NEW YORK -- Down 17 in the first quarter and with stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan at home, the Toronto Raptors could have conceded.

Norman Powell would not let it happen.

Powell continued his recent emergence and capped his rookie season by scoring a career-high 30 points as the Raptors rallied from an early deficit for a 103-96 victory over the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday night.

"Every time I step out on the basketball court, I'm looking to win," Powell said. "No matter what the circumstances are, I'm looking to make plays. I hate losing and that's the competitive fight I have."

Powell helped the Raptors (56-26) conclude the best regular-season team history by shooting 12-of-18 from the field and made eight straight attempts at one point. He set career highs for field goals, 3-pointers (5) and rebounds (9) while playing 36 minutes.

Powell was the most experienced starter as Toronto did not bring Lowry and DeRozan. The Raptors also left Jonas Valaciunas, DeMarre Carroll and James Johnson in Toronto.

"He's a mature young man," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said of Powell, who averaged 24.9 points the Raptors D-League team. "Playing four years at UCLA, very professional, a very humble young man. He's one of our hardest workers and he's deserved everything and he's going to be an excellent player in this league for a long time to come."

Playing with a starting lineup of Bruno Caboclo, Jason Thompson, Lucas Nogueira and Delon Wright, the Raptors gave up the first 12 points, missed their first seven shots and were down 21-4 with about three minutes left in the first quarter.

"I was just ready to go out there and play," Powell said.

Powell then took over shortly thereafter, scoring 16 points as Toronto took a 49-47 halftime lead. He added seven more in the third when the Raptors expanded it to 78-66 and finished off his big night by getting seven more in the fourth.

"It was amazing," Toronto reserve guard Cory Joseph said. "Norman's been playing amazing for us the last couple of weeks."

Besides Powell's big night, Terrence Ross added 24 points, Delon Wright contributed 18 points and Jason Thompson had 12 as the Raptors outscored the Nets 99-75 over the final 39-plus minutes. Toronto ended the regular season with six straight wins and 36 victories in their last 46 games since Jan. 4.

Nearly two years after getting a one-point win in Game 7 of the first round in Toronto, the Nets (21-61) concluded their worst season since moving from New Jersey in 2012. They ended the season with a 10-game losing streak, marking the 16th double-digit losing streak in team history and the first to end a season since 1999-2000.

The Nets went 11-34 under interim coach Tony Brown, who replaced Lionel Hollins on Jan. 10 and is not expected to be retained by new GM Sean Marks.

"I enjoyed it," Brown said. "I'm thankful for the process, having a chance to do it."

Bojan Bogdanovic made seven 3-pointers and scored 29 points for the Nets, who had nine available players due to rest and injuries. Sean Kilpatrick added 12 points for Brooklyn, which has lost seven of eight meetings with Toronto since beating them in the playoffs.

After giving up their early lead and falling by double digits, the Nets were within 94-90 when Markel Brown hit a 3-pointer with 4:29 remaining. The Raptors highlighted a 9-2 run when Wright made a behind the back pass to a cutting Ross for a dunk with 2:55 left, giving the Raptors a 98-90 edge and clinching the victory.

"We got back in late in the late in the third and we had some missed opportunities in the paint, which I thought would have really put pressure on Toronto, but we couldn't convert those," Brown said. "A scrappy group that got out there and got us back in it and it just wasn't enough to finish it off."

NOTES: Toronto GM and president Masai Ujiri said no matter what happens during the playoffs, coach Dwane Casey deserves to be retained. Casey is completing the final guaranteed year of his contract with an option for next season and said he was "flattered" to hear Ujiri's comments. ... Multiple reports said the Nets were interested in talking Jeff Van Gundy in their coaching search, and new GM Sean Marks is interested in Ettore Messina and Ime Udoka, whom he worked with in San Antonio. ... Toronto's win over Philadelphia on Tuesday gave the Raptors the fifth-best record in the league and pushed the Clippers into the sixth spot, impacting a pick swap between the Nets and Los Angeles. The swap is part of the 2012 sign-and-trade the Nets did to obtain Reggie Evans, and Los Angeles had the option to swap if it did not finish in the top five. The Clippers will get the 33rd overall pick while the Nets will select at No. 55.