Kyle Lowry carries shorthanded Raptors over sickly Kings.
 | Amir Johnson, PF 32 MIN | 3-4 FG | 2-2 FT | 7 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 3 TO | 8 PTS | +15Left the grade incomplete, because that’s what Amir is right now. He’s clearly not healthy, to the point in which he can barely move laterally. He’s the glue that holds the Raptors’ defense together, and the seams are showing on nights like tonight. Somehow, he eked out just enough tonight to get the Raptors’ the win. Get well, soon. |  |
 | Terrence Ross, SF 30 MIN | 8-15 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 20 PTS | +10Unbelievably hot in the first quarter, dropping 15 points, before cooling off and disappearing on both ends of the floor. Story of his career, basically. |  |
 | Jonas Valanciunas, C 33 MIN | 3-6 FG | 9-10 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 15 PTS | +13The Raptors ran like 3 total plays for him (despite being guarded by a litany of thin centers and short power forwards) and yet he continued to grind on both ends. Didn’t provide much rim protection but the relentless hustle on the glass was rewarded with 10 trips to the line. |  |
 | Kyle Lowry, PG 37 MIN | 10-21 FG | 6-6 FT | 0 REB | 13 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 27 PTS | +20He found the balance. Against the Lakers, Lowry shot too often and passed too seldom. He just took whatever he wanted from the Kings’ defense, setting up his teammates when they were open and hitting tough shots when the game looked to be slipping away. He’s putting the team on his back, doe. |  |
 | Greivis Vasquez, PG 30 MIN | 5-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 7 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 12 PTS | +10A quiet night in terms of flash, but rather effective in playing as the off-guard. Struggled mightily on defense, as his footspeed is on-par with that of a hobbled Amir. Didn’t play in crunch time as a result, but his strong play helped to buoy the team in the first half. | |
 | Tyler Hansbrough, PF 9 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | -3He played? | |
 | James Johnson, PF 28 MIN | 9-13 FG | 0-1 FT | 7 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 19 PTS | -4The X-factor tonight. He relentlessly attacked the Kings’ smaller wings on offense, driving to the basket at will. Didn’t make any questionable decisions and helped balance a weak performance from the bench. Was awarded crunch time minutes and did a decent job checking RUDAYYY! |  |
 | Patrick Patterson, PF 22 MIN | 5-10 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 12 PTS | -9His three-point stroke is back! Sadly, the rebounding isn’t. He’s just not physical enough to bang down low with scrappers like Reggie Evans and Jason Thompson. That’s fine, as long as he puts in enough of an impact on offense like tonight. |  |
 | Louis Williams, SG 19 MIN | 1-9 FG | 2-2 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 4 PTS | -12Just awful. Questionable decision making, and tried to shoot himself out of a funk, to no avail. It’s tough to watch him when he’s just chucking. In reality, his decision making is the same as it was all season, only he cooled off. Sadly, he didn’t apply his energy defensively, either, as McLemore ate him alive on drives. Just terrible. |  |
 | Dwane Casey Strange night. The game never really felt in doubt. Managed his team’s minutes well so his closers were fresh to end the game. Handed the keys to Lowry on offense, which was a good call. |  |
Five Thing We Saw
- What an ugly contest. The refs made a few ticky-tack fouls to start the game, and stuck with it, culminating in 58 combined free-throws attempted and 52 fouls called. It felt like half of them were harmless loose ball fouls. Not a fun watch; killed the flow.
- The LouWill buzzer beaters are fun, but it’d be nice if Casey — just once — ran an actual play. It’s all about process over results. Lou isn’t going to stay hot forever. Why not at least set something up once in a while? Team have scouted the Raptors inside-out. They all know Lou’s going to dribble, dribble, dribble and fade to his left on a triple.
- Every game without DeRozan is going to be a struggle. Lowry can shoulder the burden for now, but Casey is running the risk of wearing Lowry out. Dude is working his ass off out there, but he needs his teammates to step up as well. Sure, the offense should struggle without DeRozan, but the Raptors have looked listless defensively for three straight nights. That’s forcing the Raptors to stay blisteringly hot on offense, which is a huge task for Lowry alone.
- Weird thought: Both James Johnson and Rudy Gay have each played for the Raptors, Kings and Grizzlies in their careers. Weird.
- Tough game coming up against the Jazz tomorrow. Playing on the road on the second night of a back-to-back in Utah is never easy. With Cleveland laying in wait for Friday, the Raptors can’t be caught looking past a scrappy Jazz squad.
