Nets now facing elimination following 117-92 loss to Raptors in Game 3

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored 26 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the Brooklyn Nets 117-92 Friday to take the first 3-0 lead in a playoff series in franchise history.

The defending champs now can eliminate the patchwork Nets on Sunday.

Fred VanVleet scored 22 points, shooting 6 of 10 from 3-point range. Reserve Serge Ibaka added 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Kyle Lowry had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Norman Powell added 11 points.

Tyler Johnson led the Nets with 23 points. Caris LeVert scored 15, Chris Chiozza had 14 points off the bench and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot had 10.

The Raptors, who led wire-to-wire in winning Game 1, never trailed in this game. VanVleet opened with a 3 for Toronto, and Johnson answered with a 3 before Lowry’s 3 put the Raptors ahead to stay. They led by as much as 31 in the fourth quarter.

Toronto led 24-17 at the end of the first quarter and 57-42 at the end of the second. Jarrett Allen, who had a double-double in each of the first two games, finally scored his first points on a pair of free throws with 6:23 left as the Nets chewed away at that lead, but Toronto led 84-68 at the end of the third.

TIP-INS

Raptors: Toronto’s 3-0 lead now leaves only Minnesota and the Clippers as the other NBA franchises never to hold a 3-0 lead in either a best-of-seven or a best-of-five playoff series. ... The Raptors now are 10-10 in Game 3s. ... Outscored the Nets 46-22 in the paint.

Nets: Have lost four straight overall and are 0-3 for the first time since being swept by Miami in the first round of the 2005 playoffs. ... Played without G/F Joe Harris, who left the bubble for personal reasons after the Nets’ loss in Game 2. Harris is the 10th player the Nets have been without during the NBA restart due to either injury, illness or personal reasons.

UP NEXT

Game 4 is Sunday.