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Entering the night with just 10 games remaining in the 2024-25 NBA season, the Brooklyn Nets welcomed the Toronto Raptors to the Barclays Center with draft lottery implications on the line. Brooklyn held a two-game advantage over Toronto for the sixth-best odds at landing the top selection, and now holds a three-game lead courtesy of a 116-86 loss.
Nic Claxton led the Nets with 22 points and 11 rebounds in the fourth-straight defeat.
Without Cam Thomas, Cam Johnson or Day'Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn's offense was extremely stagnant early on. Shooting just 34.8% in the opening frame, Jordi Fernandez's group attempted to find some sort of scoring efficiency, but couldn't muster much. He threw Dariq Whitehead onto the floor for the first time since March 4, however the sophomore out of Duke couldn't immediately find his shooting stroke from deep.
Meanwhile, second-year big man Orlando Robinson—starting in place of Toronto's injured Jakob Poetl—continuously gashed the Nets' porous defense. He tallied 10 points in the first quarter while shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the field, guiding the Raptors to an 8-0 run, and a 14-point advantage.
Unfortunately, while Ziaire Williams eventually settled Brooklyn's offense—it simply didn't matter. Unable to receive help from anyone outside of Nic Claxton and his 10 points, Williams nailed two deep-range attempts while slicing through Toronto's defense to get to the free-throw line. He'd finish the first half with 14 points as the Nets' field goal percentage rose to 37.5%, but a still-cold offense didn't help a compromised defense.
Despite going on an 8-0 run of its own, Brooklyn conceded two separate 9-0 runs, with offensive carelessness and an inability to guard in transition being the culprits. Come halftime, the Nets were down 21-2 in points off turnovers, resulting in a 62-45 deficit at the break.
The Raptors began the third quarter in a similar slump to their opponent's early on, shooting just 1-of-8 from the field. Brooklyn capitalized, trimming the margin to as low as 12, but couldn't chip away beyond that. Largely a result of Robinson's continued excellence, he and Claxton battled on the interior, each leading their respective squads in the points column through 36 minutes of play.
While positive things were happening for the Nets, challenges still remained. Shaking off the rough beginning to the second half, Toronto still posted 31 points in the third, creating a 25-point differential heading down the stretch.
Although the game was essentially decided in just three quarters, Brooklyn didn't let the massive hole deter its effort. Claxton—a bright spot on an otherwise rough night defensively—had five blocks come the final buzzer to go along with a season-high 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Even though the lopsided loss may sting, the Nets helped widen the gap between them and the Raptors in terms of the draft lottery. Year one of the rebuild in Kings County will merit a top draft choice, and Brooklyn must continue to ensure nothing puts that fact in jeopardy ahead of the postseason.
In a quick turnaround, the Nets close out a three-game homestand against the LA Clippers on Friday at 7:30 p.m. EST. The last time these two teams met, Brooklyn suffered the largest loss in franchise history—a 126-67 falter in Southern California. With a blowout showing against Toronto in the rearview, the Nets attempt to prevent a recreation of the historic feat in just two days.
To access the final box score from the Nets' loss to the Raptors, click here.
More must-reads:
- Six players who could succeed Celtics guard as Sixth Man of the Year
- Five takeaways from the 2025-26 NBA schedule: New rivalries? Challenging the NCAA?
- The 'NBA minutes leaders by season' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Five takeaways from the 2025-26 NBA schedule: New rivalries? Challenging the NCAA?
The NBA released its official schedule for the 2025-26 season Wednesday, featuring holiday specials, In-Season Tournament games and two new broadcast partners in NBC and Amazon Prime. Here are five takeaways from the new schedule. 1. The NBA is cultivating new rivalries Opening night features future Hall of Famers continuing longtime rivalries — Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors versus LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, plus Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets versus the Oklahoma City Thunder and their fans. But in the first week of the season, the NBA is promoting a new generation of rivalries. No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks face No. 2 pick Dylan Harper and the San Antonio Spurs Oct. 22. The two Texas cities have an underrated beef with one another, which is charged up further by the presence of 2023 No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama. The Mavericks also play the Thunder in the season's first week, thus facing both their I-35 neighbors. Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets start the season with three recent playoff opponents in the Warriors, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers face the Wolves, who knocked them out of the playoffs last year, in their second game. The New York Knicks lead with their biggest conference rival, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and get the Boston Celtics in their second game. The NBA is front-loading its most highly charged games. 2. The Houston Rockets host some huge doubleheaders late The NBA started having teams play a baseball-style two-game series in recent years, as a way to cut down on travel. For the Rockets, that development means they have two doubleheaders in the second half of the season that could have an outsized effect on the playoff picture. March 16 and 18, the Rockets play host to the Lakers, who could be one of their top competitors. Then Houston closes out the year hosting the two-time conference finalist Timberwolves on the final Friday of the season. They also host a back-to-back with the Los Angeles Clippers on the last two nights before the All-Star break. Those are three tough, high-impact series. The Rockets are fortunate to get them all at home. 3. The West gets Christmas, the East gets MLK Day While Western Conference teams took eight of the NBA's 10 Christmas Day slots, the NBA's all-day marathon for Martin Luther King Jr. Day is tilted eastward. All four of the games are hosted by Eastern Conference teams, with only two West teams participating. The Knicks and Cavs play on both holidays, as do the Thunder and Mavericks, a sign the NBA is betting big on Flagg. But the NBA is spreading the television wealth, even if MLK Day isn't as prominent a showcase as Christmas, and they've picked teams that could well be the top six in the East. 4. The NBA is directly challenging the NCAA There used to be an unspoken tradition that the NBA didn't schedule games the night of the NCAA championship game. That's no longer the case. Last year, the NBA scheduled two games the same night as the title game. This year, there are five, including a Knicks-Atlanta Hawks game that will appear on Peacock. Perhaps it's because the NFL began aggressively scheduling games on Christmas, previously the domain of the NBA only. Perhaps it's because college players can get paid, leading to a significant number of players withdrawing from the NBA Draft. But it seems the NBA decided that the NCAA is a competitor, not a friend. 5. Big markets don't automatically get national TV games The Lakers, Knicks and Warriors are tied for most nationally televised games with 34 each, but that's also the number the small-market Thunder are playing. The Timberwolves and Rockets get 28 each, while the Nuggets, Celtics and Cavs get 26, 25 and 24 each. That's four relatively small cities in the top nine. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are in huge media markets, and they're playing two, three and five national TV games, respectively. The New Orleans Pelicans also have only two national TV games, a sign that the enthusiasm for Zion Williamson has officially disappeared. The Pels were on national TV 30 times during Williamson's rookie season. Now they're tied for last in the NBA with three tanking teams and the Toronto Raptors, whose games are televised in a different nation.
NFL Draft intel: Big Ten QB's elite arm turning heads among scouts
Each week, Yardbarker monitors the 2026 NFL Draft, scheduled for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. From an Indiana quarterback to a Louisville wide receiver, here are five players we're tracking: Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Field Yates listed Mendoza (6-foot-5, 225 pounds) as their No. 5 QB on "First Draft" on Wednesday. Yates gushed over his arm. "This kid is legit," Yates said. "He makes a lot of cool throws. He makes a lot of very confident throws that I'm not sure other quarterbacks would even see." That's one reason the California Golden Bears transfer produced in 2024 without stellar weapons. The program had no offensive players selected in the 2025 draft, but he completed 68.7 percent of his passes for 3,004 yards and 16 touchdowns in 11 games. Imagine what he could do at Indiana, which made the College Football Playoff last season. Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti has said Mendoza's arm is stronger than former starting QB Kurtis Rourke's (now with the San Francisco 49ers). He tied for the FBS's 10th-most passing TDs (29 in 12 games) last season. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier On Aug. 8, LSU HC Brian Kelly confirmed Nussmeier has chronic patellar tendinitis in his left knee. The coach downplayed the injury. While not season-ending, Yates believes it will concern teams. "Get ready for a long medical conversation surrounding Garrett Nussmeier from late February into March prior to the predraft process," he said on "First Draft." The injury hasn't affected Nussmeier's odds of being the top pick in the draft. As of Thursday, FanDuel Sportsbook lists him as the favorite (+340) to go No. 1 overall in 2026. The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder may dispel the medical questions if he excels again in 2025. Last season, he ranked fifth in the FBS in passing yards (4,052 in 13 games). Clemson QB Cade Klubnik In his latest mock draft, The Ringer's Todd McShay has the Cleveland Browns taking Klubnik (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) with pick No. 1. "If the Browns are picking No. 1 in 2026, it means none of their quarterbacks did enough to claim the job long term, including Shedeur Sanders, despite his impressive preseason debut," wrote McShay. "Enter Klubnik, who's calm in chaos and has enough mobility and arm strength to succeed at the next level." Jacksonville Jaguars fifth-year QB Trevor Lawrence is the only Clemson player to be taken No. 1 overall in the draft. Klubnik could lead the No. 4 Tigers to a national championship, like Lawrence did during the 2018 season. The senior finished with the nation's third-most passing TDs (36 in 14 games) in 2024. With star wide receivers Antonio Williams and Bryant Wesco Jr. returning, Klubnik could have another big year. The wideouts combined for 16 TD catches last season. Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq Sadiq (6-foot-3, 245 pounds) should assume a bigger role after the Los Angeles Rams took former Ducks TE Terrance Ferguson (pick No. 46) in the 2025 draft. CBS Sports' Mike Renner ranked Sadiq as his No. 1 TE and believes he could go higher in the draft than Ferguson. "Even if he's on the smallish side by NFL standards, it did not show up much as a run-blocker," wrote Renner in a story published Wednesday. "Sadiq's play strength was unique for a true sophomore and should only improve as his career progresses. A potential top-20 talent with development." Sadiq — who had just two touchdown catches in 14 games last season — isn't considered a first-rounder yet. Tankathon's latest mock draft has the Carolina Panthers selecting him with pick No. 70 in the third round. His stock could skyrocket if he produces better numbers. Louisville WR Chris Bell Bell (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) may check the boxes for NFL teams when evaluating WRs before the draft. The Athletic's Dane Brugler rates him as his No. 2 WR. "With his strong, muscular frame, Bell passes the eye test walking off the bus," wrote Brugler in a story published Thursday. "He uses his physicality to be a possession target who can make tough grabs over defenders. And with his 4.4 speed, Bell can separate vertically or create explosive plays after the catch." Per Brugler, Bell must expand his route tree to improve his draft stock. He must also prove that he can succeed without QB Tyler Shough (now with the New Orleans Saints). Bell could still be productive after recording a career-high 737 receiving yards in 13 games last season. He has been named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list. The award recognizes college football's top WR.
Pete Alonso gets awesome gift from Mets after breaking HR record
Pete Alonso is officially the New York Mets' all-time home run king, and the team has pulled out all the stops while crowning its slugger. Alonso hit the 253rd and 254th home runs of his Mets career in the team's 13-5 win over the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. He surpassed previous franchise record-holder Darryl Strawberry, who hit 252 home runs with the Mets from 1983-1990. Prior to Thursday night's game against the Braves, the Mets presented Alonso with a custom painting that was made from 253 baseballs. The portrait shows Alonso in the home-run trot from his 253rd homer. That was not the only gift the Mets had for Alonso, either. They also gave him a new Ford F-150 truck. Alonso entered free agency last offseason but did not generate as much interest as he had hoped. He wound up returning to the Mets on a two-year, $54M deal. The second year is a player option, and Alonso is widely expected to opt out. One Mets player suggested that Alonso's new home run record could inspire the 30-year-old to re-sign with the team, but New York would have to pay up to make that happen. Alonso entered Thursday batting .272 with 28 home runs and an MLB-leading 98 RBI. His relationship with the Mets seems strong at the moment, and the gifts may have helped solidify it even further. That does not mean Alonso is going to offer any type of hometown discount.
Max Johnson reacts to Bill Belichick going to transfer portal for new QB
North Carolina's Bill Belichick has found himself in a very interesting situation as he gears up for his first season as a college football head coach. On one hand, he has what every new coach covets: An experienced quarterback with an NFL pedigree. That would be Max Johnson, the son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson. Johnson missed a majority of the 2024 season after suffering a broken femur in the season opener, but he's healthy heading into this 2025 season and has 22 starts under his belt between stops at LSU and Texas A M. One would think Johnson would be UNC's clear starter, but he is coming off a catastrophic injury and only just recently got back to full-strength. On the other hand, one of Belichick's first moves at UNC was going into the transfer portal to bring in redshirt sophomore Gio Lopez from South Alabama to compete for the starting job. That's a move that could have easily rattled Johnson, but in an in-depth look at his recovery from that terrible femur injury by Andrea Adelson of ESPN, the sixth-year quarterback explained that he understood why Belichick did what he did. "I get it. You have to go in the portal," Johnson says. "I didn't know if I was going to be ready. They didn't know. They asked me those questions. I'm telling them I'm going to be ready, because I know myself. But it's tough from their point of view because it's like, 'OK, we've got to make a business decision.'" Belichick made a business decision and it's worth noting that while Johnson is saying the right things about the introduction of Lopez into the equation, he's also walking the walk. "I transfer in, we're both competing for the spot, and people paint this narrative like they must not like each other. Me and Max are actually great friends," Lopez explained. A starter has not yet been named by Belichick, but one gets the sense that if Johnson gets the call, he'll be ready to pick right back off where he left off with no reservations. And as Lopez tells it, if he ends up winning the starting gig, UNC can expect to have a more than supportive backup in Johnson. "He's been super helpful with the offense. There's no second agenda with him, where he's trying to throw me off. He's been great," Lopez said.
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