TORONTO _ The Nets got their first glimpse of Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas Friday night at Air Canada Centre, and for a while in the first half, the results looked promising. Stauskas made his first five shots, including four 3-pointers, and scored 15 of his 22 points as the Nets surged to a four-point second-quarter lead.
But that short-lived wave of euphoria evaporated quickly in the second period when Okafor was on the floor for an epic defensive meltdown before halftime that allowed the Raptors to take full control on their way to a 120-87 victory.
DeMar DeRozan was virtually unstoppable for the Raptors (19-8), scoring 31 points and shooting 14 for 19 in the three quarters he played, Serge Ibaka added 18 points, and Kyle Lowry had a modest triple-double of 10 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists. The Raptors shot 55.7 percent, scored 35 points on 24 Nets turnovers and dominated points in the paint, 74-44.
The Nets (11-17) were led by Stauskas with the 22 points and seven rebounds, and got 13 points from Isaiah Whitehead, but they trailed by a high of 37 points in their worst loss of the season. Okafor had 10 points and four rebounds.
With DeMarre Carroll resting and Allen Crabbe sidelined by a sore knee, Nets coach Kenny Atkinson assured before the game that Okafor and Stauskas would play for the first time in eight days since being traded from Philadelphia. "They've got two or three practices under their belt," Atkinson said. "I feel like this is a good time for them to get their debut.
"Obviously, there are going to be some mistakes. But as long as they compete on the defensive end, get in there and hit some people, rebound, we'll live with that."
After sitting and watching their first two games as Nets, Okafor and Stauskas finally got off the bench in the first quarter. The Raptors led by as much as 11 in the early going thanks to a spate of Nets turnovers.
But shortly after Okafor scored a layup on his first shot, Stauskas banged in a 3-pointer on his first Nets shot. Maybe it was the comfort level of playing in his native Canada, where he is a member of the men's national team, but Stauskas quickly caught fire.
He made the first four 3-pointers he looked at and added a three-point play on a drive to score 15 points in a 17-2 run that gave the Nets a 34-30 second-quarter lead. Shortly after Stauskas sat down, Okafor returned with the Nets holding a 40-39 lead.
Jonas Valenciunas scored over Okafor on two straight possessions to begin a 19-5 Raptors run in which they hit all nine shots they took to end the first half leading 58-44 and shooting 62.8 percent.
Neither Okafor (two games) nor Stauskas (six games) played much this season with the Sixers. Rebuilding Okafor's confidence might be a major project.
"I told him this morning, 'You're a baller, go out there and play. Don't worry about the mistakes and compete your tail off,' " Atkinson said. "I'm excited to see both those guys play ... I just want to see where (Okafor's) strengths are. My job as a coach is to figure out how to fit them."
Although Atkinson prefers big men who space the floor, he hopes to incorporate Okafor's offensive ability in the low post. "I keep begging our guys to throw it in there more," Atkinson said. "And not necessarily to score but for cuts, passes, and to get that defense to collapse. If he can give us a little presence in there _ or a big presence in there _ that'd be great. As the games go on we'll get more information, see how he fits best."
