Toronto Raptors: 3 takeaways from Game 2 victory over Brooklyn

The Toronto Raptors took on the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday afternoon for Game 2 of their first-round series and came away with a 104-99 win.

The Toronto Raptors had a dominating effort in their Game 1 victory on Monday afternoon.  In Game 2, the Raptors struggled offensively at times, but still came away with a 104-99 win.

So what can we learn about the Raptors after Game 2?  What do they need to keep doing, and what should they consider adjusting before Game 3?

Here are three key takeaways from the Raptors’ Game 2 win in Orlando:

1) Norman Powell came off the bench and steadied the team after a slow start.

The Nets came out on fire and looked inspired by Tuesday’s NBA upsets, leading the Raptors by as many as 14 points in the first quarter.  Toronto didn’t take their first lead until nearly 21 minutes into the game.

Norman Powell entered the game midway through the first, and the momentum swung.  He was a big part of getting back in the game and not letting the Nets get too confident.

Playoff Powell did what he does best and took the rock to the hole with reckless abandon. There were more than a few high-pitched wails from Jack Armstrong, delighted by Powell’s hard drives and strong finishes.

For the game, Powell had 24 points on 11-17 shooting.  He added six boards as well and punished the Nets in the paint.  According to NBA.com, Powell was a plus-16 while on the floor.