Reaction: Sixers 114, Raptors 125

His threes irk me a little until I realize that they’re all coming out of good, rhythmic offensive flow and his shot just happens to be a natural end to a good possession. The Raptors missed his mobility and in an up-tempo game such as this where positional play goes out the window, his contributions are invaluable.

Hit some huge threes in the third quarter to maintain that 7-10 point lead and ensured that the opening moments of the fourth weren’t nerve-racking. The defense? Meh. This was yet another game where a high pace, which you might expect him to savour, didn’t quite benefit him. Some nice passing play in this game, though.

You think he came out to prove a point that his recent off-the-court troubles weren’t going to affect him? He barreled his way to the rim like an eighteen-wheeler with a drunk driver drivin’, there’s no survivin’. Alright, that’s the last joke I’ll make. He is becoming quite fluid in his near-rim movements where you can pass him the ball on either block, run a pick ‘n roll anywhere on the court, and run hi-lows for him. That is versatility. The defense? He’s taking that principle of verticality thing a bit too far, I often find him being vertical in a defensive situation where he has no business being vertical. Post-Game Interview

I got some issue with his defense against MCW, he got stuck on the latter’s hip far too often and got punished for it. Offensively, his swagger kind of fuels the team and when he hits those step-back threes, especially for four-point plays, it galvanizes the team. Good to see him back, he looked rested.

Sometimes I think this is like that Face-Off movie where it’s Rudy Gay wearing DeRozan’s skin. Some quite questionable shooting for most of the game and when he took it to the rim after his contorted dribbling, the shot got sent back like an undeliverable letter. Then again, you kind of know that even in a bad game he’s going to end up hitting a clutch shot or two to make amends. Hopefully that holds true in the playoffs.

Good second-quarter cameo where he partnered with Patterson well in a smallish Raptors lineup with him at the five. I liked it, too bad we didn’t see much of it again. I thought playing him would’ve helped turn the tempo in our favor rather than a track meet, too bad Casey didn’t see it that way.

This was not the game for him, and it showed when he was on the court. I’m not a big fan of that play where Lowry’s running a pick ‘n roll with him 24-feet out.

Was spotted reading ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ on the bench.

Played well in the first half, much more so than of late, but Casey thought Terrence Ross’s three-point shooting and athleticism to be of more value than Salmons, who isn’t quite suited for a fast-paced affair. Still, signs of progress from him.

Good first half again, but like Lowry, victimized by MCG for not staying in front of him. The good news is that he’s orchestrating the offense a lot better of late, and has reduced his me-shots to the bare minimum.

Casey turned to him for some ball-handling after Philly started pressuring the ball a little; jacked up a lot of shots in the brief time he was there which made for good entertainment. Somehow I feel that even when he’s playing bad, he’s more or less benign.

Got suckered into playing Philly’s style of game rather than ours, I didn’t like that. He’s gone away from the zone of late, which was a good mechanism of throwing the offense a different look. Couldn’t really adjust to Philly’s hot outside shooting, which almost cost us the game.