After bringing down the new mascot that was, well, odd, the Nets announced the players in front of a crowd that was pretty large considering the circumstances. Brook Lopez won the Nets first tip-off which resulted in the first points for Nets this regular season by Deron Williams. The Nets fell behind quickly and for the first quarter stayed behind due to horrendous defense. They just could not find an answer for the Raptors wide array of offensive moves. The Raptors were getting dunks, layups, fade-aways, mid-range jumpers, three-pointers, and deep three-pointers. At the end of one, the Nets were behind by eight with Lopez leading the way the Nets with 8 points, 3 rebounds and 4 drawn fouls. It's only fitting that the ending of the first quarter in Brooklyn was a long forced jumper by Andray Blatche, right?
The second quarter was much more promising. The defense locked down with all the starters out aside from Joe Johnson (remember Coach Johnson said he wanted either Deron or Joe on the court at all times). Andray Blatche opened up the quarter with a good defensive play, a terrible fadeaway, a nice block, and then a good offensive play on the other end (head fake, reverse layup). The reserves brought the team and gave them the lead with 6:39 left for the first time since Deron's jumper to start the game. Oh and the first "BROOOK-LYN" chants came in with around 4:30 left. The defensive presence held throughout the quarter and after giving up 35 in the first, they only squandered 17 points while going ahead by 8 with a last second three by C.J. Watson off a feed from Williams.
Quick Half-Time Notes:
- Forced 9 turnovers
- No rebounds for Lopez after the first quarter
- Deron Williams with 6 assists
The second half started off a little bit like the first, with Lopez getting a few points and the defense starting to slack. The Raptors began spreading the floor and mixed in some drives with more long-range jumpers. Lopez hit the 20 points mark with 7:43 left in the quarter and at 4:43 left, Kris Humphries was the first starter benched for Reggie Evans. Evans provided a spark in terms of intensity with his hustle on the boards (no surprise there). But offensively, the team started to get sloppy with passing and at one point the shots just stopped falling, allowing the Raptors to get back into the game.
The fourth quarter started off with the bench once again, with Joe Johnson the only starter there. The Raptors continued there comeback and bring the game within one early one. From there, the Nets offense picked up with Joe Johnson, Lopez and MarShon Brooks yet the defense still lacked. Brooks ended up sitting down in the middle of the quarter after getting into foul trouble in a still close game. Led by Wallace's intensity, the Nets kept the lead. Play after play Wallace pulled down important rebounds and just flat out went all out. Probably the scariest moment of the game, Wallace went down after an attempted chase-down on a what looked like a twisted ankle. He was taken out of the game and went to take X-Rays. After several free throws by Deron Williams, the Nets came out of Barclays Center with the first win in Brooklyn Nets history.
Final Result: 107-100
Disappointing Stat of the Game: 5 rebounds by Brook Lopez
Promising Stat of the Game: Reggie Evans' 13 rebounds... in 15 minutes
Scary Moment of the Game: Gerald Wallace goes down with an injury
Best Moment of the Game: NETS WIN!
Box Score - NBA.com
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