Nets Drops to 2-3 With 105-89 Loss to Raptors

Kyle Lowry had 20 points and 12 assists, Jonas Valanciunas added 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the Toronto Raptors used a big fourth quarter to beat the Brooklyn Nets 105-89 Wednesday night.

Amir Johnson and Patrick Patterson each scored 13 and Lou Williams had 10 in the first meeting between the teams since Brooklyn's one-point win in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs last May.

Patterson and Williams each scored eight points in the fourth and Lowry had six as Toronto outscored the Nets 29-16, taking advantage of six Brooklyn turnovers.

Mason Plumlee scored a career-high 23 points, Joe Johnson had 17 and Mirza Teletovic 14 for the Nets, who made only five of 13 field goal attempts and five of 13 free throw attempts in the fourth.

Brooklyn, which lost 95-91 at home to Miami on Tuesday night, dropped to 2-3 on the second night of back-to-backs.

At one point in the fourth, with the sellout crowd jeering loudly, Joe Johnson missed all three free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer.

Plumlee notched his fourth straight double-digit scoring performance and reached 20 points for the second consecutive game after doing so just once in his first 95 NBA games.

Toronto, which leads the Eastern Conference at 20-6, reached 20 wins before Christmas for the first time in its 20-year history. The Raptors needed 36 games to reach 20 wins in the 1999-00 and 2001-02 seasons.

The Raptors held their opponent below 100 points for the fourth straight game, matching a season-best streak. Toronto is 12-0 this season when its opponent does not score 100 or more.

Plumlee and Teletovic each scored eight points in the first, and the Raptors missed 13 of 21 field goal attempts as Brooklyn led 30-22 after one.

Terrence Ross scored six consecutive points in a 10-2 run as Toronto tied it 46-all late in the second. Amir Johnson scored seven points in the quarter as the Raptors took a 53-52 lead at halftime.

Plumlee scored eight points in the third but Valanciunas had 10 for Toronto, including eight straight during one stretch, as the Raptors took a 76-73 edge into the fourth.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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