Skip to content

Hardwood Highlight of the Night: Lowry drives, kicks out to Patterson for open 3

Peter Llewellyn-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Raptors crushed the Brooklyn Nets 105-89 on Wednesday to improve to an Eastern Conference-best 20-6. 

Toronto is off to its best start in franchise history and has weathered the storm without All-Star shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, who suffered a groin tear that will keep him out until after the new year.

It was a close game for much of the contest, but the Raptors went bonkers in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Nets 29-16 to coast to their fourth consecutive win. 

Toronto received help from the usual suspects: Kyle Lowry dropped 20 points and dished out 12 assists, Jonas Valanciunas chipped in with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Amir Johnson had 13 points and hauled in nine rebounds. 

The Raptors also had three different bench players score in double figures, including Patrick Patterson, who dropped 13 points in 25 minutes and connected on 3-of-4 shots from long range. 

One of those threes was a dagger that put the Raptors up 14 with under five minutes to go. It was a play made possible as a result of Lowry, who collapsed the Nets' defense to create a wide-open look for Patterson. 

Patterson first got involved in the play by setting a screen on Nets point guard Deron Williams to free up some space for Lowry at the top of the 3-point line. 

Instead of rolling to the basket, Patterson laid back and positioned himself beyond the arc unattended, while Lowry dished the ball to Amir Johnson. Patterson stayed there for the duration of the play while the Raptors had the Nets running all over the place.

Johnson promptly passed it off to James Johnson on the wing - and he immediately started slashing to the paint.  

The Nets defense caved in, trying to protect the paint and cut off a driving lane for Johnson. But Johnson didn't force anything and played right into it by getting the defense to swarm the middle, leaving Lowry and Patterson - two of Toronto's biggest threats from deep - open beyond the arc. 

Johnson dished it off to Lowry, who realized how vulnerable Williams and the Nets' defense was. 

Lowry blew by Williams, who raced back out to recover, and got the Nets' defense to swarm on him in the paint. Once they did, Lowry kicked it back out to Patterson and he executed on another long-range bomb. 

Brooklyn never got any closer after that. 

(Courtesy: TSN)

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox