Tag: Toronto Raptors

Nets’ Kevin Ollie stresses lack of defense in blowout loss at Raptors

After Thursday’s 121-93 loss at the Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets interim head coach Kevin Ollie addressed the lack of defense.

The Brooklyn Nets are moving forward with the rest of their season hoping to turn things around enough to be able to make it into the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. Brooklyn’s decision-makers decided that Jacque Vaughn was no longer suited to help the franchise achieve that goal so Kevin Ollie is now the interim head coach with his work cut out for him.

The Nets began their playoff push after the All-Star break by visiting the Toronto Raptors on Thursday on the back of a new coach calling the shots and hopefully, renewed hope. However, Thursday’s game at the Raptors seemingly reminded everyone who have watched the Nets this season that some big problems still remain.

Brooklyn lost at Toronto 121-93 despite the fact that the Raptors have a worse record than the Nets and Toronto was only favored by one to two points before the game tipped off. After a few minutes passed by, it became clear that Brooklyn still has work to do in terms of implementing the new tweaks in their overall gameplan.

Two of the main issues that prevented the Nets from being competitive against the Raptors was the lack of transition defense, along with a lack of overall defense, and the lack of presence in the rebounding aspect of the game. After the disappointing loss, Ollie addressed the defensive part of their gameplan that was sorely lacking:

“We started off with the third quarter executing, playing good defense, getting out on the break, making some shots and when our shots don’t go in, we can’t stop playing defense. I think that was a transition point for them (the Raptors), getting out in transition, so we got to make sure that we understand that we got to get stops. If the ball’s not going in, we got to get back and you know coral, show bodies, but they were just getting layups and we can’t have that happen.”

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Nets’ Cam Thomas discusses deflating blowout loss at Raptors

After Thursday’s 121-93 loss at the Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas gave his reaction to what led to the blowout loss.

The Brooklyn Nets played their first game under interim head coach Kevin Ollie on Thursday as they try to play their way back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Nets are in a tough position to do so as while they have one of the easiest schedules in the NBA, they have to get used to another change.

Brooklyn lost at the Toronto Raptors on Thursday 121-93 as it looked like only one of the teams in the contest were ready to play coming out of the All-Star break. To be fair, the Nets were competitive on Thursday against the Raptors, which was a vast improvement over their 50-point loss to the Boston Celtics heading into the All-Star break, but similar to the Celtics loss, the bottom eventually fell out.

Two of the glaring issues that came up during the Toronto loss was how many second-chance points the Raptors were scoring and how much Toronto was scoring in transition over the course of the game. Toronto outscored Brooklyn 14-10 in second-chance points, but the more glaring stat was the Raptors outscored the Nets 46-10 in fastbreak points.

If anything, Thursday’s loss to the Raptors showed that the Nets still have to work to do when it comes to protecting the basketball, Brooklyn committed 20 turnovers that resulted in 32 points for Toronto, and its transition defense. Nets guard Cam Thomas, who put up 19 points and four assists in the loss, gave his reaction to the blowout loss after the game:

“We had good energy, getting to the bucket, being aggressive and then, I don’t know probably just we had a few turnovers. Again, the transition piece and then they started getting offensive rebounds, which led to one or two threes so it’s tough. They just started doing what they were good at, transition, getting offensive rebounds, second chance points, so we just got to clean that up and just stay locked in for a full 48 (minutes).”

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Kevin Ollie’s debut as Nets interim head coach goes horribly wrong

In Kevin Ollie’s first game as Brooklyn Nets interim head coach, the Nets disappointed as they lost at the Toronto Raptors 121-93.

The Brooklyn Nets came out of the All-Star break as the most news-worthy team in the NBA due to them firing Jacque Vaughn and hiring Kevin Ollie to be his successor. Vaughn received a lot of criticism for how the team went 8-24 after a 13-10 start to this season and he paid the price in the end.

After Ollie was named the interim head coach on Monday, he had two days to hold practice as the leader of the team and try to install his vision within the team. The first glimpse at what the product could look like moving forward came in Thursday’s 121-93 loss at the Toronto Raptors.

While Ollie had just 28 games to show the Nets’ organization what he could do as the head man, Thursday showed that he and the team will need more time to learn each other. Brooklyn was competitive for the first 30 minutes of the game, but the bottom fell out for the Nets starting with the last few minutes of the third quarter.

Thursday showed how far the team has to go as it was clear that the players are still learning how to execute the new wrinkles within the offensive and defensive scheme installed by Ollie. At this point, everyone who follows the Nets will have to be patient with the team for the next few games to see if the players can respond differently to Ollie than they did to Vaughn.

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Nets player grades: Mikal Bridges scores 21 in devastating 121-93 loss at Raptors

Here are your Brooklyn Nets player grades for Thursday’s 121-93 loss at the Toronto Raptors.

The Brooklyn Nets visited Scotiabank Arena on Thursday to face the Toronto Raptors for the second time this season and lost 121-93 in interim head coach Kevin Ollie’s first game in that position.

For the Nets, Mikal Bridges had 21 points and four rebounds while Cam Thomas had 19 points and four assists. Lonnie Walker IV had 11 points off the bench and Day’Ron Sharpe had nine points off the bench.

For the Raptors, Gary Trent Jr. had 25 points and two assists while Immanuel Quickley had 24 points and six rebounds. Scottie Barnes had 18 points and RJ Barrett had 12 points.

In the first half, the Raptors played like a team that is trying to work their way back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture while the Nets looked like a team that vacationed too hard during the All-Star break. Mikal Bridges was the offensive engine for Brooklyn as he scored 15 points in the half, but the Nets could not defend the three-point line or in transition well at all.

In the second half, Brooklyn continued to play Toronto tough in the third quarter and actually held them to their lowest score of any quarter to that point, but the Nets weren’t able to create any distance. The bottom fell out for Brooklyn in the fourth quarter as the Raptors took off in the period and turned this contest into a bonafide blowout.

Here are your Nets player grades following Thursday’s loss:

Nets at Raptors preview: How to watch, TV channel, start time

Here is the preview of the Brooklyn Nets’ matchup at the Toronto Raptors on Thursday.

The Brooklyn Nets (21-33, 11th in the Eastern Conference) visit Scotiabank Arena on Thursday to take on the Toronto Raptors (19-36, 12th) for the second time this season and if you’re wondering how you can watch all the action live, you’ve come to the right place!

The Nets come into this game following a 136-86 loss at the Boston Celtics on Feb. 14 in which Brooklyn looked lifeless and defeated in Jacque Vaughn’s last game as head coach. The Nets promoted Kevin Ollie to interim head coach following Vaughn’s firing so it will be interesting to see how the team responds to him coming out of the All-Star break.

Nets guard Dennis Schröder will be playing in Toronto for the first time since he was traded from the Raptors to Brooklyn during the NBA trade deadline.

The Raptors enter this matchup after a 127-125 loss against the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 14 that resulted in Toronto heading into the All-Star break on a three-game losing streak. Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, who began this season as a member of the Raptors, put up 23 points and seven assists in his first game against his former team while Toronto forward Scottie Barnes dropped 29 points and 12 rebounds.

Here’s when and where you should tune in:

Full injury report for Nets in Thursday matchup at Raptors

On the Brooklyn Nets’ injury report that was released on Wednesday, the Nets will have the luxury of a fully-healthy roster.

The Brooklyn Nets went through a significant change coming out of the All-Star break as they have promoted Kevin Ollie to interim head coach in replacement of the fired Jacque Vaughn. The good thing for Ollie and Brooklyn is that they will be resuming their season with everybody in their rotation available for the game.

The Nets released their status report on Wednesday and one of the great things about the report is that everyone, with the exception of Dariq Whitehead being ruled out for the rest of this season and the G League players, will be available for Thursday’s game at the Toronto Raptors.

Noah Clowney, Keon Johnson, and newly-signed Two-Way player Jaylen Martin will be in the G League for the Nets which means that Jalen Wilson will be available for minutes as well. This is the healthiest that Brooklyn has been at any point this season aside from opening night.

The Nets come out of the All-Star break with a 21-33 record, good for 11th place in the Eastern Conference. With Brooklyn on the outside looking in and vying to get back into the playoff picture, they will be able to go on that journey with a new coach and a fully-healthy team.

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NBA Skills Challenge 2024: Pacers win title, defeating 1st Picks, All-Stars

The hometown Indiana Pacers won the 2024 NBA Skills Challenge on Saturday, defeating the 1st Picks and All-Stars at Lucas Oil Stadium.

The hometown Indiana Pacers won the 2024 NBA Skills Challenge on Saturday, defeating the 1st Picks and All-Stars at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Pacers, which featured Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin and Myles Turner, took the relay and passing challenges for 200 points. They were taken to the tiebreaker round after Scottie Barnes, Tyrese Maxey and Trae Young won the shooting portion for the All-Stars.

After each finished with 200 points, the Pacers and All-Stars attempted halfcourt shots to settle the tie. The Pacers beat the All-Stars’ mark when Haliburton drained the shot with 20.5 seconds left to spare.

The Pacers and All-Stars emerged as the top two groups in the event, as Paolo Banchero, Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama struggled in the first two challenges for 1st Picks. Edwards even shot left-handed in the relay event, which didn’t sit well with Reggie Miller on the broadcast.

The home team had its fans behind them and easily had the biggest ovation of the three groups. Haliburton even paid homage to Miller by recreating his infamous choking celebration after knocking down the halfcourt shot to beat the All-Stars.

The Skills Challenge tipped off the festivities on Saturday night and continued a busy weekend as the league celebrated its stars with the annual showcase.

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Devin Vassell mocks Raptors after Victor Wembanyama’s elite showing

After Victor Wembanyama’s dominant performance, San Antonio Spurs star Devin Vassell jokingly mocked the Toronto Raptors.

The San Antonio Spurs haven’t been doing much winning this season. Following their selection of Victor Wembanyama with the first pick in the draft this past summer, that could have been assumed, but many thought they’d be a bit better than they are this season. That said, they’ve been playing better as of late.

They are fresh off a blowout win over the Toronto Raptors in which Wembanyama was absolutely dominant. He became the youngest player to ever record a triple-double with blocks as he turned away 10 shots against the Raptors. He also added 27 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists to his totals.

After the game, Spurs star Devin Vassell jokingly mocked the Raptors, questioning whether or not they realized Wembanyama can block shots.

“I guess it’s not on the scouting report that he can block a shot,” Vassell said via ESPN. “I guess they’ll learn one of these days.”

Perhaps this was a shot at the rest of the league, but regardless, Wembanyama’s dominance shined through.

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Gregg Popovich praises Victor Wembanyama for performance vs. Raptors

After his dominant performance in the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Toronto Raptors, Gregg Popovich praised Victor Wembanyama.

At the beginning of the season, the San Antonio Spurs were in a downward spiral. Following an impressive couple of games against the Phoenix Suns, the Spurs plummeted to the bottom of the Western Conference – a place where they remain to this day. However, they’ve been playing a better brand of basketball as of late.

On Monday night, the Spurs took down the Toronto Raptors in a 122-99 blowout, and it was largely thanks to Victor Wembanyama. The 20-year-old Frenchman became the youngest player ever to put up a triple-double with blocks. He had 27 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 blocks, leading the Spurs to a win over the Raptors.

After the game, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich praised Wembanyama for his performance.

“He did a little bit of everything,” Popovich said via Jonah Kubicek of Insider the Spurs. “Obviously, he’s (Wembanyama) an all-around talented player. Has a great feel for the game. It shows in a variety of ways. Whether it’s passing or making decisions, blocking shots, it doesn’t matter.”

Wembanyama is a freak of nature, and on Monday night, his talent helped the Spurs earn a win.

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Devin Vassell praises Victor Wembanyama, Jeremy Sochan after Spurs win

After the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Toronto Raptors, Devin Vassell praised Victor Wembanyama and Jeremy Sochan.

Heading into their Monday night contest against the Toronto Raptors, the San Antonio Spurs were looking to snap a seven-game losing streak. And thanks to a dominant performance from Victor Wembanyama, they did just that, earning a 122-99 victory over the Raptors, who seriously changed their roster with trades this season.

Wembanyama became the youngest player ever to post a triple-double with blocks, but he wasn’t the only player who put on an impressive showing against Toronto. Devin Vassell also added 25 points, and Jeremy Sochan had 16 points and six rebounds as well. Plus, Keldon Johnson, Malaki Branham, and Blake Wesley came off the bench and played well, too.

After the game, Vassell praised the Spurs’ performance, showing love to Wembanyama and Sochan, in particular.

“I feel like we fed off of Vic [Wembanyama] and we came out on both ends of the floor,” Vassell said via Jeremy Brener of Inside the Spurs. “Knocking down threes, blocking shots. He was just all over the place. Passing the ball. He was really carrying us through the first quarter. Jeremy [Sochan] was playing tremendous defense going against Scottie [Barnes].

“The way we were all together just on the defensive end and getting out and running was huge. It just shows when we’re playing together like that, we’re just connected and making shots and getting stops we can be a great team.”

The Spurs will be back in action on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks.

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