The Brooklyn Nets were trying to pay it forward on Thursday night, the second game of a back-to-back on the road.
One night earlier, the Toronto Raptors welcomed back a few injured players and ended their 11-game losing streak by running the Nets out of Scotiabank Arena in the fourth quarter. For all of Toronto’s evident warts, particularly on defense, they played hard and fast on the second night of their own back-to-back, leading to a cheerful win.
Brooklyn had an opponent they could reverse that same playbook on, one they’d already beaten twice this year and lost a nail-biter to: the Milwaukee Bucks.