On Wednesday, the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Toronto Raptors to snap the franchise's 15-game winning streak.
The Raptors got the game off to a slow start and never recovered. The Nets limited them to only 19 points in the opening frame, making for Toronto's lowest scoring first quarter since its Christmas Day loss to the Boston Celtics. The Nets then built a double digit lead within the opening minutes of the second quarter and carried that momentum the rest of the way to win by a final score of 101-91.
After the game, Kyle Lowry, who recorded his second triple-double of the season in the loss, said the Raptors were "walking zombies" against the Nets.
"We didn't play well tonight, simple as that," Lowry continued. "We missed shots, we weren't aggressive. And give them credit. They played their butts off, and they beat us. It's only one game."
MORE: Seven thoughts from the game
The Nets became the first team to beat the Raptors in a month, Toronto's last loss coming against DeMar DeRozan and the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 12.
Like Lowry, Fred VanVleet didn't seem to be too concerned about the loss after the game.
"It is what it is, man," VanVleet said. "I just think we didn't have enough juice to overcome some of the things that were going on tonight. We weren't going to win them all. The break has come at a good time."
The Raptors enter All-Star Weekend with a 40-15 record, giving them a two game lead over the Boston Celtics for the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. They trail the Milwaukee Bucks for the best record in the conference by 6.5 games.
The Raptors will be back in action on Feb. 21, when they host the Phoenix Suns. They will then play the Indiana Pacers (Feb. 23), Milwaukee Bucks (Feb. 25) and Charlotte Hornets (Feb. 28) at home before embarking on a five-game Western Conference road trip.
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