Toronto Raptors starters outscored the Brooklyn Nets 87-51 on Thursday night in a 121-93 victory to kick off the second half of the NBA regular season after last week's All-Star weekend.
Guard Gary Trent Jr. led the way with a game-high 25 points including five three-pointers. Back court partner Immanuel Quickley drilled five threes of his own to finish with 24 points. Quickley has made at least one three-pointer in 27 consecutive games, matching a career-high.
Forward Scottie Barnes, who was selected to participate in the All-Star game in Indianapolis, continued his standout season with 18 points and 12 rebounds for a team-leading 22nd double-double on the season. The 22-year-old averages career-highs in points (20.1), rebounds (8.1), and assists (6.0) in his third season in the league.
The Raptors held their own on the defensive end as well, forcing the Nets to commit 20 turnovers, leading to a season-best 46 fast break points.
"We put a lot of work in, we had really good practices," said Raptors head coach Darko Rajokovic after the win. "Our ability to talk, ability to address where the focus needs to be. This was just one game where we did a good job. Definitely a step into the right direction."
Toronto also held Brooklyn to 93 points, the fewest points scored by an opponent all season en route to their fourth victory of 20 or more points.
With the win, the Raptors improve to 20-36 on the season and snap a three-game losing skid.
Toronto currently sit 12th in the East with their eyes set on the play-in tournament between seeds seven to ten. With 25 games remaining in the season, they trail No. 11 seed Nets (21-34) by 1.5 games and No. 10 seed Hawks (24-31) by 4.5 games.
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