Canada has not been the friendliest place to the New Jersey Nets this season.
The Nets suffered one of their worst losses of the season in Toronto on Dec. 18. The Raptors won, 118-85, but led by as many as 40 points.
Toronto then entered tonight's game missing starters Hedo Turkoglu and Demar DeRozan, and Jarret Jack played with flu-like symptoms. Injuries not withstanding, the Raptors cruised past the Nets, 108-99.
Without all its firepower, Toronto relied on big contributions from its remaining starters and some unlikely faces. Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani scored 20 points apiece, while Jack poured in 17 points and dished out nine assists.
Antoine Wright emerged as Toronto's wild card. The former Nets' first-round pick scored 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including a troika of three-pointers.
Sonny Weems added a double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Chris Douglas-Roberts converted a driving layup with 2:35 remaining in the third quarter to give the Nets a 78-77 lead. The Raptors then embarked on a 12-1 extended run and never looked back in the fourth quarter.
Toronto grabbed its largest lead with 2:48 left to play when a Bargnani layup gave the Raptors a 106-94 lead.
Nets' interim head coach Kiki Vandeweghe said the offensive and defensive lapses hurt his team on this night.
"We're not good enough to take any plays off," Vandeweghe said. "Working hard we're pretty good and you can build a lead on teams. We just let down on energy... We took some quick shots that led to their fast breaks.
"It's those lapses at a couple minutes at a time that hurt us."
The Nets could not maintain the same level of play they offered on their most recent homestand. New Jersey yielded 108 points, the most since its winless West coast trip. Toronto shot 47.4 percent and went 10-of-19 from behind the three-point arc.
Devin Harris came back to earth tonight. After producing an all-star performance in last night's loss to Detroit, Harris scored a team-high 15 points, but he accomplished that feat on just 4-of-17 shooting. He opened the game 0-of-8 from the field.
After a lifeless opening to the game, Vandeweghe turned to his bench early. The Nets' bench subsequently played flawless basketball. They converted on 11 straight field-goal attempts and opened the second quarter on a 20-2 run. The 28-5 extended run allowed the Nets to jump out to a 42-30 lead with 7:01 left in the second quarter.
The Nets' bench finished the first half shooting 10-of-16 from the field while the starters went 11-of-30.
Terrence Williams, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Kris Humphries comprised a unit that Vandeweghe could rely on.
"There's no question our second group did a great job," Vandeweghe said. "They came in and gave us energy. Your second group is your energy group, your game changer.
"That's something to build on."
After the Nets grabbed their 12-point lead and Vandeweghe went back to his starters, the Raptors closed the half on a 19-6 run and led, 57-56, after 24 minutes.
That momentum shift proved to be the difference in the game.
"The second quarter we had an opportunity to really put them down," said Humphries, who scored 13 points and pulled in 11 rebounds. "They were able to fight back and they ended up putting the pressure back on us when they tied the game up. We weren't able to come back in the second half."
In addition to Harris' offensive output, Yi Jianlian chipped in 15 points as well. Despite shooting 1-of-12 last night and opening this game 2-of-7, Yi rallied and finished the game shooting 7-of-14.
All five New Jersey starters scored in double figures. Courtney Lee scored 14 points, Brook Lopez added 12, and Jarvis Hayes had 11. The Nets shot 43.8 percent from the field and outrebounded the Raptors, 43-40.
New Jersey will remain on the road when the team travels to Boston to face the Celtics on Friday night at 7 p.m.
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