Well, that was fun. The Raptors came out looking like hot garbage, and then delighted us with three beautiful quarters of basketball in a 123-107 home victory over the Clippers.
The Raptors opened the game doing all the things that they typically do when they lose games: no ball movement, one-on-one play, poor defense and long, contested twos. The Raps made almost no entry passes to the post, didn’t work to find cutters in the lane and they collected their first of only two assists with two minutes to play in the quarter. To the Clippers’ credit they were very active on defense, forced a number of turnovers and really exploded in transition. The Clippers’ frontcourt owned the first quarter, outscoring the Raptors’ frontcourt 26-6 overall and winning the points-in-the-paint battle 16-6. The Raptors shot only 35 percent on the quarter, and as you see below, their shot selection wasn’t the best.
The second quarter was another story altogether. Instead of playing the stale brand of basketball that they pooped out in the first, the Raptors started moving the basketball and, shockingly, good things started to happen! Lou Williams, Patrick Patterson and James Johnson were the heroes of this quarter and the collective MVPs of this game. Lou Williams did a wonderful job of breaking down the Clippers defenders and finding open teammates. He racked up a whopping five assists in the quarter, including two really nice drop-off passes to Amir and some excellent drive-and-dish kick out threes for 2Pat. James Johnson checked in at the 7:30 mark to a huge ovation and proceeded to obliterate the Clippers on both ends of the floor. He not only scored 12 points on five-of-five shooting, he also played fantastic defense against Blake Griffin, leaving him visibly frustrated on a number of occasions. Down 15 coming into the quarter, the Raps went into the half down only two.
The Raptors continued doing the damn thing to open the second half. Dwane Casey decided to start Terrence Ross over Vasquez to avoid a repeat of the first quarter. Not sure how much of an impact Ross had but either way, the Raps continued their awesomeness, starting the quarter on a 19-6 run. Kyle Lowry came alive offensively; scoring 13 in the quarter and ten of the Raptors first 19 points, but DeRozan was really the coal that made the engine run. He continually broke down the Clippers off the dribble, resulting in a number of trips to the free throw line and open looks for his teammates. DeRozan finished the quarter with a beautiful stat line: 11 points, 9-9 free throws, five assists, three rebounds and zero turnovers!
I must admit I cracked open a beer for the fourth quarter and simply enjoyed the positive vibes flowing through my body from watching two quarters of amazing Raptors basketball. As such I don’t have much to say about the final period. It was a relief to see them hold onto the 16-point lead that they brought into the quarter. Moreover, Gravy Vasquez went nuts, scoring 12 points in the quarter and hitting a YOLO three that sent this guy into hysteria.
Final thoughts:
- According to @NBACanada, this was the first game in DeMar DeRozan’s career that he led the Raptors in points, rebounds and assists: 24 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Man, it’s so enjoyable watching guys who work really hard evolve as players. That third quarter was bananas. He was such a wonderful floor conductor.
- James Johnson, you are a bad, bad man: 19 minutes, 16 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and 7-7 shooting. I know who my next Man Crush Monday is going to be. #MCM
- The Clippers are severely limited by their terrible bench and their culture of complaining. I don’t see them faring well once the playoffs roll around.
- Bench comps: Raptors: 46 points, 15-30 FG, 13 assists; Clippers: 29 points, 8-22 FG, 1 assist
- After getting walloped in the paint in the opening quarter, the Raps ended up winning the points in the paint battle 48-46.
- This was a really balanced effort. Seven Raptors scored in double figures.
- What a great team rebounding performance. The Raps out rebounded the Clips 42-30.
- This game reminded me a lot of that Friday night throw back jersey game early in the season against the Wizards where the crowd was electric and everything clicked for the boys in purple. Hell of a start to a brutal eight-game stretch.
