Cam Johnson took over in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 of his 33 points and hitting a crucial tiebreaking three-pointer in the final two minutes to help the Brooklyn Nets erase a 10-point deficit and defeat the Toronto Raptors 101-94 on Thursday night.
Brooklyn played most of the game without Nic Claxton, who was ejected with 8:46 left in the second quarter after throwing the ball into the stands. Claxton had seven points in 11 minutes before being escorted off the court, with assistant coach Juwan Howard preventing him from further escalating the situation.
Despite trailing 76-66 late in the third, Brooklyn rallied behind Johnson’s late-game heroics to secure their second win in the last eight contests. Ben Simmons and Shake Milton contributed 12 points each, while Noah Clowney added 11.
Scottie Barnes returned for Toronto after missing two games with a sprained right ankle, finishing with 16 points in 36 minutes. Ochai Agbaji led the Raptors with 20 points, and Gradey Dick added 19, but their efforts weren’t enough to prevent Toronto’s losing streak from extending to six games.
The Raptors were shorthanded, with center Jakob Poeltl sidelined due to a strained left groin, RJ Barrett out with an illness, and Davion Mitchell unavailable with a strained right shoulder.
Takeaways
Nets: Johnson’s clutch performance sealed the game, scoring 11 consecutive points for Brooklyn down the stretch. After Barnes gave the Raptors a 90-88 lead with 2:46 remaining, Johnson responded with a personal scoring run that put the Nets ahead 99-90 with just 23 seconds left.
Raptors: Toronto’s starting five—Barnes, Agbaji, Dick, Jonathan Mogbo, and Ja’Kobe Walter—was the youngest lineup in franchise history, averaging just 22 years and 187 days.
Key Moment
With the game tied, Toronto’s Jamal Shead missed a three-pointer, allowing Simmons to secure the rebound and kick it out to Johnson, who drilled the decisive three to put Brooklyn ahead for good.
Key Stat
The Raptors shot 7-for-11 from beyond the arc in the third quarter but went ice cold in the fourth, hitting just 1-of-10 from deep.
Up Next
Brooklyn returns home to host the Utah Jazz on Saturday, while Toronto will look to snap its losing streak when it hosts the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
