Raptors fall victim to Brooklyn

NEW YORK — The chant was 55 years in the making, delayed a couple days by disaster, and delivered by a sold-out crowd that wasn’t missing this party no matter what it took to get there. “Brook-lyn! Brook-lyn!” Those were the lyrics of a rocking return to major pro sports.

“That gave me jitters, man. Chills,” guard Joe Johnson said. “I know that these fans want the best for this team. All they want from us is to work hard and give them a show.”

Brook Lopez scored 27 points, Deron Williams added 19 points and nine assists, and the Nets beat the Toronto Raptors 107-100 on Saturday night in the first game at Barclays Center.

A crowd of 17,732 chanted the borough’s name a few times during the game and loudly at the end, celebrating the name on the front of the shirt much more than the back.

And with good reason. Brooklyn hasn’t had a team to cheer since the Dodgers left for Los Angeles in 1957.

Nets coach Avery Johnson said there was so much that was special about the game, which came two nights after their scheduled opener that was postponed by superstorm Sandy.

“Let’s just start with the fact that we’re in Brooklyn now and it’s a big difference,” Johnson said. “You saw the crowd tonight, even under the circumstances. Not only did we have a sellout, they were into the game.”

C.J. Watson finished with 15 points and Joe Johnson had 14 for the Nets.

Kyle Lowry had 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Raptors, who fell to 0-2. DeMar DeRozan added 25 points.

The Nets pulled it out after Toronto got within two with 1:17 left, an uplifting end to a difficult week for the city and the franchise.

They were scheduled to open Thursday against the Knicks, but that was postponed at the request of Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

“It was good to finally be out here with the guys because we’ve been waiting since the last game of last season for this and just to have it pushed back, it was a little rough for us,” Lopez said.

The Manhattan hotel where the Raptors planned to stay lost power, so the team stayed in Brooklyn, instead.

The Nets-Raptors all-time series is tied 33-33.