Brook Lopez Dominates but Raptors Rally to Down Nets

(TORONTO) — Brook Lopez has been playing like one of the best big men in the NBA as of late.  Despite yet another dominant effort from Lopez, the Nets dropped a 104-99 decision to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night.

Lopez toyed with the Raptors to the tune of 35 points and seven blocks, but the Raptors pulled away in the fourth quarter and kept pace with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

All-Stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combined to score 48 points for Toronto, helping the team improve to 42-20 on the season.

The Nets led by 16 points at halftime following a 35-point second quarter surge.  In the third quarter, Lowry scored 10 points and the Raptors outscored the Nets 36-22 in the frame.  The Nets still led by two heading into the fourth quarter, but the Raptors proved to be too much for the Nets to handle.

Thaddeus Young chipped in 14 points for the Nets (18-46), while Bojan Bogdanovic added 12.

Aside from Lopez, the only other active players to record 35 points and seven blocks in a single game are Anthony Davis and Dwight Howard.

Brooklyn dropped to 3-5 on its franchise-high nine-game circus road trip, which concludes on Friday night against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Note: Sean Kilpatrick played his last game of the 10-day contract and scored eight points in 15 minutes.  He scored in double-digits in his previous three games with the team.  It is looking more and more likely that he will earn at least another 10-day stay with the Nets.

Before his team faced off against the Raptors, new general manager Sean Marks hired his No. 2.  Former NBA player and Duke University star Trajan Langdon was brought in to be the assistant GM of the Nets.  He spent most of his playing career overseas at CSKA Moscow, which was owned by Mikhail Prokhorov at the time.  He also has ties to the San Antonio Spurs organization, where he met Marks.

“We are very pleased to welcome Trajan and his family to the Brooklyn Nets,” said Marks. “Trajan is someone I worked with closely at the Spurs, and he brings a unique combination of NBA and European experience to the position.  Trajan’s recent front office post with Cleveland added to his professional resume, and I want to thank the Cavs for their cooperation in this effort. The Nets look forward to Trajan’s contributions.”

Langdon had been serving as the director of player administration and basketball operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers before coming over the Brooklyn.  This was the first major staff hiring Marks has made since taking over as the GM three weeks ago.