Raptors beat Hawks with fourth-quarter charge.
 | Amir Johnson, PF 28 MIN | 5-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 10 PTS | +6An off night defensively. Millsap had him on his back heel and Amir was often forced to settle. Speaking of settling, he took two threes, and although they were wide open, he should really refrain from doing so. His form looks like he’s loading a heavy boulder onto a catapult. |  | |||||||
 | Terrence Ross, SF 22 MIN | 4-7 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 12 PTS | -1Exploited defensively by Korver, as Ross found himself trailing the sharpshooter more often than not. He at least countered with some offense of his own, putting in five straight points in the second quarter. |  | |||||||
 | Jonas Valanciunas, C 24 MIN | 4-8 FG | 3-4 FT | 7 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 11 PTS | -1Strong two-way play. Continued to stay hot from the field, scoring in pick-and-roll and on the block. He was yanked because the Hawks shifted to playing more small-ball. That’s now the biggest impediment to Jonas not seeing the floor. He can’t play when opponents go five-out with shooters. |  | |||||||
 | Kyle Lowry, PG 33 MIN | 3-12 FG | 6-8 FT | 6 REB | 13 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 14 PTS | +14Shot wasn’t falling, except when he was abusing Schroeder on the block, so he shifted to being a playmaker, which resulted in a season-high 13 assists. Did a poor job of containing penetration, but took a key charge and came up with a couple big rebounds and loose balls. |  | |||||||
 | DeMar DeRozan, SG 33 MIN | 8-16 FG | 9-9 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 5 TO | 27 PTS | +7Efficient scoring in the first half when his shot was falling. Eventually, his defenders made the correct adjustment, sticking close to DeRozan on his shots, thus limiting his effectiveness. Still managed to sink a few clutch free-throws down the stretch, though. Solid bounceback performance. | | |||||||
 | James Johnson, PF 20 MIN | 2-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 3 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | +9Provided plenty of energy off the bench, especially defensively. Helped close the game out for the Raptors during a key stretch in the fourth. His size, quickness and activity makes him the most versatile defender the Raptors have. Solid work. |  | |||||||
 | Patrick Patterson, PF 21 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 7 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 2 BLK | 1 TO | 3 PTS | +2Much like James Johnson, Patrick Patterson stepped it up defensively, providing some unexpected rim protection. Didn’t look for his shot whatsoever, but sunk a three in the fourth. Good work. | | |||||||
 | Chuck Hayes, C 17 MIN | 1-3 FG | 0-2 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 2 PTS | +10Did Chuck Hayes things. Too many minutes, but that’s not his fault. He’s not built to play smallball teams. |  | |||||||
 | Greivis Vasquez, PG 17 MIN | 8-12 FG | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 21 PTS | -3Exploded in the fourth quarter, scoring the Raptors’ first 12 fourth-quarter points. Solid decision making, took what the defense game him, and even took a charge. His best game of the season, for sure. | | |||||||
 | Louis Williams, SG 26 MIN | 6-11 FG | 6-6 FT | 0 REB | 2 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 22 PTS | +12Sweet Lou got his revenge against the Hawks for dumping him in a trade for cap space. Snagged a key steal to spark a Raptors’ run in the fourth. Rocked a shit-eating grin for his former home crowd after the game. | | |||||||
 | Dwane Casey Not the strongest rotations, but managed the find the winning formula in the fourth with James Johnson playing free safety on defense. His counter to small-ball seemingly changes with every game, but one thing is constant: JV will not play. That’s not necessarily right or wrong, but it does turn the Raptors into a purely perimeter-oriented squad with little interior presence. | | |||||||
Two Things We Saw
- Tony Brothers is unquestionably one of the worst officials in the NBA. It’s not that his calls were biased one way or another. It’s the sheer frustration stemming from his inconsistent whistles. It completely kills the flow of the game because players are unsure as to what plays will, and will not, be called.
- I spent an hour researching stats and video for Vasquez’s struggles this season, and then this game happened. Guess that story won’t be seeing the light of day. Long story short, he was taking a lot of needlessly difficult shots. He didn’t do that today, and mostly feasted on whatever the defense gave him.
- Although the Raptors scored 126 points, it really didn’t feel like the offense was clicking at any point. The Raptors took a tonne of foul shots and shot well from the floor, but Atlanta’s swarming defense gave Toronto problems at times. Credit to the bench gunner duo of Williams and Vasquez, who combined for 43 points on 21 shots (!!!).
- Before everyone jumps on the JV benching, the Hawks did make a point of exploiting Ross and JV with side hand-offs with Korver and Horford. Jonas oftentimes couldn’t choose between stepping up to guard Korver, or dropping back and staying at home on Horford. Ross, meanwhile, always managed to get snagged on screens. The Hawks attacked this until Casey pulled both of them out. It’s a defensible decision.
- The Raptors are 55-24 since the Rudy Gay trade.
