NBA: Cameron Johnson delivers late, lifts Nets past Raptors
Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson, center, battles for the ball against Toronto Raptors guards Ja’Kobe Walter (14) and Gradey Dick (1) during first-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)
Cameron Johnson had 33 points, 10 rebounds and six assists and the visiting Brooklyn Nets came back to defeat the Toronto Raptors 101-94 in the NBA on Thursday night.
Johnson scored 13 points in the final 2:24 to help the Nets end a three-game losing streak and extend Toronto’s losses to six straight.
Article continues after this advertisementToronto had led by 10 points in the third quarter.
Brooklyn’s Ben Simmons and Shake Milton each added 12 points in the game and Noah Clowney scored 11 points.
READ: NBA: Cameron Johnson scores 26 points as Nets top Pacers
Article continues after this advertisementOchai Agbaji scored 20 points for the Raptors. Gradey Dick added 19 points and Scottie Barnes scored 16 points.
The Nets used a 6-0 run to finish the first quarter and tie the game at 24.
Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton was ejected with 8:46 to play in the second quarter when he threw the ball into the crowd after being fouled. He finished with seven points and five rebounds.
Cameron Johnson vs Toronto Raptors
33 PTS | 10 REB | 6 AST
Nets wins again. Respect. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ajmSsdH0ai
— A Walking Highlight (@11AWH) December 20, 2024
Agbaji’s 3-pointer gave Toronto a five-point lead with 7:11 left in the second quarter. Simmons made a three-point play to give Brooklyn a five-point lead with 2:22 to play. Brooklyn led 52-46 at halftime.
The Nets shot 40 percent (18-for-45) from the field in the first half and the Raptors shot 37 percent (17-for-46).
Dick’s 3-pointer tied the game at 55 with 9:49 remaining in the third quarter. Toronto used a 5-0 burst to lead 66-61 with 6:04 remaining in the third.
Toronto took an eight-point lead on Chris Boucher’s 3-pointer with 2:33 to play in the third. Kelly Olynyk’s two free throws bumped the margin to 10. The Raptors led 76-70 after three quarters.
Simmons made a running layup to bring Brooklyn to within one point with 6:58 remaining in the fourth quarter. Milton’s 6-footer tied the game at 84 with 5:49 to play.
Barnes gave Toronto a two-point lead with 2:46 left. Johnson tied it with a 6-footer and then made a 3-pointer to give Brooklyn a 93-90 lead with 1:50 to play. Johnson made two free throws with 1:20 left. Dorian Finney-Smith made a key block with 32 seconds to play.
RJ Barrett (illness) and Jakob Poeltl (groin) did not play for Toronto. –Field Level Media
