Toronto Raptors Complete Sweep of Undermanned Nets

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Norman Powell scored 29 points, his fellow reserve Serge Ibaka added 27 points and 15 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors cruised into the Eastern Conference semifinals by routing the Nets, 150-122, on Sunday to complete a sweep.

The Raptors lost All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry to an ankle injury in the first quarter but the defending N.B.A. champions had more than enough depth left to wrap up their first sweep in franchise history and set up a series against the Boston Celtics.

Boston, seeded third, also swept its first-round series, ousting Philadelphia in four games.

Pascal Siakam had 20 points and 10 assists for the Raptors. They improved their record to 11-1 at Walt Disney World and made it clear it won’t be easy to unseat them atop the NBA.

Boston handed Toronto its lone loss since the restart and will be a much sterner test than the undermanned Nets, who were using converted guards as forwards, and forwards as centers.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/23/sports/toronto-raptors-sweep-nets.html