Toronto Raptors guard Ja’Kobe Walter thought he was going to catch a body when he tried to attack the Brooklyn Nets in transition during the third quarter of Sunday’s matchup at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Instead, Walter ended up getting emphatically denied at the rim by Nets big man Noah Clowney.
NOAH CLOWNEY. pic.twitter.com/d4nbrNRBV9
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) December 22, 2025
It was not how Walter thought he’d get rewarded for a heads-up play on defense, as he started that sequence with a deflection on a pass intended for Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. Perhaps Walter took off a little too early, giving Clowney just enough time to time his block attempt.
In a way, it was a strong message sent by Clowney to the rest of the league about his improving abilities as a defender in the NBA.
He finished the contest with 19 points and 9 rebounds to go along with 2 assists and 2 blocks in 33 minutes to help the Nets score a 96-81 win against the Raptors. It was his third multi-block game in December and second over the last three Brooklyn games.
So far in the 2025-26 NBA season, the former Alabama Crimson Tide star is averaging a career-high 0.9 blocks per game.
