m. vs. Detroit Red Wings (Sportsnet, FAN 590)
Monday, December 23, 2:00 p.m. vs. Carolina Hurricanes (Sportsnet Ontario, FAN 590)
Friday, December 27, 7:00 p.m. at New Jersey Devils (Sportsnet Ontario, TSN 1050)
Super Spencer Dinwiddie is doing it all for his squad. This means he’s literally carrying the Brooklyn Nets to success while Kyrie Irving is out. Last Sunday, the Brooklyn Nets came out with an impressive win over the Denver Nuggets at home. The hero of the game? Who, but Spencer Dinwiddie? Even in the Nets’ […]
ROGERS PLACE (EDMONTON, AB) ▪ TV: SPORTSNET/HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA
▪ RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN
MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus EDMONTON
ALL-TIME RECORD:
51-42-8-1 (102 Games)
ALL-TIME ON THE ROAD:
22-25-6-1 (54 Games)
2018-19:
2-0-0
LAST FIVE:
5-0-0
LAST 10:
8-2-0
MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus EDMONTON
GAMES PLAYED:
Jake Muzzin (30), Jason Spezza (27), Tyson Barrie (20)
GOALS:
Tyson Barrie (8), Jason Spezza (8), John Tavares (6)
ASSISTS:
Jason Spezza (17), Tyson Barrie (12), John Tavares (12)
POINTS:
Jason Spezza (25), Tyson Barrie (20), John Tavares (18)
PENALTY MINUTES:
Jake Muzzin (18), Jason Spezza (10), Morgan Rielly (8)
MAPLE LEAFS – OILERS TEAM STATS
TORONTO
EDMONTON
GOALS FOR (Rank):
105 (5th)
103 (9th)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):
106 (28th)
104 (t-24th)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):
18/91 [19.8%] (14th)
32/100 [32.0%] (1st)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):
78/101 [77.2%] (25th)
89/105 [84.8%] (6th)
SHOTS (Rank):
1104 (4th)
981 (t-21st)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):
1683 (1st)
1418 (14th)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):
52.8% (5th)
47.8% (26th)
FACEOFF % (Rank):
52.3% (t-2nd)
48.0% (27th)
MAPLE LEAFS – OILERS NOTES
FIRST MATCHUP BETWEEN CLUBS:
Nov. 11, 1979 (Toronto 6, Edmonton 3)
ALL-TIME RECORD:
51-42-8-1 (102 Games)
ALL-TIME RECORD AT HOME:
29-17-2-0 (48 Games)
ALL-TIME RECORD ON THE ROAD:
22-25-6-1 (54 Games)
LAST WIN VS. OPPONENT ON THE ROAD:
March 9, 2019 (Toronto 3, Edmonton 2)
MAPLE LEAFS MILESTONES vs. OILERS
Pontus Aberg
Skated in 16 games with Edmonton in 2018.
Tyson Barrie
200th NHL assist (Nov. 11, 2018 (COL) at EDM)
Martin Marincin
Selected by Edmonton in the second round (46th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft. Skated in 85 games with the Oilers from 2013-15.
Jake Muzzin
Recorded his 100th NHL point (Jan. 30, 2014 (LAK) at EDM)
Jason Spezza
500th NHL game (Feb. 12, 2011 (OTT) at EDM)
MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
CATEGORY
LEADER
GOALS
19 (Matthews)
ASSISTS
19 (Marner)
POINTS
34 (Matthews)
POWER PLAY POINTS
10 (Matthews)
SHORTHANDED POINTS
2 (Engvall, Kapanen)
PIMs
22 (Muzzin)
SHOTS
119 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%
57.1% (Gauthier, Matthews)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %
57.1% (Petan)
BLOCKED SHOTS
58 (Ceci)
TAKEAWAYS
33 (Marner)
HITS
70 (Muzzin)
TOI PER GAME
24:35 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME
3:04 (Marner)
SH TOI PER GAME
3:12 (Ceci)
MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES
Frederik Andersen
– Is 8-4-0 on the road this season with a 2.43 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. – Has made 12 career appearances against Edmonton and is 11-0-1 with a 2.16 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage.- Tied for second in the NHL in wins (15).- Second in the NHL in saves (741) and even-strength saves (617).- Tied for third in the NHL in shootout saves (11).
Tyson Barrie
– Tied for ninth among NHL defencemen in shots on goal (84). – Has been on the ice for the third-most shot attempts for (643) among NHL skaters. – Has an on-ice shot attempt differential of plus-105, which ranks 12th among NHL defencemen.- Leads all Maple Leafs skaters and is 22nd among NHLers in slap shots taken (25).
Cody Ceci
– Seventh among NHL skaters in shorthanded time on ice (105:25).- Has started 205 shifts in the defensive zone, which is the 10th-most defensive zone starts among all NHL skaters.
Justin Holl
– Had his first career multi-point game (0-2-2) on December 10 at Vancouver.- Has an unblocked shot attempt percentage of 53.9 percent at 5-on-5, which leads Maple Leafs defencemen who have appeared in at least 10 games.
Michael Hutchinson
– Sixth among NHL goaltenders who have appeared in fewer than 10 games in saves (197).
Zach Hyman
– Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 53.5 percent, which ranks 10th among Toronto skaters who have played 10 games. – Averaging 18:04 per game in ice time through 14 games, which ranks fourth among Toronto forwards.
Kasperi Kapanen
– Ranks second among Maple Leafs in points on the road with 14 (6 goals, 8 assists) in 18 road games this season.- Seventh among Toronto skaters in even-strength points (6-7-13).- One of 20 NHL skaters to have recorded at least five shorthanded shots on goal (5) and five shorthanded takeaways (5).
Alex Kerfoot
– Tied for fifth among Toronto skaters in even-strength goals (4).- Lone Toronto centre to have recorded at least 20 hits (26) and 20 blocked shots (22) this season.
Mitch Marner
– Tied for fifth in the NHL in scoring over the last seven days (1-5-6; 3 GP).- Tied for first among NHLers who have appeared in 25 or fewer games in assists (19).- Tied for fifth in the NHL in takeaways (33).- Tied for eighth among NHL forwards in shifts per game (25.6).- Averages 2.57 assists per 60 minutes of ice time and 3.25 points per 60 minutes of ice time.
Auston Matthews
– Tied for seventh among NHL skaters in goals (19).- Tied for fifth among NHL skaters in even-strength goals (14).- Tied for 12th among NHL skaters in points (19-15-34).- Eighth in the NHL with 119 shots on goal.- Has been on the ice for a team-high 46 of the Maple Leafs’ 103 goals.
Ilya Mikheyev
– Tied for fifth among NHL skaters in shorthanded shots on goal (10).- Leads all NHL rookies in shorthanded ice time (67:56).- Tied for the lead among NHL rookies in shots on goal (81).- Second among NHL rookies and fourth on the Maple Leafs in even-strength points (4-13-17).
Jake Muzzin
– Leads Maple Leafs defencemen in takeaways (17).- Tied for 23rd among NHL defencemen in even-strength assists (9).- One of nine NHL defencemen and 27 NHL skaters to have registered at least 60 hits (70) and at least 60 shots on goal (63).- Averages 0:47 in ice time per shift, which is tied for the fourth-lowest average shift length among defencemen who average at least 21:00 per game in ice time.
William Nylander
– Has notched eight primary assists, which is tied for fourth among Toronto skaters. – Has registered at least one point in 19 of Toronto’s 33 games. – Has nine points (4 goals, 5 assists) in 13 games against Western Conference opponents.- Has recorded eight points (2-6-8) in six career games against the Flames.
Morgan Rielly
– Tied for 13th among NHL defencemen in points (3-18-21).- Tied for 10th among NHL defencemen in even-strength points (3-12-15).- Tied for fifth among NHL defencemen in even-strength assists (12).- Ranks 12th among NHL skaters in TOI per game (24:35).- Sits 11th among NHL skaters in shifts per game (28.6).- Has 10 assists in 18 road games this season.
Jason Spezza
– Averaging 2.99 points per 60 minutes of ice time this season, which ranks fourth among Toronto skaters.- Has recorded 10 (4-6-10) of his 12 points this season in 14 road games.
John Tavares
– Has 18 points (6 goals, 12 assists) in 14 career games against Edmonton.- Averaging 2.88 shots on goal per game, which ranks second among Toronto skaters.- Tied for ninth among NHLers in points over the last seven days (3-2-5; 3 GP).- Has a 5-on-5 shot attempt percentage of 56.2 percent when the Maple Leafs are leading in games.
CURRENT POINT STREAKS
Cody Ceci
Has assists (2) in two consecutive games.
Mitch Marner
Has assists (5) and points (1-5-6) in three consecutive games.
John Tavares
Has goals (3), assists (2) and points (3-2-5) in two consecutive games.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
Frederik Andersen
One win from 200 career NHL wins.
RECENT MILESTONES
Pontus Aberg
Maple Leaf debut (December 7 at St. Louis)First point as a Maple Leaf (December 7 at St. Louis)
INJURY REPORT
Andreas Johnsson (Leg)
On injured reserve.
Trevor Moore (Shoulder)
On injured reserve.
Man Games Lost: 68
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
December 13
– Loaned forward Nic Petan to the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
December 6
– Placed forward Andreas Johnsson on the LTIR. – Recalled forwards Pontus Aberg and Nic Petan, as well as defenceman Martin Marincin from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
OILERS NOTES
Saturday’s game will mark the first of two meetings against Toronto this season (Dec. 14, Jan. 6).
The last time these teams met was on March 9 in Edmonton where the Leafs defeated the Oilers 3-2.
James Neal leads the Oilers in career points against Toronto (15) and Riley Sheahan leads the team in career games (23) against the Leafs.
CAPTAIN CONNOR Connor McDavid posted a goal and an assist last game on Dec. 12 at Minnesota and owns the NHL scoring lead (57) by two points over teammate Leon Draisaitl. He has recorded points in 16 of his last 19 games, posting 34 points (14G, 20A) and has posted 26 points (9G, 17A) in his last 14 games. McDavid recorded a League-leading 26 of his 49 points in the month of November (13G, 13A – 26 PTS in 14 GP), the most by an Oilers player in November since Jari Kurri in 1988 (26 PTS in 15 GP). McDavid posted three consecutive games from Nov. 14-19 (4G, 8A –12PTS) with 3+ points, becoming the first Oiler to do so since Mark Messier from Jan. 25-30, 1990 (4G, 7A – 11PTS). On Nov. 19 at San Jose, McDavid became the first Oilers player to record 20 or more points in both October and November within a single season since Wayne Gretzky in 1987-88 (Oct.: 7-19—26 in 11 GP; Nov.: 11-23—34 in 13 GP). DYNAMIC DRAISAITL Leon Draisaitl recorded a goal last game on Dec. 12 to move to 55 points on the season, two behind McDavid for the for the league lead in points. He has recorded points in 20 of his last 24 games, posting 39 points (14G, 25A) and has registered five two-goal games and 16 multi-point games on the season. Draisaitl is just one of four players to post a point streak of at least 13 games this season (Marchand, MacKinnon, Pastrnak).
Draisaitl ranks second in the league with 33 even strength points in the first 34 games of the season, one point behind Brad Marchand.
OILERS DUO ATOP NHL SCORING RACE McDavid (20G, 37A – 57 PTS) and Draisaitl (20G, 35A -55 PTS) sit first and second respectively in NHL scoring, with McDavid leading the NHL in assists (37) and Draisaitl sits second with (35). They are also tied for fourth in the NHL in goals (20).
McDavid recorded his ninth 3+ point game of the season on Dec. 10 and has 16 multi-point games on the season, while Draisaitl has registered 16 multi-point games and has eight, 3+ point games.
Aside from Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, only two other players in Edmonton Oilers history have posted 50+ points in the first 30 games of a season since Gretzky and Jurri reached the mark in 1984-85. Wayne Gretzky (7x) and Jari Kurri (1x).
They are also the first set of teammates in the NHL to post 50+ points in under 30 games since 1995-96.
PUTTING IN THEIR TIME Defenceman Oscar Klefbom leads the NHL in total ice time (868:23), averaging 25:32 per game which ranks second.
Leon Draisaitl leads NHL forwards with 22:48 per game and overall ice time (775:28), while Connor McDavid ranks second amongst forwards with 761:11 overall and a 22:23 average.
Edmonton Oilers: Media Notes On Nov. 19 at San Jose, Klefbom posted a career high 31:38 of ice time, Klefbom’s ice time was the most by an Oiler in a regulation 60 minute game in nearly 14 years, dating back to Chris Pronger’s 31:51 on Jan. 16, 2006 against Buffalo.
REAL TIME STATS
Blocked Shots Oscar Klefbom – 1st – NHL (103) Kris Russell – 5th– NHL (73)
Takeaways Connor McDavid – 10th – NHL (30)
Hits – Forwards Zack Kassian – 10th – NHL (91)
INJURY REPORT 2019-20 Man games lost: 120
PLAYER INJURY DATE GAMES F ***Kyle Brodziak (Back) Oct. 2 – Present 34 D *Matt Benning (Concussion) Dec. 1 – Present 5 F *Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Hand) Nov. 24 – Dec. 7 6 F Zack Kassian (Back) Dec. 1 – Dec. 7 3 G Mike Smith (Leg) Dec. 1 – Dec. 4 1 D *Matt Benning (Concussion) Nov. 19 – Nov. 28 4 F Jujhar khaira (Undisclosed) Nov. 24 – Nov. 27 1 D Adam Larsson (Leg) Oct. 2 – Nov. 21 22 D*Brandon Manning (Hand) Nov. 14 – Nov. 21 3 F *Joakim Nygard (Ribs) Oct. 16 – Nov. 12 17 F Josh Archibald (Foot) Oct. 27 – Nov. 8 6 D Joel Persson (Concussion) Oct. 16 – Oct. 30 7 F Josh Archibald (Illness) Oct. 5 – Oct. 12 3 F Alex Chiasson (Illness) Oct. 5 – Oct. 12 3 F Riley Sheahan (upper body) Oct. 2 – Oct. 8 2 F Tomas Jurco (undisclosed) Oct. 2 – Oct.4 1 F Joel Persson (upper body) Oct. 2 – Oct. 4 1
NOTE – The Oilers had 200 man games lost in 2018-19.
*on IR (Injured Reserve) **on INR (Injured – Non-Roster) ***on LTIR (Long Term Injured Reserve)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS Nov. 29 D Matt Benning was activated off injured reserve, F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was placed on injured reserve Dec. 1 G Stuart Skinner recalled on emergency conditions from Bakersfield (AHL) Dec. 3 G Stuart Skinner and D Caleb Jones were assigned to Bakersfield (AHL); D Joel Persson was recalled from Bakersfield Dec. 4 F Colby Cave was recalled from Bakersfield (AHL) Dec. 8 F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was activated off injured reserve; F Colby Cave was assigned to Bakersfield (AHL) Dec. 9 D Caleb Jones was recalled from Bakersfield (AHL); D Joel Persson was assigned to Bakersfield (AHL)
LAST OILERS REGULAR SEASON GAME 2019-20 –Thursday, December 12, 2019 EDMONTON 4 at MINNESOTA 6 at Xcel Energy Center
GOALS SAVES
MIN – Greenway, Zucker, Foligno, Donato, Staal, Kunin
MIN – Kahkonen (28/33)
EDM – Klefbom, Draisaitl, Haas, McDavid, Neal
EDM – Smith (20/26)
PP PK MIN – 0/1 MIN – 1/2 EDM – 1/2 EDM – 1/1
1stStar: Eric Staal (MIN)
2ndStar: Carson Soucy (MIN)
3rd Star: Jordan Greenway (MIN)
OILERS LAST GAME vs. TORONTO 2018-19 – Saturday, March 9, 2019 EDMONTON 2 vs. Toronto 3 at Rogers Place
GOALS SAVES
TOR – Rielly, Tavares, Muzzin TOR – Andersen (31/33)
LAST TEN GAMES vs. TORONTO Record: 2-7-1 GF: 22 GA: 34
2018-19 3/9/19 @ EDM 3-2 L 2018-19 2/27/19 @ TOR 2-6 L 2017-18 12/10/17 @ TOR 0-1 L 2017-18 11/30/17 @ EDM 4-6 L 2016-17 11/29/16 @ EDM 2-4 L 2016-17 11116 @ TOR 2-3 L (OT) 2015-16 2/11/16 @ EDM 5-2 W 2015-16 11/30/16 @ TOR 0-3 L 2014-15 3/16/15 @ EDM 4-1 W 2014-15 2/7/15 @ TOR 1-5 L
GAME #25 – TORONTO RAPTORS (16-8) vs. BROOKLYN NETS (13-11) SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2019 – 7:30 P.M. (ET) – SCOTIABANK ARENA TV: TSN – RADIO: TSN 1050 TORONTO
INJURY REPORT AT 8:30 P.M. FRIDAY
BKN@TOR Brooklyn Nets Chandler, Wilson Out League Suspension – Claxton, Nicolas Out Injury/Illness – Left Hamstring; Soreness – Durant, Kevin Out Injury/Illness – Right Achilles; Rehab – Irving, Kyrie Out Injury/Illness – Right Shoulder; Impingement – LeVert, Caris Out Injury/Illness – Right Thumb; Surgery – Toronto Raptors Johnson, Stanley Out Injury/Illness – Left Groin; Stress reaction – Thomas, Matt Out Injury/Illness – Left Finger; Middle; fracture – distal phalanx – VanVleet, Fred Doubtful Injury/Illness – Right Knee; Contusion –
RAPTORS NOTES • The Toronto Raptors continue a three-game homestand (Dec. 11-16) Saturday night when they host the Brooklyn Nets at Scotiabank Arena. The Raptors have won 15 of the last 16 meetings with Nets, including eight straight games at home. Pascal Siakam averaged 19.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in four games (3-1) vs. Brooklyn last season. The last time Toronto lost the season-series with the Nets was in 2012-13.
• The Raptors have won an NBA record 33 consecutive games at home vs. the Atlantic Division. The Raptors’ last regular season loss at Scotiabank Arena against an Atlantic Division foe was Nov. 10, 2015 vs. New York. Since 1970-71 (the division format era), Golden State (2013-17) and Utah (1996-99) had held the previous record with 32 straight victories at home vs. divisional opponents. • Former Net Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will play his first game against his old team Saturday night. Hollis-Jefferson averaged 9.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 23.6 minutes in 234 career games (147 starts) with the Brooklyn (2015-19). He was picked 23rd overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2015 NBA Draft and acquired by the Nets on draft night. He signed as a free agent with the Raptors this past summer.
• Norman Powell recorded 22 points and one steal in 34 minutes Dec. 11 against the LA Clippers. Powell scored 20+ points for the fifth time this season; something he did four times in 60 games played in 201819. His 13 steals in the month of December (six games), are tied with Russell Westbrook and Solomon Hill for third most in the NBA behind only James Harden (16) and Draymond Green (14).
• The Raptors have tallied 10 or more steals in four-of-six games this month, after recording 10 or more steals three times in 13 games in November. Toronto leads the NBA averaging 10.7 steals in December. Norman Powell (13) and OG Anunoby (12) have combined for 25 of the Raptors’ 64 steals this month.
• December is Toronto’s busiest month of the season with 16 games and includes three back-to-back sets. The Raptors’ 11 games at Scotiabank Arena tie the franchise record for most home games in a calendar month – Toronto also played 11 games at home in March 2016. Also, for the first time the Raptors will play at home Christmas Day when they host the Boston Celtics.
• Toronto has lost three straight games at home (Dec. 3-11) after starting the season with a franchise-record nine straight victories at Scotiabank Arena. The Raptors have dropped three in a row at home for the first time since Nov. 29 – Dec. 5, 2015.
• Pascal Siakam is one of five players in the NBA averaging 24.0+ points, 8.0+ rebounds and 3.0+ assists this season, along with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic and Karl-Anthony Towns. No Raptor has ever averaged 24.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists throughout an entire season. • Kyle Lowry passed Chris Bosh (509) for fourth on the Raptors’ all-time games played list Wednesday night vs. the LA Clippers – he now trails only DeMarDeRozan (675), Morris Peterson (542) and Jose Calderon (525). Lowry is the longest-serving member of the Raptors, currently in his eighth season with the club. He ranks first in franchise history in steals (761) and 3-point field goals (1,260), second in assists (3,595) and fourth in points (8,871).
• Recorded 13 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 35 minutes Dec. 11 vs. LA Clippers. • Toronto is 11-2 when Anunoby scores 10 or more points (Last: 13 – Dec. 11 vs. LA Clippers). • Has scored in double figures each of the last three games (Dec. 8-11); averaging 14.0 points during this span.
• Finished with a game-high 24 points, four rebounds and three assists in 35 minutes Dec. 11 vs. LA Clippers. • Ranks 15th in the NBA in scoring (24.5) and third in minutes per game (36.8). • Has scored 30+ points eight times; had five 30-point performances in 80 games played last season.
• Totaled nine points and team highs of 11 rebounds and six assists 31 minutes Dec. 11 vs. LA Clippers. • Reached 12,000 career points in the NBA Nov. 16 at Dallas. • Has collected 10+ rebounds four times this season, including a season-high 12 rebounds Nov. 2 at Milwaukee.
• Contributed 22 points and three rebounds in 34 minutes of action Dec. 11 vs. LA Clippers. • Averaging 16.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 31.0 minutes in 13 games as a starter. • Ranks second on the team in scoring (16.5 points) through six games in December; shooting .507 from the field.
• Recorded six points and a team high-tying six assists in 35 minutes Dec. 11 vs. LA Clippers. • Needs one double-double to tie Antonio Davis (110) for third on the Raptors’ all-time list (see page 3 for top-five). • Averaging 14.8 points and 7.4 assists in five games (Dec. 3-11) since returning from a left thumb injury.
INJURY REPORT Stanley Johnson (Left groin; stress reaction) – Out Matt Thomas (Left middle finger; distal phalanx fracture) – Out Fred VanVleet (right knee contusion) – TBD
SERIES RECAP VS. BROOKLYN
OVERALL HOME ROAD
2018-19
3-1 2-0 1-1
ALL-TIME
53-40 31-15 22-25 STREAKS Won 3 Won 8 Won 1
LAST WIN: April 3, 2019 (115-105)
LAST HOME WIN: February 11, 2019 (127-125)
LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY: +37, November 2, 2007
LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT: -25, January 15, 1996
LAST TIME VS. BROOKLYN
GAME 79 – APRIL 3, 2019 TORONTO 115, BROOKLYN 105
NEW YORK — Pascal Siakam had 28 points and 10 rebounds, Kawhi Leonard added 26 points and nine boards and the Toronto Raptors beat the Brooklyn Nets 115-105 for their fifth straight victory … Serge Ibaka finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who need to win their final three games to match last season’s franchise record for victories … D’Angelo Russell had 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists for Brooklyn … The Nets had cut the deficit to five early in the third quarter before Siakam made a pair of baskets around Marc Gasol’s 3-pointer to make it 66-54 … Toronto would get the lead as high as 14 points in the quarter and led 90-78 entering the fourth … Russell tried to jump-start a rally early in the fourth, scoring seven straight Brooklyn points to trim it to 92-87 … He scored 18 in the final period … Siakam, Ibaka and Kyle Lowry made 3-pointers over a span of 1:40, before two free throws by Ibaka and another by Siakam pushed it back to 108-96 with 3:15 to play … Russell had one more flurry, making three 3-pointers to cut it to 110-105 with 1:24 left … But Ibaka scored on a follow shot and the Nets couldn’t get anything else to fall … Siakam scored 18 points after halftime.
1 2 3 4 TOT
TORONTO 34 23 33 25 115
BROOKLYN 22 28 28 27 105
NEXT GAME DETAILS Opponent: Cleveland Cavaliers Date: Monday, December 16 Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m. (ET) Venue: Scotiabank Arena Television: Sportsnet Radio: Sportsnet 590 The FAN
LAST GAME
GAME 24 – DECEMBER 11, 2019 LA CLIPPERS 112, TORONTO 92
TORONTO — Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points in a 112-92 win over his former team … Pascal Siakam had 24 points to top the Raptors … Toronto shot a season’s worst 8-for-36 from the 3-point line, and matched their season low with 31 field goals … Kyle Lowry missed seven of Toronto’s threes on a 1-for-8 shooting night … Norman Powell finished with 22 points for the Raptors … It was Toronto’s third consecutive loss at home after going a franchise-record 9-0 to start the season … OG Anunoby had 13 points and seven rebounds, Marc Gasol added 11 rebounds and nine points and Terence Davis had 10 points for Toronto … Fred VanVleet was out for the second consecutive game … Leonard shot 8-for-14, and added six assists and five rebounds … Lou Williams poured in 13 points in the second quarter … The Raptors had 14 points in the frame … Toronto pulled within five points with about five minutes left in the third … They didn’t score a basket over the final 3:43 of the period and trailed 88-71 with one quarter left to play … Toronto would come no closer than 14 points from that point on … Lou Williams finished with 18 points while Maurice Harkless had 14 and Paul George 13.
1 2 3 4 TOT
LA CLIPPERS 27 37 24 24 112
TORONTO 32 14 25 21 92
LAST TIME…
50+ points Toronto: 52, DeMar DeRozan, Jan. 1, 2018 vs. Milwaukee (OT). Opponent: 50, Damian Lillard; Mar. 4, 2016 vs. Portland.
40+ points Toronto: 44, Pascal Siakam; Nov. 8, 2019 at New Orleans. Opponent: 42, Russell Westbrook; Mar. 20, 2019 at Oklahoma City (OT). Back-to-back 40+ points Toronto: DeMar DeRozan; Mar. 21, 2017 vs. Chicago OT (42) and Mar. 23, 2017 at Miami (40).
20+ rebounds Toronto: 23, Jonas Valanciunas, Jan. 10, 2017 vs. Boston. Opponent: 22, Andre Drummond, Oct. 30, 2019 vs. Detroit.
20-point, 20-rebound games Toronto: Chris Bosh, Nov. 14, 2006 at Golden State (23 points, 22 rebounds). Opponent: Andre Drummond, Oct. 30, 2019 vs. Detroit (21 points, 22 rebounds).
Triple-doubles Toronto: Kyle Lowry, Mar. 8, 2019 at New Orleans (13 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds). Opponent: Russell Westbrook, Dec. 5, 2019 vs. Houston (19 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists).
Two 30+ scorers Toronto: Pascal Siakam (36), Fred VanVleet (30); Nov. 13, 2018 at Portland. Opponent: Stephen Curry (35), Kevin Durant (30); Nov. 16, 2016 vs. Golden State.
Three 20+ scorers Toronto: Pascal Siakam (34), Fred VanVleet (25), Norman Powell (20); Nov. 23 at Atlanta. Opponent: Harrison Barnes (26), Bogdan Bogdanovic (22), Buddy Hield (21); Nov. 6 vs. Sacramento.
Four 20+ scorers Toronto: Kawhi Leonard (30), Pascal Siakam (30), Serge Ibaka (25), Fred VanVleet (21); Jan. 5, 2019 at Milwaukee. Opponent: Monta Ellis (27), Dorell Wright (26), Stephen Curry (23), David Lee (21); Mar. 25, 2011 at Golden State.
Three Double Figure Rebounders Toronto: Serge Ibaka (14), Kawhi Leonard (11), Jonas Valanciunas (10); Nov. 7, 2018 at Sacramento. Opponent: Russell Westbrook (13), Clint Capela (13), P.J. Tucker (11); Dec. 5, 2019 vs. Houston.
Three Players with Double-Doubles Toronto: Pascal Siakam (44 points, 10 rebounds), Kyle Lowry (14 points, 13 assists), Serge Ibaka (10 points, 13 rebounds); Feb. 13 vs. Washington. Opponent: Montrezl Harrell (14 points, 11 rebounds), Kawhi Leonard (12 points, 11 rebounds), JaMychal Green (10 points, 12 rebounds); Nov. 11, 2019 at LA Clippers.
Four Players with Double-Doubles Toronto: Andrea Bargnani (28 points, 10 rebounds), Shawn Marion (16 points, 15 rebounds), Jose Calderon (13 points, 11 assists), Chris Bosh (11 points, 12 rebounds); Feb. 22, 2009 vs. New York. Opponent: Brevin Knight (19 points, 10 assists), Jumaine Jones (17 points, 11 rebounds), Gerald Wallace (11 points, 14 rebounds), Raymond Felton (10 points, 12 assists); Apr. 9, 2006 vs. Charlotte.
Brooklyn Nets (13-11) at Toronto Raptors (16-8) Game #25 Road Game #13 December 14, 2019 7:30 PM EST Scotiabank Arena TV: YES Network / NBA TV WFAN 101.9 FM / 660 AM
PROBABLE STARTERS
[F ] JOE HARRIS #12 • VIRGINIA (6th Season) • 6-6 • 220
2019-20 Averages
14.5 ppg 3.9 rpg 2.1 apg 31.6 mpg
Notables • Originally signed with the Nets on July 19, 2016 and resigned with the team on July 24, 2018. • In 2018-19, became the first player in Nets history to lead the league in 3FG % (.474), and the first player in franchise history to win the 3-Point Contest at All-Star weekend.
Last Game :9 pts, 6 rebs, 2 asts 29 mins 12/11 vs. CHA
Notables • Acquired via trade with Atlanta on 7/6/19 and signed a multiyear contract extension with Brooklyn on 10/21/19. • Has already registered four double-doubles this season after posting five in his first three NBA seasons combined (all in the 2017-18 season). Last Game 6 pts, 5 rebs, 3 asts 34 mins 12/11 vs. CHA
[ C ] JARRETT ALLEN #31 • TEXAS (3rd Season) • 6-11 • 243
2019-20Averages
12.7 ppg 10.5 rpg 1.3 bpg 26.5 mpg
Notables • Selected by the Nets with the 22nd pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and had his 2020-21 team option exercised on 10/14/19. • Leads all players 21 and under in rpg and is among the top three among players 21 and under in double-doubles and bpg. Last Game 21 pts, 10 rebs, 2 asts 26 mins 12/11 vs. CHA
Notables • Is in his first season with Brooklyn after signing with the Nets as a free agent on 7/8/19. • Has made a career-high-tying six 3-pointers twice this season (11/27 at Boston and 12/4 at Atlanta) after doing so once in his first nine NBA seasons.
Last Game 11 pts, 2 rebs, 4 asts 32 mins 12/11 vs. CHA
Notables • Originally signed with the Nets on December 8, 2016 and re-signed a multi-year contract on December 14, 2018. • Earned his first-career Player of the Week honor for games played from 11/18 – 11/24, and is currently averaging career bests for ppg, FTM, FTA, FT %, offensive rating and usage. Last Game 24 pts, 5 rebs, 6 asts 33 mins 12/11 vs. CHA
IF THE NETS WIN It would give the Nets their fourth win in their last five games (ninth win in their last 12 contests). It would improve Brooklyn’s road record to 7-6. The last time the Nets were over .500 on the road came at the end of the 2012-13 season (2318 road record). It would give Brooklyn a season-high-tying third straight road win, and mark the Nets’ sixth win in their last seven road games (since 11/16 at Chicago). It would snap Brooklyn’s eight-game road losing skid in Toronto (last road win over the Raptors: 109-93 on 2/4/15). The eight straight losses marks Brooklyn’s longest active road losing streak against any Eastern Conference opponent. It would improve Brooklyn’s record against Atlantic Division opponents this season to 4-1.
NETS POST 9-4 MARK AFTER 4-7 START
LINEUP: Brooklyn’s starting five of Dinwiddie, Temple, Harris, Prince and Allen is +47 in 211 minutes in the last 13 games. Since 11/16, the only five-man unit to play more minutes is Denver’s starting five of Murray, Harris, Barton, Millsap and Jokic (+38 in 237 minutes). Of the 47 five-man lineups to play 50+ minutes since 11/16, Brooklyn’s starting five has recorded the second-best plus/minus in the league, trailing Dallas’ Doncic, Hardaway Jr., Finney-Smith, Powell and Porzingis (+51). All five starters have averaged double digit scoring in this 13-game stretch: Dinwiddie (23.8), Harris (15.8), Allen (15.6), Prince (13.2) and Temple (12.7). The current starting five has started 13 straight. The last time the Nets had the same starting five for more than 13 straight came in 2015-16, when Donald Sloan, Wayne Ellington, Joe Johnson, Thad Young and Brook Lopez started 20 straight games from 1/11 – 2/23/16. STANDINGS: Prior to 11/16, Brooklyn was 4-7, tied for the ninth-best record in the Eastern Conference.
TEAM NOTABLES RANKS: The Nets attempt the third-fewest mid-range shots/game (6.5), and attempt the most shots/game from within the restricted area (35.3). Brooklyn allows the third-most shots from mid-range/game (14.7). The Nets register the fewest post-ups/game (1.0) in the league (next-fewest: Houston’s 2.4). The Nets are holding their opponents to .584 FG % in the restricted area, the fourth-best mark in the league, trailing Miwaukee (.540), Toronto (.545) and Indiana (.571).
FOUR FACTORS: The Nets are 14th in effective FG % (.524), second in offensive rebound % (.298), trailing only the Clippers, 13th in FTA rate (.265) and 19th in turnover % (.153).
CLUTCH: In ‘clutch’ situations this season (last five minutes of a game with the point differential at five or less), Brooklyn is a league-best +38. The Nets are third in the league in ‘clutch’ games (17), and tied for second in ‘clutch’ wins (10), trailing Philadelphia (12).
PLAYER NOTABLES Since assuming the starting point guard role with Kyrie Irving out (the last 13 games/since 11/16 at Chicago), Spencer Dinwiddie ranks fifth in the East in ppg (23.8), trailing Giannis Antetokounmpo (31.2), Trae Young (28.3), Bradley Beal (25.7) and Zach LaVine (24.7). Dinwiddie is fourth in the East in apg (7.5) in that time, trailing Ben Simmons (9.4), Young (8.3) and Devonte’ Graham (7.7). Dinwiddie is eighth in the league in drives/game (16.5), and second in the East, trailing only the league leader in drives, Trae Young (19.6). Jarrett Allen is third in the league in FG % (.669), trailing Rudy Gobert and Richaun Holmes, is second in dunks (76), trailing Antetokounmpo (84), third in offensive rebound % (.134), trailing Enes Kanter and Andre Drummond, fourth in offensive rpg (3.8) and tied for 10th in rpg (10.5). DeAndre Jordan is sixth in the league in rebound % (.196), fifth in defensive rebound % (.285), fifth in effective FG % (.693) and leads the league in rpg off the bench (8.8) in 18 games off the bench. Joe Harris is 15th in the league in 3FG % (.438), and seventh among players with 100+ 3FGA. Harris has made 485 threes as a Net, matching Deron Williams for fifth on the Nets’ all-time 3-pointers made list.
BACK-TO-BACK SET The Nets tip off their third of 11 back-to-backs this season at Toronto before taking on the Sixers tomorrow evening in Brooklyn. The Nets are 2-0 in the first game of a back-to-back this season, topping Houston on 11/1 in Brooklyn (123-116) and winning at New York on 11/24 (103-101). The Nets have already swept one back-to-back this season (11/24 at New York and 11/25 at Cleveland) after sweeping three of their 14 back-to-backs last season. Brooklyn’s two opponents in this back-to-back are currently the third and fifth seeds in the East, with a combined record of 35-15. Toronto is 9-3 at home this season. Philadelphia is 6-7 on the road (13-0 at home).
Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a one-game absence to post 37 points and 11 rebounds, and the visiting Milwaukee Bucks rallied past the Memphis Grizzlies 127-114 for their 17th consecutive win. Milwaukee now has the second-longest winning streak in franchise history. The record of 20 set during the team’s 1970-71 championship season. The Bucks trailed the […]
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The “MVP, MVP!” chants began just 2:31 into the game. Luka Doncic, the recipient of perhaps earliest such chant in an NBA game, responded by missing two free throws.
The view from left field 