Nets finish off rival Raptors with 101-97 win

The Nets extended their home win streak to eight in a row as they took down the Atlantic Division leading Toronto Raptors 101-97. With Kevin Garnett and Andrei Kirilenko sitting, it was "next man up" for the Nets, and everyone played a role in tonight's victory. This puts the Nets three games behind the Raptors for first place in the Atlantic, and also puts them two games over .500.

The Nets were unable to match the energy of the young Toronto Raptors, and found themselves in a double-digit deficit by the end of the first quarter. Toronto shot 63.2 percent from the field against the Nets' non-existing defense in the quarter while Brooklyn shot just 40 percent. Terrence Ross put up 12 points in the quarter, leading Toronto to a 30-19 lead in the first.

Toronto cooled off considerably in the second quarter, but still managed to shoot 55.6 percent from the field in the half. The Nets, on the other hand, really caught fire and finished the half shooting 50 percent on the dot. Led by Shaun Livingston and Alan Anderson, the Raptors' eleven point lead was cut to just one at halftime as the Nets out-scored Toronto 31-21 in the second quarter. The thing that came to every one's surprise is the fact that the Nets didn't get destroyed on the glass in the half. Both teams grabbed 17 rebounds a piece, but that was affected by the lack of missed shots and the abundance of free throw attempts by both teams (27 combined).

Anderson playing meaningful minutes is something we haven't seen much of since the turn of the New Year, but he took advantage of the opportunity tonight with Andrei Kirilenko out with a sprained ankle. He put up eight of his 11 points in the Nets' hot second quarter.

A 14-0 burst from the Nets in the third quarter put them in front by 13, but Toronto would later respond with an 11-0 run of their own to cut that lead down to two. That's as close as they'd get in the quarter as Brooklyn out-scored them 28-22 to put them up by five headed into the fourth quarter. Joe Johnson and Deron Williams were the spark of the Nets' run, as they put on a three point barrage with two a piece. But once they got their rest, the bench was unable to hold the big lead.

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth effort, and it went down to the final minute of the game. It was Paul Pierce who led the Nets to victory in the final quarter. His three pointer with just over a minute left sealed the deal for the Nets, and it was a game of free throws from there as the Nets sent Toronto packing with a 101-97 win.

Deron Williams and Shaun Livingston were tonight's leading scorers, putting up 18 each. Williams added five assists and also grabbed a steal for the 12th straight game. Livingston dished out four assists and grabbed four rebounds. Paul Pierce added 15 points, and grabbed four steals and rebounds. Mason Plumlee, who started in place of Garnett, put up six points and grabbed eight rebounds.

Final Score: 101-97 NETS
Most Disappointing Stat of the Game: Paul Pierce six turnovers
Promising Stat of the Game: 36 points combined from Williams and Livingston
Scariest Moment of the Game: Toronto taking an 11 point first quarter lead.
Best Moment of the Game: Mason Plumlee with a huge put-back slam
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