DeMar DeRozan drops 30 as Raptors get even with Nets

TORONTO — The Brooklyn Nets don't have a secret game plan for the Toronto Raptors.

Stop guard Kyle Lowry and limit guard DeMar DeRozan and small forward Terrence Ross. They don't want Toronto's perimeter players to beat them.

It worked in Game 1, and almost worked again in Game 2.

DeRozan scored 17 of his game-high and playoff career-high 30 points in the fourth quarter, and Lowry overcame a poor game shooting and had eight points in the fourth as the Raptors defeated the Nets 100-95 Tuesday.

The best-of-seven series now is 1-1, and Game 3 is Friday at Brooklyn (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2). The two teams split the four games in the regular season with each winning once at home and once on the road. The Raptors would love if that trend continued and came back to Toronto for Game 5 with the series at 2-2 — at the very least.

It was Toronto's first playoff victory since 2008, which was also their last postseason appearance, it needed a big fourth quarter from their guards. While it was touch-and-go for a stretch, DeRozan and Lowry came through.

DeRozan hit consecutive jumpers giving Toronto an 89-85 lead with 2:10 left in the game, and Lowry's driving layup just before the shot clock expired with 1:26 remaining gave the Raptors a 91-87 lead.

Paul Pierce, who almost rescued the Nets with late fourth-quarter heroics again, missed a corner three-pointer that would have given Brooklyn a one-point lead with 24 seconds left. He missed, and DeRozan pushed Toronto's lead to 94-90.

During the two off days, Casey refused to call Game 2 a must-win. He didn't want to put that kind of pressure on his young, inexperienced playoff team. But he knew he needed the win.

He said his players got the "playoff jitters" out of their system in Game 1 and said he expected Toronto to clean up some of the mistakes it made it Game 1. It didn't always work out that way.

After turning the ball over 19 times in Game 1, they had 11 in the first half and 10 more in the second half. They overcome by outrebounding the Nets 52-30 and balanced scoring. Toronto had six players in double figures and shot 47.4% from the field.

Forward Amir Johnson, not quite 100% healthy, had 16 points and nine rebounds, and second-year center Jonas Valanciunas has his second double-double (15 points, 14 rebounds) in his second career playoff game.

The Raptors showed they are learning what it takes to win in the playoffs. Trailing to the start the fourth quarter, this have been a game they lost, especially with DeRozan, Lowry and Ross struggling for a portion of the game.

Lowry missed his first six shots, had three turnovers in the first half and picked up a technical early in the third quarter as the Nets began their run. His backcourt partners, DeRozan and Ross, also struggled, and at one point in the second half, Lowry, DeRozan and small forward Terrence Ross were 7-for-32 from the field.

Brooklyn opened the third quarter with a 17-8 run and took a 56-53 lead on Joe Johnson's three-pointer with 6:11 left in the third quarter. It was Brooklyn's first lead since midway through the first quarter. Johnson had 12 points in the third quarter and continued to use his size, strength and pump fakes to his advantage.

But the Raptors, a strong fourth-quarter team, outscored the Nets 36-29 in the fourth.

Toronto built a 34-24 lead in the second quarter, and only forward Mirza Teletovic's three-point shooting kept the Nets from falling further behind. But Brooklyn continues to struggle on three-pointers, and through two-games, they are 11-for-51 (21.5%) from beyond the arc.

Johnson led the Nets with 18 points, and guard Deron Williams had 15.