Raptors erase double-digit deficit to roll the Nets

It's not the way Raptors coach Dwane Casey wants his team playing basketball, and he made his club aware at halftime when Toronto trailed 58-42.

"I really think these are dog days for a lot of teams in the league right now. Having to crack the whip, whatever it is. Our guys know they didn't play well in the first half," Casey said. "It shouldn't take me going in at half time, jumping up and down and challenging them (saying) 'Who do we want to be?'

"We came out in the second half and that's who we have to be, but we've got to start that in the beginning of the game."

DeMar DeRozan led the way with 25 points while Kyle Lowry added 23 points and nine assists.

Terrence Ross added 11 points and six rebounds off the bench while Patrick Patterson chipped win with 11 points.

"It was a good one, it was one we definitely needed and the way we came out in the second half definitely speaks volumes about how he came in and really got on us," said DeRozan of Casey's halftime message. "We responded like we were supposed to.

"Just telling everybody we've got to pick it up. Calm down, stay positive and understand we're going to get back in this game, but we're not going to do it, if we don't put defense in the game."

With the win, Toronto (42-20) has now won three straight against Brooklyn this season and avoided a second consecutive home loss -- something they haven't done since December.

The 16-point comeback is the second-largest of the season for the Raptors.

Toronto entered Tuesday's action two games back of the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers.

Brooklyn (18-46) lost for the fourth time in five games.

The Nets were led by Brook Lopez's game-high 35 points, seven blocks and five rebounds.

Thaddeus Young added 14 points and four rebounds while Willie Reed chipped in with 10 points and four rebounds off the bench.

Lopez becomes the first player in the NBA this season to score 35-plus points and block five-plus shots in the same game.

"We did a great job defensively of being physical with them," Lopez said of the second quarter where Brooklyn out-scored Toronto 35-14. "We had all five guys in and we were rotating out, we had each other's backs.

"They obviously had a great third quarter, they made a run, but we responded. They hit some big shots."