Irving leads way as Nets build huge lead, beat Raptors for fourth straight win
Brooklyn led by 36 points midway through second quarter
Kyrie Irving scored 27 points and the Brooklyn Nets built a huge lead before beating the Toronto Raptors 114-105 on Friday night.
Kevin Durant had 17 points and Nic Claxton chipped in 15 for the Nets, who have won four consecutive games and seven of 10.
Brooklyn shot 53.7 per cent and had 27 assists on its 44 baskets.
Pascal Siakam had 24 points and 11 rebounds and O.G. Anunoby added 21 points for the Raptors, losers of two straight games.
It was the second consecutive game that Toronto was down by at least 31 points.
"We got punched in the mouth," said Fred VanVleet, who added 10 points. "And waited [until] we were down 30 points to fight back, which was a little too late. That's just part of being professional and being ahead of punching, being more physical and just being more aggressive and on your toes to start the game."
WATCH | Raptors fall to Nets for third straight road loss:
Brooklyn led by 36 points midway through the second quarter and held a 93-72 advantage at the start of the fourth.
The Raptors rattled off 11 straight points to pull within 110-103 after Scottie Barnes' dunk with 37 seconds left.
Durant was then fouled on the next possession and hit a pair of free throws. Anunoby missed a 3-pointer and Seth Curry knocked down a pair of free throws to seal the victory.
Brooklyn has won all three games against the Raptors this season.
Brooklyn's 72 first-half points were a season high as they shot 28 for 48 from the field and 8 for 17 from long distance.
"We talked about it before, who was going to hit first, and we hit first," Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said.
Brooklyn raced out to a 41-17 lead in the first quarter. Siakam hit a pair of free throws with 8:01 to play and Irving answered by initiating 15-0 run with a basket before T.J. Warren — playing for the first time in nearly two years — capped it with a pullup jumper to extend the lead 32-10 lead with 3:38 remaining.
The Raptors missed seven shots and turned over the ball three times during a stretch of five minutes before Thaddeus Young hit a jumper.
Barnes had 15 points and Gary Trent Jr. added 16 off the bench.
The Raptors have lost three straight games on the road.
