NEW YORK _ It seemed like a major break for the Nets when the Raptors announced starting point guard Kyle Lowry would be rested even though he dressed for their game Tuesday night at Barclays Center. But it didn't matter.
The Raptors still had DeMar DeRozan and Cory Joseph came off the bench to do his best Lowry impersonation as those two guards totaled 69 points in Toronto's 119-109 victory. It marked the 11th straight loss and 16th in 17 games for the Nets (8-33), who reached the halfway point of the season with the worst record in the NBA.
Brook Lopez, who was rested in the previous game against Houston, returned to the lineup to score 28 points and grab eight rebounds. Rookie Caris LeVert had 14 points and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 14 points and eight rebounds. The Nets improved on defense and did a good job of contesting DeRozan's shots, but he still totaled 36 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, and Joseph added 33 points on 15-for-22 shooting for the Raptors (28-13), who let the Nets get within six at 99-93 in the fourth period before pulling away.
Lowry dressed because he didn't want to be listed as "DNP-rest." But Joseph, who had 16 points on 7-for-7 shooting when the Raptors beat the Nets, 132-113, Friday in Toronto, stepped in seamlessly. With Joseph at the controls, the Raptors picked up where they left off, jumping to a quick 11-0 lead.
But a Nets' defense that allowed 269 points in their previous two losses to the Raptors and Rockets suddenly showed up and did a good job of contesting Toronto in the paint, where it had dominated on Friday. The Nets got back into the game with a 17-7 run that cut their deficit to one as Lopez and Bojan Bogdanovic each had five points in that stretch.
By the end of the opening period, the Nets had a 29-26 lead as the Raptors made only five of their last 20 shots. Joseph had eight points in a 15-4 surge that put the Raptors back in front at 45-40 early in the second period. But Lopez, coming off his fourth "rest" game of the season, provided plenty of energy with 12 points in a 21-10 Nets run that gave them a six-point lead just before DeRozan made three foul shots to cut the Nets' halftime lead to 61-58.
DeRozan had 28 points in only three quarters in Toronto, but the Nets got physical with him in Brooklyn, often doubling, and held him to 3-for-14 shooting in the first half. He still totaled 16 points because he got to the line to make all 10 free throws.
Describing DeRozan's mid-range game before the contest, Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said, "There's certain players at the wing position with their size that are like 'four' men playing the 'three.' I would almost put him in that category. He's so strong. It's a matchup problem for your wings. He can bump you and get space. To his credit, it's part of his craft. He's realized, 'Man, this is a shot teams are pushing me to, and I'm going to be really good at it.' It's pretty smart by him."
DeRozan scored eight of the Raptors' first 10 points in the third period as they gained a 69-66 lead. The Raptors pushed the lead up to 11 with a 19-6 run toward the end of the third period, but rookie Caris LeVert, who scored the last 10 Nets points of the period, cut the deficit to 92-85 with back-to-back 3s.
