Deron Williams and Joe Johnson had 24 points each to lift the Brooklyn Nets to a 94-87 win over Toronto on Saturday, giving the Nets Game 1 of the Eastern Conference playoff series against a young Raptors squad.
Kyle Lowry had 22 points for Toronto, making its first playoff appearance in six years. Jonas Valanciunas had 17 points and 18 boards in a game that had just about everything — from an apology from Raptors GM Masai Urjiri for dropping an F-bomb to a faulty shot clock.
Paul Pierce added 15 points for the Nets and was especially lethal down the stretch, scoring nine points in the final 2:58. Shaun Livingston had 10 points as Brooklyn scored 17 points off 19 Toronto turnovers.
Greivis Vasquez added 18 points for Toronto, while DeMar DeRozan had 14.
The Raptors might be the Atlantic Division champs and No. 3 seed in the East but are considered underdogs in this series based on experience — or lack thereof. The Nets' starting five came in with a combined 417 post-season starts. Toronto's starters: zero.
Pierce's 136 post-season appearances alone was almost as many as the Raptors' entire roster (156 prior to tipoff).
If they felt any pressure, Valanciunas and Lowry certainly didn't show it. The 21-year-old Valanciunas became the first Raptor since Tracy McGrady in 2000 to record a double-double in his playoff debut and also set a record for rebounds (Keon Clark's 16 boards versus Detroit in 2002 was the previous mark).
Brief lead
The Raptors rallied from an early 12-point deficit to take a one-point lead early in the third, but it was short-lived as Brooklyn led 67-62 heading into the fourth quarter.
A basket by Lowry, then a three by Vasquez gave Toronto a 76-75 lead with 5:13 to play, but Brooklyn responded with seven straight points — punctuated with a Pierce three-pointer — to take a six-point lead with three minutes to go.
The Raptors pulled to within five points several times over the final couple of minutes but could come no closer, sending the series into Game 2 on Tuesday at the Air Canada Centre with the Nets leading 1-0.
The series shifts to Brooklyn for Game 3 on Friday.
Emotions ran high even before this series started, with talk the Nets tanked down the stretch — losing four of their last five — to purposely drop to sixth so they'd face the less-experienced Raptors.
Ujiri took the stage before the afternoon game to address pumped-up fans at Maple Leafs Square. The moment seemed to get to him as he paired an F-bomb and Brooklyn on his way off the stage.
"I apologize to kids out there and to the Brooklyn guys," Ujiri said at halftime. "Nothing against them. Just trying to get our fans going. That's it."
He offered over his shoulder as he walked away: "You know how I feel. I don't like them [the Nets], but I apologize."
Human shot clock
And on an afternoon marked by strange events, the shot clock went black midway through the third, and after a 10-minute delay, it was decided the game would be played without one. Announcer Herbie Kuhn counted down the clock from 10 seconds on every possession.
The Air Canada Centre crowd, that included hip-hop artist Drake and Toronto FC GM Tim Bezbatchenko, was a sea of white, thanks to a pre-game T-shirt giveaway.
Anthem singer Michael Ciufo sang the first verse of O Canada, then held up the mic and let the crowd take over, making for a stirring start to the afternoon.
Maple Leaf Square was jam-packed as red-clad Raptors fans watched the game on the huge screen outside — an idea that started with the Toronto Maple Leafs' brief playoff run last year.
Toronto (48-34) and Brooklyn (44-38) split four meetings during the regular season, with each team winning once on the opponent's court.
The Raptors had only opened the playoffs at home in one other year, in 2007 — incidentally also against the (then-New Jersey) Nets. The Raptors, also Atlantic Division champions that year, were beaten in five games.
Valanciunas scored the team's first eight points of the game, and Lowry poured in 11 first-quarter points, but otherwise Johnson — with two points — was the only other contributor on the offensive end in opening frame. The Nets galloped out on an 18-2 run capped by a three from Williams to go up by 12 points with three minutes left in the first, and took a 29-21 lead into the second.
Vasquez, with 10 second-quarter points, led the Raptors in a 14-6 run to open the frame and Toronto pulled even eight minutes before halftime. The Nets took a 50-46 advantage into the dressing room at the half.
The Raptors had a brief one-point lead early in the third thanks to a three by Terrence Ross, but couldn't maintain it. The Nets led by eight before Lowry drained a three at the buzzer, pumping his fist as it cut Brooklyn's lead to 67-62.
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