The Nets sat at home today to meet the Raptors, and in the absence of several core players, the Nets lost to the Raptors 97-133, suffering a fiasco, net loss of 36 points.
In today's game, the Raptors bench contributed a total of 67 points today, just half of the team's total scores, setting a new season high for the team. Achuva scored 20 points, Thaddeus Young 11, Chris Boucher 8, Mikhailho 8, Yuta Watanabe 7, Banton 5, Wilson 6 and Giampani 2. It is worth mentioning that this season, the Raptors' bench averages only 23.7 points per game, ranking at the bottom of the league.
Rookie Barnes performed brilliantly today, with 28 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and five steals, becoming the fifth rookie in league history to have 25 points, 15 rebounds and five steals in a single game, after only O'Neal (1993), Ron Harper (1987), Ron Lee (1977) and John Drew (1974). In addition, Barnes is also the first player in the history of the league to score 25 points, 15 rebounds and 5 steals in a single game in a rookie season, and shot 85% from the field.
For the Nets, losing to the Raptors is unacceptable, and a net minus 36 points is even more unacceptable. Although the Raptors are not a weak team, but there is still a big gap compared to the Nets, and the Raptors are currently in seventh place in the East, pressing the Nets, with the current ranking, the Nets and the Raptors will meet in the playoffs.
Of course, the Nets' tragic loss to the Raptors today is also understandable, because Durant, Irving, Simmons and Harris, the four core players, did not play, which is equivalent to the Nets giving up a set of starters. Without these four main players, the Nets are indeed just a fish belly team. However, the 36-point fiasco is indeed a bit off the table.
It is worth mentioning that the Lakers also suffered a fiasco yesterday, net loss to the Pelicans by 28 points, and at most they were more than 30 points behind. The Lakers and the Nets can be said to be difficult brothers, have suffered a fiasco, their current situation is also very bad, the Nets are ranked eighth in the East, the Lakers are in the ninth place in the West, and both teams may not enter the playoffs.
The Lakers and Nets' current rosters are incomplete, affected by injuries and other factors, and it is not easy to say what kind of record they can play in the rest of the season, and it is possible that they will both miss the playoffs.