Nets Give Up Chance to Close Gap on Raptors

It was a face-off Monday night at Barclays Center that highlighted the still-discombobulated state of affairs in the N.B.A.'s Eastern Conference.

There were the overachieving Toronto Raptors, coming to Brooklyn atop the Atlantic Division despite their own claims that they are in an incubating stage. There were the Nets, a team that entered the season trumpeting its trophy ambitions but a group that is only now starting to back up those claims.

In a tense, halting and ultimately stunning game, the Raptors won 104-103, ensuring that it would be some time more before the expected order is brought to the standings.

The Nets were leading, 103-102, with about 10 seconds left when Deron Williams, trying to inbound the ball to Joe Johnson in the backcourt, saw his pass intercepted by Patrick Patterson. Patterson flipped the ball to Kyle Lowry, got it back 12 feet from the basket and sank a shot to put the Raptors ahead, leaving about six seconds left.

The Nets did not have a timeout remaining, and Paul Pierce ranged down the right side of the court and launched a 3-point attempt that fell wide as the buzzer sounded. Just moments before, it seemed Pierce would be the night's star.

In a stop-and-start game, slowed by frequent foul calls, the Raptors managed to find some fluidity. Toronto went into the fourth quarter leading, 82-81, and built its advantage to as many as 8 points.

But that was before Pierce got to work. Pierce had 33 points, including a season-high seven 3-pointers. His sixth one, with 3 minutes 8 seconds left in the game, gave the Nets a 97-96 lead. It was an impressive performance from Pierce, one night after he made an emotional return to Boston, where he played for 15 years before being traded to the Nets this past summer. He scored just 6 points Sunday, saying afterward that it was one of the hardest games he ever had to play.

The Nets were clinging to a 101-100 lead with 21 seconds left when Williams, trying to find Pierce, turned the ball over on a bad pass. But Williams atoned, sprinting back on defense and absorbing a charge from Lowry, who was called for the offensive foul with 19.8 left on the clock. Coach Jason Kidd punched the air in front of the Nets' bench in celebration as the crowd erupted in cheers. Those would turn to gasps soon enough.

The Nets entered the game trailing the Raptors by a game and a half in the Atlantic Division, an indicator of how far the Nets had come. Just a few weeks ago, some were viewing the Nets as an irretrievable disaster. Now they are in striking distance of the division lead. But Kidd said he did not want the Nets to get ahead of themselves.

'It's too early to look at first place, second place,' Kidd said before the game. 'It's about, when we take the floor on the road or at home, we get better. This month, we've been doing that.'

The Nets' only other loss in 12 games this month occurred Jan. 11 against the Raptors. As far as defeats go, it was seen as almost excusable, given that they flew to Toronto and played there after a double-overtime victory at home over the Miami Heat.

The Raptors have been a surprise halfway through the season. Despite being cast early as a rebuilding project, they entered Monday's game as one of five teams in the Eastern Conference with a winning record and had particularly flourished since trading Rudy Gay on Dec. 9.

Still, Dwane Casey, the Raptors' coach, seemed adamant about playing down the team's expectations this season, saying they were a team in 'building mode' whose only goal at the end of the season was to 'remain relevant, as we're growing and as we're developing our young guys.'

Casey said before the game: 'For us, having some success, winning-wise, has been a byproduct, a plus, a step ahead of the process. I haven't lost sight of that, of where we are and who we are and how far we have to go and how much growing we have to do.'

The Raptors were without DeMar DeRozan, their leading scorer, who sprained his left ankle Saturday and did not travel to Brooklyn. Terrence Ross, who tied a franchise record on Saturday when he scored 51 points, was held to 10 points on Monday.

Lowry swished a half-court shot at the buzzer on the run to give the Raptors a 57-56 heading into halftime. Lowry, a point guard who has been the subject of trade rumors heading into the Feb. 20 deadline, was the primary agitator, slipping through cracks in the Nets' defense, scurrying and scrambling around the larger bodies around him. He scored a team-high 31 points.

As important as any of his points was his final pass to Patterson, which increased the Raptors' cushion over the Nets in the division.

REBOUNDS

Members of the Seattle Seahawks, in the area for the Super Bowl on Sunday, were in attendance at Barclays Center on Monday night. Jason Terry, who is from Seattle, raced across the court between the first and second quarters to hug cornerback Richard Sherman, who sat courtside.

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