Indeed, talking points might well be the end of us all. There may be no talking point with a grander tradition, at least for an ascendant team without a long history of success, than the statement game. Occasionally, they are referred to as measuring sticks — games that prove if you are a contender or a pretender. This is a seemingly endless conversation with the Toronto Raptors, particularly of late: Friday’s game, a 105-80 thrashing of the first-place Atlanta Hawks, was the fourth of eight against teams that are better than .500. (They are now 4-0 in the stretch.) Each win is a confirmation. Each loss is an indictment. As the season is 82 games and nearly six months long, a variety of statements, both positive and negative, is assured. Taken as a whole, it is absurd. “I do laugh sometimes,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said, before throwing the assembled throng a lifeline. “It’s a good question. It’s a fair question. It’s 82 games. I’m from the old school: If you put too much weight on one game, no matter who you are, you have another one looming the next night.”
A huge part of the Hawks success has been their effectiveness in sharing the basketball. Coupled with that, as it has to be in order for that sharing to be effective, is the team’s ability to hit shots. The Raptors trumped them in both areas with 27 assists and a 45% success rate from the field. The Hawks totalled 19 assists and shot just 33% from the field. They also turned the ball over an uncharacteristic 23 times, leading to 30 points. The three-point line, which has been the home for the Hawks regardless which building they are playing in, was more like foreign territory, going just 8-for-38 from distance while the Raptors were chugging along at a 43% clip (13 for 30. Williams led the scoring and the three-point barrage with 26 points and seven makes on his 10 attempts from beyond the arc. The win means the Raptors have now defeated Atlanta three times in four tries this year ,accounting for 25% of the Hawks losses this season. They also secured the tiebreaker if things come to that at the end of the year.
Toronto led by as many as 35 points, with fans heading to the exits early in the fourth quarter. It was a shocking game against a Hawks team that had been on a 12-game home win streak at Philips Arena before running into the Raptors. Their last previous home loss came Boxing Day against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Raptors did it with defence, forcing the usually sure-handed Hawks into 23 turnovers, which they converted for 30 points. They also had nine blocks, including five in the third quarter alone. They did it with some sublime shooting, including 43.3 per cent from three-point range. Lou Williams led the way offensively for the Raptors with 26 points. DeMar DeRozan added 21. “You’ve got to give them credit. They were so ready to play. They really took it to us,” said Hawks big man Al Horford, who led Atlanta’s blowout win at the ACC in January with 22 points, but was held to seven Friday.
Although the Hawks missed a number of shots they’re used to see falling – particularly Kyle Korver, a 51 per cent three-point shooter, who missed nine of his 11 tries from long distance – Toronto’s defence was on point all night. They communicated, they rotated, they were active and ran out at Atlanta’s shooters, causing chaos in the third quarter when the game was broken open. As Kyle Lowry struggled through most of the game, it was Williams and DeMar DeRozan that stepped up offensively while others dug in on defence. That’s become their calling card, one they share with the Hawks. “That’s how it goes,” said DeRozan, who scored 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting. “There’s going to be a lot of nights like that. That’s why we have the personnel like we do, because any given night any guy, whether it’s a bench player or a starter, can carry us.” With all their weapons, both teams are a nightmare to game plan for. Focusing in on one or even two players won’t guarantee your victory. While they differ in several facets of the game – no team has executed with the precision of the Hawks over the last two months – they share this quality, something that has assured their success in the midst of the league’s transition to parity.
Lou Williams Scores 26 as the Raptors Blow the Atlanta Hawks Away 105-80 | Raptors HQ
After the All-Star break, and with no changes to their roster during the crazy trade deadline day, the Raptors came into this game looking to build on their strong three game win streak. The first half was a neck-and-neck battle between both squads. But in the second half, Toronto took off, scoring 28 points in the third quarter alone. Leading the pack was Lou Williams who scored 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting along with seven three-pointers. DeMar DeRozan had 21 points and eight rebounds.Toronto, having already defeated the Hawks twice this season, also used their defense to steal the game away. Williams had four of the Raps’ 15 steals. And, oh yeah, the team also blocked nine shots.
Hawks blown apart in third quarter | AJC
“The third quarter was rough … It was a microcosm of the whole game.” The visual images were more shocking than the stats as Toronto expanded a 49-45 halftime lead to 77-58. Korver also committed two turnovers in the third quarter as did fellow starter Teague (also an All-Star) and starting forward DeMarre Carroll. This was bizarro world. Early in the quarter, a Paul Millsap steal lead to a point-blank shot by Carroll that was blocked by James Johnson. Millsap rebounded, only to be blocked by Jonas Valanciunas. Moments later, Millsap blocked Amir Johnson at the other end. A couple minutes after that, the Hawks went 10 consecutive possessions where they turned the ball over five times, had two shots blocked, made one shot, missed three others and missed 1-of-2 free throws.
Atlanta Hawks pulverized by Toronto Raptors, 105-80 | Peachtree Hoops
The NBA is a “game of runs” and while that is one of the great cliches of the sport, it was beautifully true in the first quarter. The visiting Raptors raced to a 14-7 lead to begin the evening, but that was just the beginning, as Atlanta followed with an 8-0 run to take the lead. From there, the teams traded spurts, with Toronto scoring 9 straight and the Hawks countering with 11 straight, and when the dust settled, it was (fittingly) a 26-26 score after 12 minutes. Following that comical lack of symmetry, the second quarter wasn’t quite as uneven, but the Hawks struggled to find their way offensively. In the first half, the Hawks shot just 38% from the floor and 29% from 3-point range, and with 11 turnovers on top of that (against just 11 assists), it was the moral opposite of much of the season’s success.
Hawks return from break with ugly loss | AJC
The Hawks trailed for much of the first half but never more than by eight points. It all fell apart in the third quarter. The Hawks scored just 13 points, a season-low for the third quarter this season. They shot just 18.8 percent from the floor on 3 of 19 shooting, including 0 of 8 from 3-point range. They had just one assist, had five shots blocked and committed nine turnovers. By the time the period was over, the Raptors led by as many as 23 points. The rout was on. “We just didn’t play good at all,” Al Horford said. “It’s hard to explain. I felt like we missed some shots there early in the third and got a little discouraged. You have to give them credit. They were so ready to play. They really took it to us.”
Toronto Raptors steamroll Atlanta Hawks 105-80 | Raptors Cage
The Raptors’ offense was yet again predicated on isolation set plays and threes in the early going, but heated up in the second half, thanks in large part to the aforementioned Williams. Toronto finished the night on 44.8% shooting and hit a ridiculous 43.3% of their threes attempted (13-30). Living and dying by the three is Toronto’s bread and butter but the points in the paint (48) was a pleasant surprise. Williams, Lowry and DeRozan were the only members who scored in double digits for the Raptors.
Hawks-Raptors postgame quotes | AJC
“I think you have to give Toronto a lot of credit. They gave it to us good tonight. There are a lot of reasons that we didn’t play well. They are a big part of that so credit to them. We need to be better in a lot of different areas.”
“I think it’s up for grabs, honestly,” Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan said. “If you ask me, there’s no solid pick, I don’t think — in the whole league period, not just the East but the West as well. It all depends who goes out there and plays consistent basketball every single night. “That’s why I said that: Anybody can go out there and beat anybody.” Even though it might not feel like it, each team has something to fret about. The Raptors and Cavaliers are ranked 18th and 23rd defensively, respectively. Washington is mediocre offensively, and falls apart with John Wall on the bench. The Bulls are constantly injured. Even the Hawks — the beautiful, commendable, selfless Hawks — are fretting about their rebounding. All of which is to say is that each Eastern Conference team has pockmarks. The Raptors and Wizards might have more than their competitors, but they are not without legitimate hope.
Frontrunners for the NBA Awards Heading Into the Season’s Second Half | numberFire
Their stat lines are nearly identical this season, but Lou gets the edge in most of the advanced efficiency-based metrics (PER, Win Shares per 48, nERD) because he generally makes more out of his possessions (his free throw rate of .448 crushes Crawford’s .329, and his 55.8% true shooting percentage edge’s out Jamal’s 53.4% as well). Factor in the that the Raps are a full 7.2 points per 100 possessions better in the 24.6 minutes per game that Lou is on the floor, compared to the shocking 9.3 points per 100 possessions the Clippers are worse in Jamal’s 26.9, and the decision is easy.
The case for Lou as 6th man | Raptors Watch
While a player like Crawford may score slightly more per game, he does it by playing nearly two more minutes per game than Williams does and he does it less efficiently by shooting a lower percentage with less free throw attempts than Williams gets. Despite Lou’s 39% shooting and (sometimes painful) eye test he is a more efficient offensive player this season than Crawford, the perennial favorite, is. Here’s a quick efficiency summary of Lou Williams vs. Crawford: (via basketball-reference.com)
Patrick Patterson Was The Big Man The Raptors Needed | Pro Bball Report
Patterson’s minutes continue to creep up as Casey has seen the effect his energy and effort can have on the game. He has even played Patterson at center in small lineups recently, although that is really taking the forward well out of his comfort zone. An undersized center converted to forward in his last year of college, Patterson has evolved into an excellent three-point shooter and it’s the skill he takes the most pride in, but it’s his defense that has made him stand out. Patterson is a big man that can cover the perimeter and has the speed, quickness and awareness to get back in time to influence plays made in the paint. “At the end of the day, shooting is what I want to be known for,” Patterson said. “There is still so much more I need to improve on, but as far as being a shooter, that is what I want to be known for, that is what I want to continue to get better at.
Toronto Raptors: Season Far From Over | Hoops Habit
Cleveland is rising up as a contender, OKC is out for blood in their quest to keep that elusive eight seed, San Antonio often “turns it on” after All-Star weekend and Chicago is one of the East teams looking to move up in the rankings. If Toronto can survive those games as they have for the season so far, then they might be better off than I’m making out. The remaining 17 games on the schedule, then, are all against sub .500 squads who the Raptors should beat every single time if they’re locked in. They do have to play most of these games (11) on the road, but unless most of their opponents are looking to play spoiler in some way, they might already be looking ahead to the idea of tanking for a higher pick in this year’s draft, which contains some good prospects.
Raptors HQ Roundtable: Second Half Predictions | Raptors HQ
Terrence Ross will be back chucking up three-pointers as the starting small forward before the season is up. I wouldn’t be opposed to James Johnson keeping his current spot for the foreseeable future, but I don’t think Dwane Casey is thinking along those lines. Opposing teams will put more of an emphasis on Ross around the perimeter than they would Johnson. No one would complain if Ross got his job back, but Johnson wound up with more minutes and more playing time near the end of games.
Toronto Raptors at Houston Rockets: Saturday NBA game preview | Toronto Star
The Rockets are also on the second leg of a back-to-back, having faced intrastate rival Dallas on the road Friday night. . . . This game could mark the home debut of Pablo Prigioni and K.J. McDaniels, picked up by the Rockets in a pair of deals at Thursday’s deadline.
Houston Rockets vs. Toronto Raptors game preview | The Dream Shake
Oh, and is #WeTheNorth still a thing? Aren’t Raptors fans tired of it? I’m not even a Raptors fan and I feel like I see that everywhere to the point where it’s annoying. It’s like a Cliff Paul commercial, only it doesn’t completely suck and make me want to pop open a vein. But that’s a different story. As for a prediction, I expect Houston to claw their way to a win. The Raptors are riding high and have the kinds of players that could kill the Rockets, but I’ve predicted a lot of losses lately and it hasn’t helped. The reverse jinx is over. We’re almost at the point where we’ll need cheerleaders to get us back on track.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
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