Nets Learn Not to Mess with Kyle Lowry

The Toronto Raptors got a clutch fourth-quarter performance from Kyle Lowry who returned from a bloodied face to clinch a crucial victory over the Brooklyn Nets

Aaron Rose | Feb 6, 2021

Nets Learn Not to Mess with Kyle Lowry /

Don't poke the bear.

It's a good tip in general, but especially when you're playing the Toronto Raptors. If you mess with Kyle Lowry, you'll probably end up feeling his wrath.

It was a lesson the Brooklyn Nets learned the hard way Saturday night. Late in the third quarter, Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot got tangled up with Lowry in the offensive zone and somehow emerged with blood dripping from a cut just under his right eye.

It wasn't as if Lowry had been playing poorly up until that point. He was 8-for-13 with 19 points through the first three quarters, but when he came out to start the fourth he was suddenly activated.

The 34-year-old Lowry gave the Nets a taste of their own medicine on Saturday night. For so long James Harden and Kyrie Irving have been among the league's best at attacking in isolation. They'll dance around with the ball at the top of the arc waiting for their defender to make even the slightest misstep. It's the kind of thing only the NBA's best players can do, taking advantage of one-on-one situations to create offensive advantages. While Lowry might not show it every night, he is certainly among the best isolation scorers in the league.

This season Lowry is rarely playing in isolation. It's against his nature to go one-on-one with his defender and ignore his teammates. He's averaging just 0.8 isolation possessions per game, according to NBA tracking data, but when he is given the opportunity to go at his defender, he usually scores. His 1.40 points per isolation possession is the fourth highest in the NBA this season.

Then there's his ability to read his defender in transition. That's the key to his trademarked pull-up 3-pointer. As he runs down the floor he's watching his defender's every move. If they sag off, he'll fire away, stopping on a dime and quickly firing off a 3-pointer. Conversely, if his man steps up to stop that pull-up, he has no problem driving to the rim to finish for a pair.

It's a bit of pick your poison against Lowry. If you step back, he'll bury you with his pull-up 3 that he's nailing at a 38.7% clip this season, but if you sag off, he has no trouble driving to the rim and either finishing or finding an open teammate for an easy bucket.

After getting bandaged up to start the fourth, Lowry went 4-for-5 from the field, nailing three 3-points and leading Toronto on 13-5 fourth-quarter run to pull away late. His 30 points were a season-high and the difference-maker for Toronto in a statement win over the Nets.

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