TORONTO — In an exciting evening of basketball, Cam Johnson sank a crucial 3-pointer with under two minutes left in the game, leading the Brooklyn Nets to a comeback victory over the Toronto Raptors with a final score of 101-94. Johnson was instrumental in this win, scoring a total of 33 points, and he played a pivotal role in halting the Nets’ struggles, as this marked only their second victory in their last eight games.
The Nets faced some challenges when Nic Claxton was ejected with 8:46 remaining in the second quarter after he angrily tossed the ball into the stands. Claxton had contributed seven points during his limited 11 minutes on the court. Nets assistant Juwan Howard intervened to stop Claxton from throwing a cushion just before he exited the bench area.
Johnson was particularly effective in the fourth quarter, where he scored 15 of his points to power his team to a remarkable comeback after trailing by 10 points earlier in the game. Alongside him, Ben Simmons and Shake Milton each contributed 12 points, while Noah Clowney added 11 as the Nets initially found themselves down 76-66 towards the end of the third quarter.
On the other side, Toronto welcomed back Scottie Barnes after he missed two previous games due to a sprained right ankle, and he made a notable return with 16 points across 36 minutes. Leading the scoring for the Raptors was Ochai Agbaji with 20 points, while Gradey Dick contributed 19 points, but the Raptors extended their losing streak to six games.
The Raptors were also missing key players, as center Jakob Poeltl sat out after sustaining a strained left groin in a previous matchup, while RJ Barrett was sidelined due to illness, and Davion Mitchell was unavailable due to a strained right shoulder.
Key highlights from the game included a moment when Barnes scored to bring the Raptors up 90-88 with just 2:46 left on the clock, but Johnson quickly responded, scoring 11 points in a row, thus propelling Brooklyn ahead 99-90 with only 23 seconds remaining.
Notably, the Raptors’ starting five, consisting of Barnes, Agbaji, Dick, Jonathan Mogbo, and Ja’Kobe Walter, became the youngest starting lineup in franchise history, averaging 22 years and 187 days.
In a significant turning point of the game, after Jamal Shead of the Raptors missed a 3-pointer, Simmons secured the rebound and assisted Thomas for the decisive three that sealed the win for Brooklyn.
As for their shooting performance, Toronto excelled in the third quarter with a 7-for-11 record from beyond the arc but struggled significantly in the fourth, making only 1 of their 10 attempts.
Looking ahead, the Nets are set to host the Utah Jazz on Saturday, while the Raptors will face the Houston Rockets at home on Sunday.