Early in the fourth quarter, Vasquez went on a personal 7-0 run, pushing the Raptors’ lead from eight to 15. It was the same sort of weirdness that had failed Vasquez earlier in the game: an obtuse-angled layup as he fell into the camera bay, a difficult bank shot from a similar perspective, and a 26-foot three-pointer early in the shot clock. Both Williams and Vasquez, when their shots are not falling, appear awkward. Although both can, and do, make wonderful passes in pick-and-roll scenarios, their games are not perfect fits for the type of ball movement that is beloved in today’s game. Still, the Raptors continue to roll offensively, with a different player getting hot each day. They can live with the guards’ penchant for taking some bizarre shots, because they have seen the positive results those looks can yield.
Hibbert was no where near his season average of 71/2 a night, finishing with two while Allen and Scola, in far fewer minutes, chipped in with a combined 11 with West leading the way with seven. None of them were even close to Valanciunas, who hauled down game-high 14 including six at the offensive end, which is a season high at that end for the third-year Raptor. But it wasn’t just Valanciunas, as the Raptors to a man outhustled, out anticipated and simply outworked the normally more physical Pacers on the boards on their way to a 106-94 win. “One of our main emphasis going in was to talk about rebounding and to out-rebound a team like Indiana, which is very physical and a paint-oriented team, to beat ’em 52-39, my hat’s off to our guys,” Casey said.
“We feel like we have one of the best benches in the league,” said Patterson. “We have the sixth man of the year, in my opinion, in Lou Williams. “Tonight was probably one of the best games I’ve seen from Lou. He was all over the court on offence and defence, taking charges, running people off the line, challenging shots.” Williams was so solid and consistent, and Vasquez able to shake off a rusty first half, that it allowed Kyle Lowry to sit and watch the entire fourth quarter from the bench. And with the Raptors starting a stretch of three games in four nights Sunday in New York, keeping Lowry to less than 27 minutes playing time is sure to pay off. “It was huge to keep his usage down,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said of Lowry. “I kept looking at the score and seeing if we were going to have to get him in there but thank goodness Greivis and Lou came in and did their jobs and were able to save Kyle some minutes.”
“We have pretty much the sixth man of the year in my opinion with Lou Williams,” Patterson said. “Then you have myself, Tyler, Greivis, JJ. We have so many guys, so many different pieces who can come off the bench and contribute game in and game out and it can be anybody’s night and tonight it seemed like it was a total team effort from the starters to the second unit.” “It’s good for teams to have a second group, to give the first group relief,” Williams added. “We have a lot of guys that can start on other teams and we’ve accepted the role of being backups and we take that in pride, we take that in pride that we know we’re going into games and going to change the pace of the game. I think that’s a major plus.” Without George, the Pacers’ already lacklustre offence has fallen even further. They scored 94 points on Friday becoming the first Raptors’ opponent to be held under the century mark over Toronto’s last 10 games.
Indiana Pacers Get Blown Out in Fourth vs Toronto Raptors | 8 Points 9 Seconds
The Good: I’m not even sure anymore, guys. The Indiana Pacers looked OK throughout this one, by and large. The starting lineup change didn’t do anything to keep Indiana from falling into an early hole, but that aside they played well and got good contributions in the first half from almost everyone not named Roy Hibbert. The third quarter was even better. Then … The Bad: The fourth quarter. Indiana was within striking distance (down 8 after three quarters) then just decided to give up. They got smacked in the face for all 12 minutes and by the time the Raptors had gone on a 17-6 run to start the period it was all over but the crying. Depressing stuff.
Raptors Get Defence Back on Track, Down Pacers 106-94 | Raptors HQ
As the Raptors prepare for a back-to-back set against the New York Knicks and Orlando Magic on Sunday and Monday, Dwane Casey had the liberty of not playing any starter more than 27 minutes tonight. The lone starter to hit that mark was Jonas Valanciunas, who made the most of his time by playing aggressively against an Indiana frontline that usually gives him trouble. The big guy posted his third double-double in as many games with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Landry Fields got his second straight start at shooting guard and even led the Raptors in scoring after one quarter with 6 points (yes, that Landry Fields). He finished with 8 points and looks to have that job for the time being.
Pacers can’t keep up with Raptors, extend losing streak to seven games | Indy Cornrows
Regardless of which players were on the floor, the Paces simply didn’t have enough for the Raptors who brought plenty of playmakers off the bench to wear out the Pacers. Lou Williams started the bench barrage for Toronto. If it wasn’t Williams, then Greivis Vasquez was making plays. If not, Vasquez, then James Johnson was flying through the lane while Patrick Patterson gave a steady contribution throughout the game. Williams scored 26 points as the Toronto bench combined for 64 points which was the difference despite the Pacers bench scoring 45 points. The reserve rotation to end the third quarter and start the fourth, played like a layup line for Toronto as they were able to extend that seemingly constant eight-point lead to as much as 19 and suck the last of any life out of the Pacers. The good news is the Pacers get to go home.
Game Rap: Raptors 106 Pacers 94 | Toronto Raptors
The Pacers were knocking on the door in the third quarter and had chopped a 13-point Raptors lead down to 73-68 with 2:23 to go in the frame. But a five-man Raptors bench unit went on to outscore the Pacers 7-4 for the remainder of the quarter, which spilled over into a 9-2 run to start the fourth and boosted their lead back to 15. The Raptors shot 52.4 per cent from the floor and scored 26 in the fourth against a Pacers team that was holding teams to an NBA low 22.2 points in that quarter prior to Friday’s win. Toronto in turn held the Indiana to just 42.1 per cent shooting in the fourth, including 1-for-5 from 3-point range. “We’re beginning to get stops,” said head coach Dwane Casey post-game. “They had a 30-point third quarter, which was alarming. They’re a very physical team and I knew we had to come out of the locker room to meet their physicality an we didn’t do that in the third quarter, but I thought we picked it up in the fourth quarter and that was the difference.”
Observations From Toronto’s Locker Room After Beating Indiana 106-94 | Hoops Addict
Lucas Nogueira: “It makes me feel sad when I miss shots.” After Nogueira finished joking with the media, he made his way into the team kitchen and lounge area where he had another group of coaches and PR people eating out of the palm of his hand. The rookie is quickly becoming a favourite among the media, teammates and people who work for the franchise for his sense of humour and lively personality.
Raptors sink Pacers, 106-94 | Raptors Watch
Lou led the Raps with 26 points on 9-18 shooting from the field and 4-5 shooting from beyond the arc. J. Johnson added 13 points on 6-9 shooting. Valanciunas recorded another double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds and Patrick Patterson provided energy with 11 points and eight boards.
Valanciunas Dominates Pacers Hibbert In Raptors 106-94 Win | Pro Bball Report
Valanciunas played the longest of the Raptors starters at 27.2 minutes to collect his 10 points and 14 rebounds and he was his team’s only starter to score in double digits. Patterson was solid with 11 points and 8 rebounds. Vasquez, still reeling from the effects of the flu, scored all 10 of his points in the second half in quite possibly the only game he has never smiled in after making a big shot or a layup – Vasquez quite literally looked wobbly in the first quarter. James Johnson had the highlight reel driving dunk of the night and seemed to be able to get to the rim at will as he chipped in with 13 points.
Jonas Valanciunas Has Been Too Inconsistent | Raptors Rapture
Coming into the season, many people believed Valanciunas would make strides, turning into one of the Eastern Conference’s best big men. That’s why they have been so disappointed by his start to the season. His numbers aren’t bad, but they certainly aren’t elite, either. Statistically, he has hardly improved from last season.
Raptors have two great sixth men | Toronto Sun
Patterson and Williams have both hit more than 40% of their three-point attempts this season as reserves. Williams ranks second in total points and seventh in steals per game amongst bench players, Patterson 11th in rebounds per game (before this one). The pair has been nothing short of outstanding, carrying the Raptors in many contests. “We feel like we have one of the best benches in the league,” Patterson said, pointing out the team’s other solid bench contributors. “I’m hoping that it will pay off in the long run. It relieves the pressure on Kyle (Lowry) and DeMar (DeRozan). They don’t have to be that guy every single night. Of course we know that they want to be that guy, but if their shots don’t fall or they are not in a good rhythm, thankfully we have guys on the bench who can provide some firepower.” Patterson was good again, with 11 points and eight rebounds as one of the league’s worst rebounding teams thumped the league’s No. 2 squads on the boards.
Raptors have prime opportunity to build on East lead | Sportsnet.ca
But Friday’s game was part of an early Christmas present for Toronto even as they’ve been adjusting to life without one of their cornerstones: Indiana (7-16) was the first of six games against Eastern Conference foes, all with losing records and a cumulative winning percentage of just .260. After Christmas? That’s the lump of coal: Six games out West against opponents with a cumulative winning percentage of .720. Toronto needs to build its cushion. Until DeRozan crumpled along the baseline at the Air Canada Centre two weeks ago, the Raptors could rightly claim to be one of the best teams in the NBA. Since then, they’ve been one of the worst. Specifically they’ve been one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA, allowing 114 points per 100 possessions, a level of porousness surpassed only by the Utah Jazz.
Kelly: The safest thing for the Raptors to do now is nothing | The Globe and Mail
The Raptors arrived with real questions about their rear guard. They’ve been fading toward the bottom of the league in terms of defensive efficiency and rebounding. They held Indiana to 41-per-cent shooting and out-rebounded them 52-38. Is that a significant improvement? Or, put another way, should it be regarded as such, considering the team they managed it against? It’ll go on like this for a while. The Raptors’ next five games are against teams with a cumulative record of 24-66. It’s a nice ego boost, but it tends to obscure an honest appraisal of their quality. DeMar DeRozan’s absence with a groin tear makes that job even harder. You know Kyle Lowry is going to be an animal in the playoffs. Beyond that, you’re not sure of much. Players like Valanciunas and Williams are tending to make this team special right now. They’re also confusing the hell out of everything.
Terrence Ross is a father | RealGM
Maybe he will grow up now and stop caring what people say on social media.
Terrence Ross is a dad | Raptors Forum
Congrats to him. Hope its gives him that added motivation that we saw in DeMar with his daughter’s birth.
Five questions with Raptors GM Masai Ujiri | The Social
He’s the architect behind one of the hottest sports teams in Canada, and on Friday, General Manager Masai Ujiri stopped by the The Social to talk about the red hot Toronto Raptors and giving back to his native Africa. We caught up with him in the green room, where he dished on his must-have travel item, what’s on heavy rotation on his music device and what playing soccer taught him about basketball.
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