The Toronto Raptors keep finding new ways to entertain fans and keep things interesting, no matter what the score may be throughout the game. In a dramatic last minute victory against the Washington Wizards last night, the Raptors proved that in spite of giving up various runs throughout the contest, this game was theirs.
After getting off to a fast-paced start in the first quarter matched by the Wizards, the Raptors quickly built a 12-point lead going into halftime and a 13-point lead going into the fourth quarter. And after some poor shot selection and ill-advised turnovers from the Raptors, the Wizards found themselves right back in the contest. The Wizards were fuelled by Otto Porter’s 20 points and 9 rebounds, John Wall’s 19 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds and Jared Dudley’s 17 points and 3 boards. Wall, however, shot terribly from the field going 8/23 and missing seemingly anything outside of 15 feet. But the Wizards, backed by a furious fourth quarter rally and with the ball in their hands down the stretch, were in a position to win the game.
While Jared Dudley was clutch once hitting a huge three-pointer for the Wizards the possession prior, the second last possession for the Wizards ended in a wide-open Jared Dudley missed three pointer, a shot that would’ve put the Wizards up by 2 with 15 seconds left. After what seemed like the biggest break of the game for the Raptors, they looked like they had finally closed it out.
With 15 seconds on the clock remaining, Kyle Lowry grabbed the loose ball and hit two clutch free throws once fouled to give the Raptors a 3-point lead. All was calm at the ACC. And yet, on the ensuing Wizards possession, the Raptors gave up 2 offensive rebounds and 3 total attempts at a 3-point shot, two which were missed and one that was emphatically blocked by DeMarre Carroll to seal the win with a final score of 94-91.
After all the unnecessary game-ending drama, the Raptors will gladly take the win, as they eagerly look to capitalize during this 3-game mini homestand before heading out for a tough 5-game road trip that will feature a stop in London, England
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Notables of the Night
Improved Individual Bench Performances: The Raptors had a relatively even distribution of scoring, with DeMar DeRozan leading the way, scoring 34. The other notables were the bench contributions of Terrence Ross, who looks like he’s finally arrived for good, and Bismack Biyombo, who continues his strong play inside. With a shooting stroke that finally seems like it’s completely back into form and rhythm, T Ross clearly seems to want the rock in his hands. And Terry’s hitting more than just 3’s as he went 4/8 from within the 3-point line, for a total of 14 points, and also grabbed 6 boards. Bismack Biyombo proved that though he has now returned to his bench role, he can still make huge contributions for this team. With a double-double off of the bench, Biyombo continues to show that his sheer strength, length and athleticism inside means rebounds, high percentage buckets, garbage points and blocked shots. There’s more where that came from.
DeMar DeRozan is Pretty Good: DeMar continued his tear with a 34-point performance, albeit on 9/24 shooting, but with a perfect 15/15 from the free-throw line. DD also grabbed 6 boards and dropped 5 dimes. Simply awesome for the swingman who continues to make his case for not only an all-star appearance in Toronto in a few weeks, but also a max contract this summer. The doubters will be plenty as always, but DeMar knows that if he can consistently get to the free-throw line with overall efficient shooting (health will be a huge factor as well), both those items on DeMar’s Christmas wish list just may come true.
We Need DeMarre Carroll: DeMarre Carroll’s shooting struggled to say the least against the Wizards as Carroll went 2/10 from the field, 1/5 from 3, and 2/5 from the charity stripe. DeMarre did grab 7 rebounds and made a fantastic play defensively in the closing moments of the game, but the Raptors surely need more from JYD 2.0. Coming off another injury this season, Carroll will be relied upon by the Raptors for the rest of the season to be healthy, a defensive weapon, and a consistent/efficient threat from 3, especially going into the post-season. While the effort is clearly there, some more conditioning and shots in the practice gym will be key to ensure Carroll is active and consistent.
Raptor Defense Travels..and Wins: The Raptors, despite shooting only 34% from the field (largely due to a disastrous fourth quarter on offense), were able to squeak this one out because of their defense, which held Washington to only 40% from the field and 91 points overall. In their 20 wins so far this regular season, the Raptors have held opponents to an average of 40.8% shooting from the field and 91 points per game – a virtually exact match to the Wizards performance last night. In other words – last night’s contest was the exact defensive blueprint for the Toronto Raptors’ success this season. When all else fails, work your tail off on the defensive end, hold your opponent to close to 40% shooting and/or under 100 points (the Raptors on average score just about 100 points per game), and you’ve always got a good shot. And now, with an improved defensive second unit as Bismack returns to the bench, the Raptors hope to have strong defense in all lineups, especially given Carroll and JV have returned to round out the roster as well. Keep the defense coming, consistently.
Lookahead
The Raptors look to continue making hay during this 3-game mini homestand that continues on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets. The Raps will be looking to exact revenge on the Hornets, a team that broke Raptor hearts in OT just a couple of weeks ago in Charlotte. Despite strong performances from DeRozan, Lowry, and Ross, the Raps couldn’t overcome a terrorizing backcourt with shades of Linsanity, as Jeremy Lin dropped 35 on the Raptors complimented by Kemba Walker who dropped 27. The Raps then play Sunday in another regular season re-match against the Chicago Bulls, who easily disposed of the Raptors in the fourth quarter on Monday in Chicago. The defense from the bench will be tested in this one, as bench scoring contributions from Tony Snell, Aaron Brooks and Bobby Portis were the clear difference in that game.
If the Raptors come out with the same energy they did to start last night’s game, both games should be winnable, but challenging nonetheless.
