NBA Playoff Picture Update: Raptors soar past Rockets | Ball Don’t Lie – Yahoo Sports Canada
The Raptors needed every one of those points with just two other players scoring in double figures and Greivis Vasquez replacing the injured Kyle Lowry in the starting lineup. Toronto got a break in that Dwight Howard sat out the contest for rest on the second day of a road back-to-back, but this was still a meaningful win over one of the strongest teams in the league. It also brought the Raptors within just a game of the Chicago Bulls for third place in the East. The Rockets can explain away this loss with the absence of Howard and poor outside shooting (8-of-27 on threes), but it was certainly not the ideal performance on a day when starting point guard Patrick Beverley was declared out for the season. DeRozan’s career night also stands out given that Beverley is an excellent perimeter defender on a team that now must ask much more of wing Trevor Ariza at that end.
wizards vs raptors – who wins playoff matchup?
With the Toronto Raptor’s recent stretch of dismal performances, taking a look at the near future should help to alleviate the pain of the gloomy present. If the playoffs were to start today, Toronto is set to face the Washington Wizards in the first round of the playoffs. The Raptors have swept the Wizards in their three matchups this year and went 3-1 against them last year. The first game in November was won with ease (103-84). Since then, things have been much closer. The Raptors won an overtime game in January 120-116, and won eleven days later 95-93. There are, in my mind, three key matchups to this series. Whichever team wins these matchups will have the upper hand.
Recap: DeRozan sets career highs, leads Raptors to win over Rockets 99-96 – Raptors HQ
By and large, the Raptors are still adrift. They’re 44-30 now, but a 50-win season is appears to be gone, the hopes of a delirious run to the Conference Finals a mere fantasy. But we can still remember what it feels like when the shots are falling, and the defense is swarming and the Raptors are beating all comers. We can still remember the recent past. “It’s all on us. Just the focus is all on us,” said DeRozan post-game. “Understand what we gotta do, what we playing for at the end of the day. We playing for something bigger and that’s getting in the playoffs and making something happen.” Let’s let tonight serve as a reminder. The Raptors are still more than a memory. And they aren’t quite done yet.
“I’ve always said that DeMar’s an all-star,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “If he had stayed healthy, he would have been an all-star, just by his performance and where we were at that time. The coaches would have voted him in, I’m sure. … Unfortunately injuries are a part of the game and that’s what happened to him. But in my mind, DeMar DeRozan is an all-star. He’s our all-star.” Indeed, the coaches might have selected DeRozan to the All-Star Game if he had not missed 21 games with a groin injury — they tend to be reluctant to change in such situations — but he would not have merited it. His numbers are down in every scoring metric compared to last season. However, DeRozan has been rounding into offensive form for a while now. March was his best shooting month, by far if you weight his uptick from beyond the three-point arc. He averaged 22.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game in the month, with his free-throw rate ascending to pre-injury heights.
Harden second-best on DeRozan’s career night – Sportsnet.ca
It was “DeRozan versus Harden: Round II” and this time DeRozan drained his jumper with Harden draped on him to put the game away as the Rockets couldn’t get a good look at a game-tying three thanks to another strong defensive possession from DeRozan and the Raptors. Toronto will need more of it from DeRozan down the stretch as it appears that Kyle Lowry may be out longer than expected with an unspecified back injury that has kept him out of five of the past six games. “It’s not something where he’s sore, he’s hurt,” Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said of Lowry. “He can’t go laterally so he probably couldn’t go if it was a playoff game.” It was a playoff-like atmosphere in the Air Canada Centre as the Harden-DeRozan duel heated up. The Raptors were trailing 76-74 heading into the fourth quarter with DeRozan having 30 points to 28 by Harden.
Game Rap: Raptors 99 Rockets 96 | Toronto Raptors
“It’s definitely cool because we have been playing against each other since we were kids. He’s one of my close friends in the league to this day. I’m close with his family and he’s close with my family, so it’s always cool, knowing we can cherish this in 20 years, 30 years from now.” – DeRozan on matching up with childhood friend Harden “He came up big and he stepped up. He’s one of our leaders on the team and it was a career game from him.” – Amir Johnson on DeRozan’s night
Raptors’ Lou Williams filing in admirably at point guard
“It’s not going to be a day-to-day thing. Once his back feels better we’ll let everybody know. It’s not going to be like it’s gong to happen tomorrow. Whenever his body lets him know he’s back and ready to go,” Casey said, adding Lowry would have sat Monday even if it was a playoff game. “Because he has trouble cutting, doing either way. He’s hurt, it’s not just something where he’s sore. He’s hurt where he can’t go latterly,” Casey said. The Raptors are starting Greivis Vasquez in place of Lowry, but have had to get creative beyond that, without a true third point guard on the roster.
DeRozan drops 42 as Raps down Rockets – Article – TSN
“I just try to tell the guys this is a critical moment where we can get some rhythm going,” DeRozan said. “We’ve got to get back to us and how we were playing in the beginning of the season. “We’re playing for something bigger and that’s getting in the playoffs and making something happen.” It was a great show by two superb shooting guards — DeRozan and Houston’s MVP candidate, James Harden, who had 31 points to lead the Rockets. The two friends, who first played against each in grade school, guarded each other much of the night, leading the way as the game see-sawed back and forth.
Raptors sharp in taking down Rockets | Toronto Star
DeMar DeRozan found his rhythm after a desperate long jumper from the baseline sunk to beat the shot clock late in the first quarter. From there, he fronted the Raptors’ charge to a 99-96 victory over the third-best team in the NBA, switching to guard James Harden and keep a lid on the MVP candidate in the final minutes of the hard-scrabble, back-and-forth game. With James Johnson nabbing six offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter, DeRozan delivered the final dagger with an 18-foot jumper that solidified the win. “That’s how we gotta play. Every single night we gotta play like that against big-time players like (Harden), and understand that we have to focus in and do our job,” said DeRozan after the game. He finished with a career-high 42 points and 11 rebounds.
DeRozan scores 42 as Raptors rock Rockets | Raptors | Sports | Toronto Sun
“I thought the entire team was ready and more focused,’’ said Raptors head coach Dwane Casey. “We had a good defensive practice (Sunday). Again, our whole theme from here on out, not only this game (versus Houston) but Wednesday night (in Minneapolis) and the rest of the way is going to be defence. “We’re going to score enough points, we’re going to find ways to score, so we’re going to have a defensive focus.” There was focus and force, traits must have at this time of the calendar season as the NBA’s second season looms. The game turned into small ball at the end, allowing Amir Johnson to dominate the glass. “I though Amir did a great job and one theme we had going was we knew they were going to switch a lot,’’ added Casey. “The one thing we wanted to do was make sure we punish them on the boards for switching and Amir did that.
Career-night from DeRozan helps Raptors edge Rockets – The Globe and Mail
Wins over the Lakers and Knicks in the past eight days helped the Raptors clinch the Atlantic division but the team still held the lowly designation as second-last in the NBA in defensive efficiency in March. Monday was a step toward regaining the fiery identity that drove them to last-year’s post-season. Toronto put various bodies on Harden, and they outrebounded the Rockets 48-41, thriving on the defensive boards, where they grabbed 36. “Guys dug in, and I thought DeMar did a magnificent job defensively against Harden,” said Toronto coach Dwane Casey. “I thought the way he played defence set the tone for everyone else.” DeRozan stepped up without Kyle Lowry on hand, the point guard sidelined for the sixth straight game, as he continued to struggle with back pain and can’t move laterally. Coach Dwane Casey said he didn’t think Lowry could play right now even if it was already playoff time.
Game Notes: Toronto Holds On To Beat Houston 99-96 | Hoops Addict
Trevor Ariza on DeRozan: “He was very aggressive. He was hitting tough shots and got to the basket easily. He was jut being aggressive. From when he first came in until now, he is a totally different player. He is somebody you have to pay a lot of attention to because he can score in a variety of ways. Players like that you have to always keep your eyes on and always find different ways to stop him because he can score a number of ways.”
Shorthanded Rockets lose late to Raptors, 99-96 – The Dream Shake
James Harden was his usual MVP self, and it almost goes without saying that the Rockets would not have had a chance in this game if he wasn’t out there in beast mode. He had 31 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. He only shot 9-22, but that was obviously a function of being the only real offensive option against a defense selling out to stop him. Josh Smith had the most disappointing performance of any Rocket tonight. He had the most responsibility of any of his games in a Rocket uniform, and he shrunk from the opportunity. He drifted around the perimeter and didn’t spend any time in the low post, which is always his best spot on offense. But that’s forgivable when you consider he spent most of the game sharing the floor with Joey Dorsey and Capela, who have less range than Dwight Howard. Smoove finished with 8 points on 3-14 shooting, including 0-4 from three and 2-4 from the line. Yuck.
DeRozan scores 42, Raptors beat Rockets 99-96 – Yahoo Sports Canada
DeRozan made a go-ahead turnaround bank shot with 1:27 left, the 11th lead change of the final quarter, then sealed it with a jumper over Harden with 18 seconds to go. He made 14 of 27 attempts from the floor and hit 12 of 17 at the free throw line. ”The most important thing, not only the points, was his defense,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said of DeRozan, who guarded Harden down the stretch. ”I thought his defense and rebounding was as solid as anything else, which made it an all-around excellent game for him.”
Kevin McHale Raved About Patrick Patterson’s Growth | Hoops Addict
“I loved Patrick (Patterson), and I still do. He’s a great guy. He’s a really intelligent player. He knows how to defend and he talks and works his way through all kinds of stuff like getting switched up on the perimeter. He kept on working on his 3-point shot. He was stuck in the 17, 18 foot range for a while, but he kept telling me he was going to be a 3-point shooter. I said, ‘go ahead, if you make ‘em I’ll let you shoot them. He used to go to the corner and practice them quite a bit. He has become a really proficient 3-point shooter for these guys and he makes shots. Great kid. One of my favourite guys that I’ve coached. There’s nothing not to like. Fun to talk to and fun to be around.”
