Quick Reaction | Reaction Podcast
The Toronto Raptors bounced back in a major way in Game 2 on Monday, getting contributions from all over the rotation, save for one key spot. Kyle Lowry turned in a fine performance, Jonas Valanciunas was a beast on the glass once again, and the team’s second unit gave them a ton. There remain concerns – more on DeMar DeRozan’s poor night in the morning – but there was also a lot to be happy about, with the Raptors responding really well after a tough opening game.
The big change at the outset was the decision to start DeMarre Carroll over Norman Powell, a move the team made to try to get the returning Carroll going as he works his way back up to speed. That meant Powell, who’s played really well when called on, shifted to the bench, and it was unclear if he’d even get the chance to play, with the rotation likely to shorten.
“I thought he (Powell) responded well,” Casey said after the game. “I had a long meeting with him on Sunday to tell him what we were going to do lineup wise, and he understood it. He’s going to be in this league a long time and somehow, some way, we’ve got to get DeMarre going, get him integrated into the lineup. One way to do that is to start him, give him starters minutes, to get him in the flow of the game along with Paul George, that way he’s not going in and George is already heated and now DeMarre has to turn off water.”
Carroll wound up picking up two quick fouls, Terrence Ross left the game for precautionary reasons – he’ll be reevaluated tomorrow – and DeRozan was ineffective, and so Powell wound up playing 22 pretty terrific minutes, anyway. The team was a plus-21 with him on the floor, and even though he only scored three points, his impact was obvious, and enormous.
“I think it’s just my competitive desire to be great,” Powell said. “I have high expectations for myself. I work extremely hard at my craft, I’m prepared every time I step on the court. It’s basketball, the way I look at it, and I’m just trying to play the best basketball I can and help my team win.”
He certainly did that. The energy that he and Patrick Patterson came in with was game-changing, and Casey opted to ride a hot bench unit for longer than usual.
“It wasn’t a surprise, I knew they would give us the energy, I didn’t know they would give us the point production,” Casey said.
And when he opted to shift gears, it was only to bring in Valanciunas, who has killed the Pacers on the glass through two games and who was one of the best Raptors on the floor on Monday, finishing with 23 points and 15 rebounds in 31 minutes.
“He’s been huge. Literally,” Paul George said. “We’re doing a good job on Kyle and DeMar, but Valanciunas has stepped up. He’s the one that’s causing us problems right now and we have to figure it out.”
It’s unclear what adjustments the Pacers can make, really. They’d probably rather not play Jordan Hill just to swing the rebounding edge back their way, Ian Mahinmi is day-to-day with a back sprain, and Lavoy Allen has been fairly ineffective. They could go small to try to create problems the Raptors have to adjust to, but they’ve already been outrebounded heavily twice. Whoever draws in, they’re in for a war with Valanciunas in the paint.
“I’m just doing my stuff, going out there and battling. nobody gonna take that away from me,” Valanciunas said before later offering a warning of sorts. “As I said today, let’s not get too excited. It’s just a Game 2. We’ve got at least three to go.”
Casey used words like “happy” and “proud” to describe his reaction to Valanciunas play, and teammate Kyle Lowry was as effusive in his praise of the big man.
And again, Lowry was huge, too. That Lowry-plus-reserves unit continues to roll even as some of the names change, and his 4-of-13 shooting night didn’t at all do his impact justice.
“His numbers didn’t say how hard he played. I thought he left it out on the floor. Diving on the floor, loose balls, rebounding, he got to the free-throw line 10 times” Casey said. “4-for-13 isn’t a beautiful line, but it doesn’t show his grit, his toughness.”
That included a few possessions on Paul George, who the Raptors still didn’t solve but at least appeared to make uncomfortable by throwing a ton of different looks his way. Lowry, Carroll, DeRozan, Powell, and even Cory Joseph saw time on him, and George responded with 28 points on 15 field-goal attempts. The Raptors at least slowed his playmaking for others, and they did a terrific job containing just about everyone else – and chasing shooters off the 3-point line.
“There is no stopping PG,” Lowry said. “He’s playing phenomenal. We just gotta make it a little bit more difficult.”
One thing I wrote a few times in the aftermath of Game 1 was that the Raptors could still win this series even if George is the best player in it. Lowry closed that gap a fair amount Monday, but at the same time, the Raptors proved exactly that. Now if they can get DeRozan going…
