Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan, left, drives over Brooklyn Nets forward Andray Blatche to score during the second half of Game 2 in an NBA basketball first-round playoff series on Tuesday, April 22, 2014, in Toronto.TORONTO – DeMar DeRozan put his playoff jitters aside and turned in an All-Star performance for the Toronto Raptors.
DeRozan scored 30 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and 14 rebounds and the Raptors beat the Brooklyn Nets 100-95 on Tuesday night, evening their first-round playoff series at one game apiece.
A first-time All-Star this season, DeRozan struggled in his postseason debut on Saturday. He went 3 for 13 from the field and scored 14 points in Toronto’s 94-87 loss.
On Tuesday, DeRozan eclipsed that total in the fourth quarter alone, scoring 17 of Toronto’s 36 points.
“We knew he was going to bounce back from the first game,” Brooklyn’s Deron Williams said. “He took over the game, hit some crucial shots, some tough shots. We’ve got to do a better job of stopping him, especially late.”