NBA: Brooklyn tames Raptors in lopsided win

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The Brooklyn Nets overpowered the Toronto Raptors, 96-81, to bounce back after a disappointing loss to the Miami Heat in the ongoing NBA regular season on Dec. 22, 2025.

After a solo-centric outing when the Nets relied heavily on the offensive prowess of Michael Porter Jr., which led to the loss, Brooklyn this time put up a balanced scoring effort to frustrate the visiting Raptors at the Barclays Center.

Four players hit the double-digit scoring mark, once again led by the former NBA champion, who top-scored the game with a double-double performance of 24 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

Fresh off a 28-point outing against the Heat, Porter Jr. continued his consistent shooting, torching the Raptors as early as the first half, which helped Brooklyn grab a 10-point advantage heading into the third quarter.

Porter Jr. was once again unconscious from downtown, draining four out of his eight total attempts that spearheaded a massive rally in the final two minutes of the second frame.

Up by just three points with 2:04 remaining before the half ended, Porter Jr. sank a trey, followed by back-to-back fadeaway perimeter jumpers that put the Nets in a strong position at the half.

Toronto battled back in the third, courtesy of the 1-2 punch of Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley, but the Nets found an answer at the start of the fourth when power forward Noah Clowney found his stroke from the three-point line.

From a nip-and-tuck affair, Clowney’s consecutive triples widened the gap once again, backstopped by Egor Demin’s daredevil drives that ballooned Brooklyn’s cushion back to 15 points.

Unfortunately for the Raptors, Scottie Barnes, one of their main offensive options in crunch time, finished the game with dismal shooting and failed to deliver.

The Nets then put the icing on the cake with an 8-2 run, powered by Porter Jr.’s last trey and an alley-oop play for Nic Claxton to seal the deal.

Clowney was a steady force for the Nets as he supported Porter Jr.’s scoring with an all-around performance of 19 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

In just 30 minutes of playing time, guard Demin made his presence felt with 16 markers, five boards and three dimes, while Claxton wrapped up the dub with 12 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Brooklyn will look to maintain momentum against the Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 24, 2025, while the Raptors aim to grab a win before Christmas Eve against the Miami Heat.