Norman Powell scored 24 points (16 in the paint), and the defending champion Toronto Raptors went on a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter to beat the Brooklyn Nets 104-99 for a 2-0 lead in the first-round series.
The Nets led 85-84 with 8:40 left in the fourth quarter. OG Anunoby’s 2 free throws put the Raptors ahead for good with 8:00 left. They took a 93-85 lead with 6:21 left.
The Nets got within 102-99 on Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot’s pull-up 3-pointer with 39 seconds to play. They had the ball down 3 with 15 seconds left, but Kyle Lowry stole the ball from Joe Harris. A 3-pointer would have tied the game. Powell followed with a driving dunk, and the Nets got no closer.
During clutch time, the Raptors outscored the Nets 6-2. Powell scored 4 of the Raptors’ 6 on 2 for 2 shooting.
Fred VanVleet had 24 points (14 in the third quarter) and 10 assists, and Lowry added 21 points and 9 rebounds. Powell scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. The Raptors had 3 20-point scorers.
For the Nets, Garrett Temple scored 21 points with 5 3-pointers.
The Nets committed 17 turnovers to the Raptors’ 9. The Nets’ starters outscored the Raptors 56-41 in 22 minutes together.