It was a low-stakes game against a bad opponent, which made it a great game to bring DeRozan back. Still, it was surprising to see him look so smooth — 9-for-14, three assists, and some smart passes. The Raptors had 26 assists on 38 baskets, far ahead of their usual assist rate. (As for the other end, the 76ers shot just 39 per cent, but they are also the worst offensive team in the league by a mile.) “Quiet as kept, he’s been working for quite a while to get to that point,” said Raptors reserve Lou Williams, who had to come back from his own serious injury, a torn ligament in his knee, last season. “He’s done a great job with being patient with the rehab process. He might feel like he could have played a couple of weeks ago, but he’s very patient with the process. It showed tonight. I think it paid off for him.”
Understand, DeRozan doesn’t have an off button when it comes to the game. In his first five seasons in the league, he missed just 11 games total. Long before the end of the season, DeRozan has pinpointed an element of his game he feels he needs to improve and has already designed an off-season of activity devoted solely to addressing that deficiency in his game. Which is another way of saying DeRozan lives and breathes basketball even when there are no scheduled games. So shutting it down while his teammates played games for seven weeks wasn’t just tough, it was agonizing.
Last night was not a game for framing. Toronto jumped out to a 34-19 first quarter lead, allowed the Sixers to cut the lead to four at half time and never quite succeeded in blowing them out, which was fine as it gave DeRozan a meaningful fourth quarter to play and he responded with eight of his Raptors-high 20 points as he went nine-of-14 on the night with four rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes. But mainly DeRozan’s presence was the equivalent of returning home to a clean house and dinner in the oven. Things seemed right.
DeMar DeRozan’s return helps Raptors sink Sixers | Toronto Star
After the longest and most frustrating enforced absence of his NBA career, DeRozan returned to the Toronto lineup on Wednesday night and there were moments when it looked like he’d never been away. He finished with 20 points in 28 minutes, the usual array of mid-range jumpers and drives to the basket as the once-again-whole Raptors held off the Philadelphia 76ers 100-84 at the Air Canada Centre. Operating with his usual calm after sitting out 21 games with a torn tendon in his hip-groin, DeRozan helped take care of a solid start and a big finish as the Raptors won for just the second time in their last seven games.
DeRozan makes long-awaited return in rout over 76ers | TSN
DeRozan looked like his old self – confident, decisive and active. On his second shot of the night, he came off a screen and drained a step-back 14-footer. Later in the frame he split the defence and got to the rim for an uncontested layup. Even when he wasn’t scoring, his presence was felt. Doubled in the corner, DeRozan made a difficult diagonal pass to Patrick Patterson who found Greivis Vasquez for a floater in the lane. “[It was] very comfortable,” said Kyle Lowry, happy to have his backcourt partner back on a night in which the point guard recorded 18 points and 12 assists. “[He got] some guys some open shots, [took] some attention off me, and it’s always good when you get your all-star back, a guy who can get 20 points on 14 shots in such an efficient way.”
Raptors-Sixers: Toronto Wins 100-84 in DeMar DeRozan’s Return | Raptors HQ
It was nice to see DeRozan’s return, and you could instantly see the pressure it takes off Lowry. There’s a better balance on offense with DeRozan back in the lineup, and with Jonas Valanciunas now starting to assert himself in the low post, you can envision this Raptors team being more efficient on the offensive end moving forward.
Sixers-Raptors Recap: Everybody Hurts | Liberty Ballers
Rumors of Lowry’s demise, however, were greatly exaggerated, as he decided at the end of the fourth quarter that he was tired of playing basketball and buried two threes to put the dagger in the Sixers, who fell 100-84. The story of the game for the Sixers was their shorthanded status. When they needed a timely bucket, the one that would often be provided by Covington or Wroten, they either had to rely on MCW making something happen, or one of the many Sixers not usually suited for creating their own offense. While it’s a loss, it falls into the good loss category. MCW played one of his most productive games of the season, and carried the team offensively. Nerlens Noel had a solid outing on both ends of the floor. K.J. McDaniels was flying all over the place.
Sixers Schedule: Raptors Chomp Down, Win 100-87 | The Sixer Sense
Credit the Sixers for fighting a hell of a battle tonight against the Raptors on a back-to-back, but it wasn’t enough. The Raptors were the better team and they proved it tonight. Philly was able to stick with Toronto throughout most of the game after letting the Raptors get off to a 13-0 start, but it fell apart in the fourth quarter. Still, there were a lot of positives to bring from this loss.
Shorthanded Sixers fade in loss to Raptors | Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia
“I think we’ve made great improvements from last time we played them,” Nerlens Noel, who finished with 12 points in the loss, said. “We came out and played a lot harder. It was closer to the effort we want, not all the way there, but definitely a little bit closer. “I think we played hard tonight, that’s what it’s all about.”
“Best” and “Worst” awards: Sixers vs. Raptors | Philly.com
Worst performance: I couldn’t avoid giving this award to Greivis Vasquez. The Raptors reserve point guard had more personal fouls (four) than assists (two). He also finished with two points on 1-for-5 shooting in 24 minutes, 3 seconds.
Another lost cause for Sixers | Philly.com
But, in the end, another loss. An upset victory was briefly within reach for the 76ers last night. But in the end, they lost, 100-84 to the Raptors for the second time this season. The Sixers, 7-31 on the season, couldn’t burst through the ice when they saw the light. They competed hard in front of 19,800 at the Air Canada Centre, sure, but never seriously contested the Atlantic Division leaders for the win.
Observations From Toronto’s Locker Room After Beating Philadelphia 100-84 | Hoops Addict
A massive media scrum was waiting for DeMar DeRozan at his locked which prevented Kyle Lowry from getting to his own locker. Lowry then proceeded to take a few minutes to joke around and chirp DeRozan about being a big star due to all the media waiting to talk with him. It’s great seeing this side of Lowry. I have a feeling Lowry’s teammates see this side of him all the time on team flights, in practices and on road trips.
Quick Recap: DeRozan Returns, Leads Raptors over 76ers | Raptors Watch
Despite the poor second quarter by the Raptors, Toronto never gave up the lead through 48 minutes. Lou Williams added 19 points, which included a three-pointer to end the first quarter and a four-point play conversion to begin the fourth, while Amir Johnson recorded 10 points and a season-high 16 rebounds. Overall, it seems Raptors fans were pleased to see DeRozan return to the lineup. Other than committing a few turnovers he certainly looked good. Toronto sported a 12-9 record in his absence, which included losing five of their last six before tonight’s win. The real test will come on Friday night in a home tilt with the Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks have won 24 of their last 26 games and 10 straight on the road after a 105-91 win tonight versus the Boston Celtics.
DeMar DeRozan looks good in return, Toronto Raptors win | Raptors Cage
Realistically, it shouldn’t be too difficult to shut down the 76ers, and according to the numbers that’s exactly what the Raptors did. Holding the 76ers to awful shooting percentages across the board and only 84 total points on the night. However, there is often more to a game than just the boxscore. The Raptors allowing a 27 point quarter to such an offensively inept team is a reasonable cause for concern. Certainly something to keep an eye on.
Toronto Raptors: State of the Union | Sports Rants NBA
Just tonight, the Raptors took a “gimme” against the overtly-intentional draft tank mission that is the Philadelphia 76ers. In tonight’s 100-84 win, the Raps were sloppy, giving up 17 turnovers (near 5 above their season average) and they just looked tired. Though they led the entire game, the lead seemed to fluctuate with the very inconsistent energy and focus of the team. Toronto’s lead seemed to fall from 13 down to 5 half a dozen times throughout the night. It was the least convincing 16-point victory I have ever seen. Despite the weak ‘W’, the Raptors were pleased to see the return of their 2014 All-Star, DeMar DeRozan, to the lineup after missing 21 games with a torn adductor longus. DeRozan dropped a cool 20 points on 9/14 shooting in 28 minutes of play. Though certainly a reassuring performance from the guard, DeRozan’s first true test will come Friday night when the Raptors take on the first place Atlanta Hawks.
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