He became a game changer and featured prominently in a comeback game that upset a season-high 18 points behind
Yuta Watanabe showed a tremendous performance against his former hometown in the game as the Nets moved into the home of the Raptors.
This place is a special place for Watanabe, who played until last season and jumped at the opportunity to establish himself in the NBA. The fans were the same, and when he was sent onto the field with less than 3 minutes left in the first quarter, the Raptors fans gave Watanabe a big round of applause. And as soon as the step back from the drive was sunk, the performance increased over time.
The team allowed Fred VanVleet to score 25 points in the first half alone, trailing by a maximum of 18 points. However, when Watanabe, who started as a substitute, read the return pass to VanVleet and succeeded in a quick attack from Steele, he also hit a corner three and fell back to 10 points behind to finish the first half.
In the second half, when Nick Claxton, who recorded 6 blocks in this game, solidified 2 blocks, the strength of the defense increased and he started a fast break. When Durant had 9 points and Kyrie Irving had 8 points, Watanabe also hit free throws and goal shots from the transition, rallying the final quarter.
From there the back and forth in attack and defense continued until the end, but Watanabe made the difference in an important scene. In the remaining 3 minutes, when the score was level, he attacked Pascal Siakam who received the ball for a corner and leapt to control his shot, attracting the pair and setting up an easy shot for Ben Simmons. With 14 seconds left, he was one point behind and sank a valuable corner three off an Irving kickoff to give him a two-point lead to end the game. Next, Scotty Barnes’ free throw tied the score, but Irving sank the one-on-one game-winning 3 step-back with VanVleet to end the heat.
Watanabe managed 6 of 7 field goals, including 3 3-point shots, and recorded 17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. Although he played about 21 minutes, he efficiently scored 17 points and the goal difference when he played was +12. Watanabe, who showed his growth against the old team, had a comeback win for the Nets, snapping a five-game hitting streak. He is in 4th place, one game behind the Cavaliers, who are 3rd in the Eastern Conference.
