Raptors ride strong 3rd quarter to 114-103 win over Nets

<p>TAMPA, Fla. &mdash; Pascal Siakam had 27 points and nine rebounds, OG Anunoby scored 25 points and the Toronto Raptors seized control in the third quarter in a 114-103 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, extending their winning streak to four games.</p>
<p>Kyrie Irving had 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Nets, and Bruce Brown added 21 points and 14 rebounds.</p>
<p>Toronto made 13 of 24 shots (54%) and outscored the Nets 36-23 in the third quarter.</p>
<p>Jeff Green hit a 3-pointer and Irving followed with two in the final minutes of the first quarter, propelling the Nets to a 13-point lead, their largest of the game.</p>
<p>Toronto stormed ahead in the first eight minutes of the second half, hitting seven of its first nine 3-point shots and outscoring the Nets 34-14 to lead 90-72.</p>
<p>The Nets were down by eight early in the fourth quarter when Freddie Gillespie blocked a layup by Joe Harris, igniting a 7-0 Toronto run that put the Raptors up 104-89 with 7:37 left.</p>
<p>Irving and Brown helped the Nets cut the gap to five with 3:01 left, but they got no closer.</p>
<p>Raptors power forward Chris Boucher was helped off the floor with a leg injury with 10:53 remaining.</p>
<p>TIP-INS</p>
<p>Nets: F Kevin Durant missed a second game after aggravating his thigh injury Sunday at Miami. Durant, who has missed 35 of Brooklyn’s 59 games, might play this weekend, according to coach Steve Nash. … In the first nine minutes of the game, Joe Harris was 4 for 4 from behind the arc while the rest of the Nets were 0 for 7.</p>
<p>Raptors: The Raptors used a different starting lineup for an eighth straight game. … Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Justin Watson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, all wearing Raptors/Siakam jerseys, were given a scoreboard introduction. Godwin held a replica of the Vince Lombardi trophy. … G-F Rodney Hood (knee) and G-F Paul Watson (knee) were inactive. </p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Nets: Play at Indiana on Friday night.</p>
<p>Raptors: Play at New York on Saturday afternoon.</p>
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