James Johnson DNP-CD, DeRozan goes scoreless, Terrence benched … and the Raptors won?
I have no idea how the Raptors won.
Seriously, how did the Raptors win despite being playing horrendously on offense? The Raptors shot just 40 percent from the field which includes just 6-of-24 shooting on 3-pointers. For good measure, they missed 10 free throws as well, because the struggle was just that real. Despite all that, the Raptors outlasted the Bucks to win 92-89.
Some of the credit has to go to the Bucks’ defense, which featured an endless line of skinny, long-winged defenders pressuring the ball at all times. The Bucks’ length forced the Raptors into taking difficult jumpers and forced 15 turnovers, five of which belonged to Valanciunas. Giannis Antetokounmpo made DeRozan’s life hell, holding him scoreless on nine empty field goal attempts. It was rough. There was a whole lot of this:
Kyle Lowry fared no better. He shot 8-of-25 and committed three turnovers against just three assists. His jumper abandoned him in the second half and he tried to take over late in the game, veering into heroball at times. Lowry eventually shifted away from jumpshots to attacking the basket at all costs, but it he looked exhausted which led to some silly decision-making. The odds were also stacked against him, as the Bucks packed the paint with athletic shot blockers.
Valanciunas had a strong showing in the first half, recording a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in 13 minutes. His defense was shaky to start, outwitted often by the veteran savvy of Zaza Pachulia, but Valanciunas did a great job of ending defensive possessions by snagging contested defensive rebounds. He was consistently stripped when operating off the post, as he still struggles immensely when faced with double-teams, but he mixed in a few put-backs to justify his time on the floor. In the second half, the Bucks played more smallball and Dwane Casey promptly countered with his own smallball unit. That left Valanciunas with just six minutes played in the third quarter and none in the fourth, but that’s nothing new.
DeRozan was a non-factor. He looked tired playing on the second night of a back-to-back and didn’t attempt a single shot inside the paint. Antentokounmpo did a fantastic job of bodying up on DeRozan as soon as he crossed into the midrange area (a technique perfected by Jimmy Butler in neutralizing DeRozan) and his size prevented DeRozan from playing out of the post. The end result was an ugly 0-for-9 from the field.
With so many of the Raptors’ pillars struggling, Terrence Ross emerged as the unlikely hero. Ross came off the bench for the first time since Dec. 9, 2013 and played like he took the demotion to heart. Unlike the last two weeks or so, Ross didn’t appear disinterested or timid, opting instead to drive the ball when he had the opportunity and hitting a pair of three-pointers. Ross also put his athleticism to good use, grabbing a few key defensive rebounds while using his quickness to keep abreast with the Bucks’ guards.
Most importantly, Ross nailed a clutch jumper with under a minute left to give the Raptors a lead they would not relinquish. Yes, you read that sentence right.
Credit should be given to the Raptors’ defense. The Bucks lack a dominant scorer and as a result, they rely heavily on spot-ups and running in transition. The Raptors did a good job on both regards, making hard closeouts out onto shooters. The smallball unit of Amir Johnson, Tyler Hansbrough and Patrick Patterson did a good job making timely rotations on the perimeter, while recovering diligently to collect rebounds.
The Raptors outrebounded Milwaukee 54-43, including a 20-11 margin on offensive rebounds which led to a number of second-chance points. The Raptors attempted 14 more field goals than Milwaukee and recorded 21 second chance points to the Bucks’s five. The Raptors rarely win the rebounding edge, but their bigs did enough to punish the Bucks for going small.
Ultimately, it’s an ugly win, which has to feel good for the squad. Although the score was tight and the offense was hideous, it has to come as a relief that they won in spite of everything that went wrong. Finally, it should be noted that James Johnson was curiously absent from the game, receiving a DNP-CD. After the game, Casey told reporters that it wasn’t a benching and that he just liked how the players in the rotation played, but that’s hardly enough reason to justify the benching of the Raptors’ fifth-most productive player this season.
One last parting shot:
Someday, Kenyon Martin will have to deal with being a 50 year old with a pair of lips tattooed on his neck. — William Lou (@william_lou) January 20, 2015
