NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets (25-53) came into Sunday as one of the few teams in the NBA were more than one day of rest between games, something that could have given them a better chance of starting a new winning streak. With the Toronto Raptors (29-50) coming to town, Brooklyn had more implications coming from this game than just the win-loss record.
The Nets lost to the Raptors 120-109 thanks to being down by as many as 23 points to a Toronto team missing most of their starting lineup outside of RJ Barrett. Reece Beekman led the way for Brooklyn with 14 points, four rebounds, five assists, and three steals while Drew Timme continued his solid play to the tune of 13 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.
The Raptors did not have anyone explode for them, but they did have eight different players score at least 10 points for them, led by Jonathan Mogbo stuffing the stat sheet with his 17 points, 11 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks for a rebuilding Toronto team. Here are the Nets player grades following Sunday's loss to the Raptors:
Reece Beekman: B-
Beekman was able to start this game due to D'Angelo Russell getting some rest on his right ankle and it seems like head coach Jordi Fernandez wanted to see what Beekman could do as the starting point guard. Beekman had some good moments in this one as he displayed his ability to finish at the rim and made some good plays while running the offense for the most part.
Keon Johnson: B
Johnson has been starting for most of this season due to injuries to Cam Thomas along with Fernandez trusting more with each passing game. Johnson has improved significantly since the season began and a big part of that improvement has been in his three-point shooting. Johnson also makes great use of his athleticism as he was all over the boards and did a good job of setting up his teammates as well.
Ziaire Williams: B-
Williams virtually couldn't miss from the field as he surprisingly did most of his damage at the rim while getting some nice feeds with his momentum going towards the basket. What was good to see from Williams was his ability to raise his defensive intensity as the game went on, despite having to play his usual amount of minutes as a starter. It will be interesting to see how this offseason treats Williams.
Trendon Watford: B+
Watford does not normally start for the Nets given the amount of depth that the team has at the position, but with the mounting amount of players being unable to play, Watford got to start once again and made the most of his minutes. Watford was determined to get to the rim and/or get free-throws at all cost and he lived at the charity stripe. He did all of that while still rebounding and setting up his teammates without turning the ball over too much.
Drew Timme: B-
With Nic Claxton getting rest and Day'Ron Sharpe unable to play at the moment, Timme was able to start for Brooklyn and he showed why he was such a great player at Gonzaga. ...
