The Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors are separated by two games in the NBA’s second-most important standings — the race for the best lottery odds that lead to drafting Duke star Cooper Flagg.
While their players are trying to prove themselves in the NBA, both teams’ management might prefer to increase their lottery chances. These Atlantic Division rivals will get together twice over the final three weeks of the regular season, starting Wednesday when Brooklyn hosts Toronto.
The Nets (23-49) are on the verge of their fifth 50-loss season since moving from New Jersey in 2012. On three previous occasions (2024, 2017, 2016), Brooklyn did not own its first-round picks. This season the Nets possess four first-rounders, including picks from the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks as part of separate deals for Kevin Durant and Mikal Bridges.
Brooklyn is 3-15 over its past 18 games and enters Wednesday with the league’s sixth-worst record, which equates to a 9.7 percent chance of winning the lottery. The Nets won seven of nine games before their current skid, which continued in Monday’s 120-101 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
The Nets took their first double-digit loss since a 14-point setback March 4 at San Antonio. Their previous eight losses were by single digits. The Nets were held to 17 points in the opening quarter and never recovered.
Nic Claxton scored 19 points while Cameron Johnson added 17 as the Nets played without D’Angelo Russell (sprained right ankle), who may miss his third straight game Wednesday.
“The approach is the same,” Brooklyn coach Jordi Fernandez said. “It’s getting one percent better and go out to fight for the game, no matter who’s out there.”
Toronto (25-47) held an 8-31 record after losing 16 in a 17-game stretch. But since a nine-point loss to the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 11, the Raptors are 17-16 in their past 33.
Toronto, which enters with a 7.5 percent chance at the top pick, plays the second of four straight games against opponents with similar records as it faces the Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers after Wednesday.
The Raptors stopped a four-game skid Monday when they earned a 112-104 win over the league-worst Washington Wizards, doing so one night after taking a 123-89 home loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Jakob Poeltl and Immanuel Quickley each scored 21 points as the Raptors won despite shooting 40.6 percent and playing without RJ Barrett, who was rested. Barrett scored 18 points Sunday, but has missed five of Toronto’s past seven games.
“It was an important game for us,” Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic said. “We played with low energy (Sunday) night back home in Toronto. It was important for us to get back to playing to our identity.”
Poeltl has not played consecutive games since playing four straight Feb. 26 to March 4, but he’s shooting 70.1 percent (61 of 87) over his past nine appearances. His latest effective game occurred as the Raptors continued taking looks at youngsters Jonathan Mogbo, A.J. Lawson and Jamison Battle.
Battle was in the starting lineup Monday and played 27 minutes in his fifth career start. Mogbo, another rookie, grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds in 24 minutes while Lawson produced eight points in 23 minutes.
–Field Level Media
