On Notorious B.I.G. night, Raptors’ Notorious B.I.3. looked to score

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The Raptors aren't quite right, but they win by playing well when their opponents threaten.

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The latest example came on Tuesday night against the host Brooklyn Nets, a one-win team that ended the night still looking for win No. 2 as the Raptors earned a deserved 119-109 victory.

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The Raptors improved their record to 6-5 overall, including 4-3 on the road.

Simply put, the Raptors are infinitely better than the Nets, and the score has exacerbated the talent disparity.
When faced with a weaker opponent, the Raptors feast. However, Brooklyn had his moments and still made a few runs, although the result was a formality.

Below are three takeaways from a night in which the Raptors missed 14 consecutive 3-point shots, a terrible shooting performance mitigated by Toronto's ability to protect the ball, a night in which Immanuel Quickley posted his third straight double-digit scoring game with a season-high 24.

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The coach continues to grow up

Ultimately, head coach Darko Rajakovic will be judged by the number of wins the Raptors achieve.
In his first two seasons, victories were elusive, rendering any reasonable judgment about Rajakovic futile.

So far so good this season.

In most cases, Rajakovic is not shy about calling for quick timeouts when he has a clear path to the hole.

Against the Nets, Rajakovic managed his bench well.

It doesn't take a basketball genius to have at least one starter on the court when the second unit is asked to take part in the game.

His rotation scheme kept the players interested, a sign of Rajakovic's maturity.

From his first game as head coach of the Raptors, Rajakovic always supported his players, a trait that continues to this day.

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He really looked helpless when too many careless fouls allowed the Net to get back into the game, fouls when his players didn't move.

Water under the bridge

Brandon Ingram was fined $25,000 by the league for throwing a water bottle on the floor Saturday in the City of Brotherly Love.

He was accidentally poked in the eye against the Nets.
Smoothness is one way to describe Ingram's offensive game, and it was on display again at Barclays Center with 25 points.

Toronto started slowly, but Ingram, who found the balance of trying to score while getting his teammates involved in the game, was a calming influence.

Toronto's one-two from Ingram and Scottie Barnes gave the team the team's halftime lead in the 24th minute as the makeshift team wrapped up the game for the Raptors.

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In the second half, Barnes picked up an unnecessary foul, his fourth. In about a minute he was ready. Midway through the fourth quarter, Barnes picked up his fifth foul and ended up fouled out for the first time this season.

Fouls aside, he had a good game overall, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

Georgia in their thoughts

The Raptors are without Sandro Mamukelashvili (neck) after the Georgia big man was injured Saturday night in Philadelphia in an accidental attack in the open field.

Mamukelashvili started for Poeltl and earned the role because he can shoot the ball, especially from beyond the three-point arc.

His absence forced the Raptors to falter while Poeltl was on the bench.

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Poeltl, by the way, played one of the most active games of the season.

Once again, Barnes was given some minutes at center.

The Nets don't have a true back-to-the-basket player, but not many teams have a traditional center in today's NBA.

The key for the Raptors is stopping and going in transition.

On Tuesday, they didn't record their first fast-break point until the second quarter.

Toronto was also missing Okhai Agbaji (back), who hasn't featured much this season. Without Agbaji Ja'Kobe, Walter moved up a notch in the hierarchy.

He looked more comfortable against the Nets, providing scoring and rebounding presence when Toronto's reserves were running low.

Walter scored six of the bench's 19 points in the first half.

In the second half, he was asked to initiate the half-court offense, but a poor entry pass resulted in a turnover.

Next

Game four of the Raptors' five-game series takes them back to Cleveland on Thursday, where they defeated the Cavs 112-101 on Oct. 31. Toronto was encouraged by Jamison Battle's 20 points.

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