NEW YORK _ The best thing the Nets had going for them on Sunday afternoon was that the Raptors were without two starters, without their usual first-place swagger and without much mojo after a 2-8 stumble in their previous 10 games. Despite all of that, Toronto still had more than enough.
Taking advantage of Nets turnovers and the home side's chronic shortage of top-flight manpower, the Raptors rode a 17-2 run at the end of the first half to a 103-95 victory at Barclays Center. It was the ninth loss in a row for the Nets and left no suggestion about when the streak might end.
The day got off to a rocky start with the anthem singer losing track of the words to "O Canada" and improvising her way to the end ("We sing our hearts to thee ... ").
Not long before that, Kenny Atkinson said during his pregame news conference turnovers had been particularly troublesome for his team. His players proved him prescient, committing 16 of them in the first half, leading to 21 points for the Raptors, who did not have injured key players DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Patterson. The Nets had a more pivotal void: They went 4:43 before halftime without a field goal.
Kyle Lowry, doing his best to shake off an illness, had enough in the tank to lead Toronto with a triple-double: 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Seven-foot center Jonas Valanciunas was healthy and kept making slam dunks, especially after Brook Lopez was assessed his third foul late in the second quarter. Valanciunas finished with 22 points, giving the Raptors a needed shot in the arm after having ceded first place in the Atlantic Division to the Celtics.
Trevor Booker, now coming off the Nets bench rather than starting, had a solid and spirited effort worth 15 points and 10 rebounds. He led a surge in the fourth quarter that drew the Nets within four points but the run fell short. Lopez finished with a team-high 20 points.
