Became a game changer and played a leading role in a come-from-behind play that overthrew a maximum of 18 points behind
Yuta Watanabe showed a stunning performance against his former home in the game when the Nets got into the Raptors home.
This place is a special place for Watanabe, who played until last season and grabbed the opportunity to establish himself in the NBA. The fans were the same, and when he was sent to the court with less than 3 minutes left in the first quarter, Raptors fans gave Watanabe a big round of applause. And as soon as the step back middle from the drive was sunk, the performance increased as time passed.
The team allowed Fred VanVleet to score 25 points in the first half alone, trailing by a maximum of 18 points. Still, when Watanabe, who started as a substitute, read the return pass to VanVleet and succeeded in a one-man haste attack from Steele, he also scored a corner three and returned to 10 points behind to finish the first half.
In the second half, as Nick Claxton, who recorded 6 blocks in this game, solidified 2 blocks, the strength of defense increased and started a counterattack. When Durant scored 9 points and Kyrie Irving scored 8 points, Watanabe also scored free throws and under the goal from the transition, catching up with the final quarter.
From there, the back-and-forth offense and defense continued until the end, but Watanabe made the difference in an important scene. In the remaining 3 minutes, when the score was tied, he attacked Pascal Siakam who received the ball in the corner and jumped to check the shot, attracting the two and setting up an easy shot for Ben Simmons. With 14 seconds to go, he was one point behind and sank a prized corner three from an Irving kickout to give him a two-point lead at the end of the game. After that, Scotty Barnes’ free throw equalized the score, but Irving sank the game-winning step-back 3 in a one-on-one with VanVleet to put an end to the heat.
Watanabe succeeded in 6 out of 7 field goals, including 3 3-point shots, and recorded 17 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. He efficiently scored 17 points in a playing time of about 21 minutes, and the goal difference at the time of appearance was a game-high +12. Watanabe, who showed his growth against the old team, achieved a come-from-behind win for the Nets, achieving five consecutive wins. It is in 4th place, one game behind the Cavaliers, who are 3rd in the Eastern Conference.