BROOKLYN, N.Y.—In the monotony of an NBA regular season a little zaniness is always welcome, and for an otherwise nondescript contest on a dreary Tuesday in January, the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets played a doozy.
Lucas Nogueira made the second three-pointer of his life before exiting the game after getting smacked in the head, Kyle Lowry was reduced to a spectator with mandatory rest, DeMar DeRozan was entirely average for three quarters and Jonas Valanciunas didn’t score until the second half.
And, of course, the Raptors won, because why not?
Cory Joseph scored a career-high 33 points and Toronto reached another franchise milestone in a 119-109 victory over the Nets at the Barclays Center, a preposterous triumph given what they had to overcome.