 | J. Johnson 17 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 3FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 2 PTS | — +/- This was maybe the worst game I’ve seen him play. I defended him for a while but he really hasn’t looked good since returning from injury. He offered nothing on Hayward. |  |
 | L. Scola 19 MIN | 2-5 FG | 0-1 3FG | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 4 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | — +/- On paper, Favors was a matchup Scola should have been at least tolerable in. It didn’t play out that way, and Valanciunas played much better without him. Scola might need Thompson to give him a little bit of a rest. |  |
 | J. Valanciunas 25 MIN | 4-8 FG | 0-0 3FG | 2-2 FT | 8 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 10 PTS | — +/- His defense was a little spotty but his teammates didn’t do him many favors – nobody was picking up his man when Valanciunas helped on the block, which was pretty often. Did a nice job corralling guards in the pick-and-roll or on baseline traps. Had a clutch jumper. |  |
 | K. Lowry 40 MIN | 13-20 FG | 3-8 3FG | 3-3 FT | 4 REB | 5 AST | 3 STL | 1 BLK | 5 TO | 32 PTS | — +/- Is there anything Kyle Lowry can’t do? Maybe go broke? Another phenomenal KLOE performance. |  |
 | D. DeRozan 35 MIN | 11-15 FG | 0-1 3FG | 9-11 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 31 PTS | — +/- His defense was borderline atrocious, as he was back-cut to death, but when you score 31 points on 15 attempts…look, this team needs that offense from him, and he may, at times, make it look TOO easy as he hits an array of impossible shots at the rim. Now, if he could nudge back toward average on defense… |  |
 | P. Patterson 29 MIN | 1-9 FG | 0-5 3FG | 2-2 FT | 7 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | — +/- Pretty tough outing for Patterson on the offensive end, as he appears to have lost all confidence in his jumper. He could work through the stretch if he weren’t also bad at attacking closeouts. Hit the glass better late and opened up some important switching options down the stretch. | |
 | T. Ross 27 MIN | 4-13 FG | 3-7 3FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 11 PTS | — +/- Was cooking early on and then never stopped shooting. Which, hey, he’s taken up the mantle as the second unit’s irrational confidence guy. That’s fine, but, you know, know yourself, and all that. |  |
 | L. Nogueira 5 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 3FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 2 PTS | — +/- Brought a really nice energy in a late-second quarter stint. He had a defensive three seconds, stepped out of bounds after fighting for a defensive rebound, and leaked out after helping before the team had the rebound, but he also helped protect the rim, hit the offensive glass hard, and finished an alley-oop. Give him a little bit of run as matchups dictate, maybe? |  |
 | B. Biyombo 18 MIN | 0-2 FG | 0-0 3FG | 1-2 FT | 7 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 3 BLK | 0 TO | 1 PTS | — +/- Not his best outing by any means. Something seemed a little off in the first half, as his screens seemed to lack a little oomph and he was less active than usual as a dive man. Hit the offensive boards well, at least, and was a deterrent at the rim. | |
 | C. Joseph 26 MIN | 3-6 FG | 0-0 3FG | 1-1 FT | 0 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 7 PTS | — +/- Bit of a shaky one for the steadiest sixth man going, and Trey Lyles absolutely destroyed one of his layup attempts. But Joseph had gotten Lyles earlier on and did a nice job defending the wing when the Raptors went two-PG. Weirdly off night for the bench as a whole, though. | |
 | Dwane Casey Liked going to Nogueira as the situation dictated and appreciated the relative lack of Scola, though he could have gone to the bench earlier in the third. Not sure what he can do about the defense right now with Johnson and DeRozan struggling on that end, but he’ll need to figure something out soon. Maybe change the sta…you know what, nevermind. |  |
Five Things We Saw
- The Raptors have now won a franchise record 11 straight at home. You know what? it’s random and not an elite, Spurs-ian streak, but everyone should take some pride in making the ACC a tough place to play.
- It was also the team’s 27th win in a row when holding an opponent under 100 points, which means almost nothing but is a thing. The Raptors play a really slow pace, and if nothing else, this seems to confirm that it suits them.
- Lowry and DeRozan are going to be really tough to stop if they enter the playoffs at 100 percent. I know their offense dried up a year ago, but they’ve both improved markedly and hit so many difficult shots, it’s hard to say “well, they won’t anymore,” because they’re already doing it. (And FTs drying up in playoffs is, statistically, a myth.)
- Shout out to Trey Lyles. I’m a huge fan, thought he was undervalued entering the draft, and am glad to see him coming on after a slow start to the year. Not his best night, but he’s going to be a really solid NBA player.
- The Raptors are 40-19 and two games back of the top seed in the East, with six more at home without a back-to-back. Let’s get this money.
