DeRozan tops 30 for third straight game to lead Raptors past Nuggets | Toronto Star
The Nuggets erased a 19-point first-half deficit, scoring 35 points in the third quarter and taking a 91-90 lead in the fourth off a Wilson Chandler elbow three.
“It got away from us on the defensive end,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “What saved us was getting to the paint. We had (58) points in the paint. We just lost our defensive mojo in that third quarter.”
With the Nuggets looking to steal a win at the start of their five-game road trip, Murray’s lesson in guard play began. DeRozan scored 20 in the first half but lost his touch in the third. He stayed determined though, and finished the frame strong, bringing his total to 29, hitting a tough 14-footer to close the quarter, giving his team an 88-84 lead.
Lowry picked up his fourth foul 90 seconds into the fourth and still played 21 minutes in the second half.
“We finally got the matchups on the switches we wanted,” Casey said.
“(Lowry) started putting pressure on the paint and he had it going. We struggled to get those match-ups once we took DeMar out. But he’s smart enough (to play in foul trouble) and we trust him.”
DeMar DeRozan turning it up when Raptors need it most – Sportsnet.ca
In between Denver’s misses in the final seconds Lowry missed a game-clinching three after a grinding, go-nowhere possession that kind of summed up the Raptors’ early-season offensive woes.
But they found a way. Lowry hit a jumper that broke a 101-101 tie with 1:36 left then a lay-up with 45 seconds left that proved the difference.
However, it was DeRozan who carried the load. He’s scored 40, 32 and now 33 points in three games. No Raptor has scored that many points to start the season and none has ever scored 30 or more points in three straight games to start a season, either. He also became the first player since his idol, Kobe Bryant, to score 30 points in three straight games without making a three-pointer.
These are records that great players put on their resume and so far this season, DeRozan has been great, proving he’s well worth the $139-million contract he signed in the summer.
DeRozan’s example should be an inspiration for Nuggets rookie Jamal Murray – for any NBA rookie anywhere. The pride of Kitchener-Waterloo, Murray was making his first visit of his NBA career to Air Canada Centre. Like Murray, DeRozan came into the NBA at age 19 and struggled at times, although he was in the position of playing a steady dose of minutes from Day 1. Eight years later he’s the picture of consistency.
Raptors’ Casey forced to rely on rookies thanks to injuries | Toronto Sun
Siakam was in a particularly tough spot, starting alongside Valanciunas against a bruising Denver front court of Europeans bigs in Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokic.
When Siakam started to get beat up, Casey had no choice but to lean heavily on Patrick Patterson, who played just shy of 33 minutes.
“Poor Patrick, he went 17 straight or 20 straight minutes,” Casey said. “My hat’s off to him. That’s why we’ve gotta make sure we keep Pascal rolling and coming, that way we don’t wear out Pat. ’Cause he’s putting in some hard minutes in the paint, wrestling guys like Nurkic and Jokic and big guys, and now he’s gotta go guard a guy like (Danilo) Gallinari when (DeMarre Carroll) comes out. This is the time now, everybody’s gotta step up and do their part.”
And from rookies to vets, they are all doing just that.
Game Rap: Raptors 105, Nuggets 102 | Toronto Raptors
UNDERRATED RAPTORS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Rookie Jakob Poeltl’s opportunity arrived when reserve big man Lucas Nogueira went down with an ankle sprain in Toronto’s preseason finale against the Washington Wizards. Although he’s been playing more minutes than anyone on the coaching staff would have expected to start the season, Poeltl has impressed with his poise, basketball IQ, and defence. Raptors head coach Dwane Casey singled out Poeltl’s pick-and-roll defence, and praised the rookie for how quickly he learns from his mistakes. Although his contributions won’t always show up on the boxscore, he’s making an impression.
Raptors defence steps up when it matters most against Nuggets – Sportsnet.ca
Michael Grange and Eric Smith break down what went wrong for the Raptors and how things went right to stop the Nuggets from rallying for a win.
Lowry, DeRozan cool, calm down stretch in Raptors win over Nuggets | Toronto Sun
“We started to rebound the ball and got them to miss for one thing and that brought the percentages down some,” Casey said. “But that is a very talented team, a big team, a strong team, a powerful team inside. They have a lot of offensive weapons and come at you in a lot of different ways so if your defensive focus is not there a little bit like showing and getting back, making sure you understand who is going under and who is going over, all those little things and they were burning us.”
Denver finally took a lead with 8:49 to play on a Wilson Chandler three and throats began to get very tight indeed around the Air Canada Centre
But experience counts and it’s one area the Raptors have a decided advantage over the Nuggets. It proved to be the deciding factor in a thrilling Halloween night finish.
Yes, the lead evaporated and yes the Nuggets were full value for forcing their way back into this one.
But what they didn’t have down the stretch was the kind calm and cool of a Kyle Lowry or DeMar DeRozan, two guys who don’t get rattled anymore and two guys who calmly brought their team back to win a game they probably should have won much earlier.
DeRozan would finish with 33 points, the third consecutive game of 30 or more to start the season, something that has never been done in team history.
Lowry didn’t have much of an offensive game going until that fourth when he went off for 12 of his season-high 29 points to bring this one home safely for the Raptors.
Court Squeaks: DeRozan posts 30+ points for third straight game – Video – TSN
DeMar DeRozan became the first Raptor to record 30 points or more in the team’s first three games of the season, Josh Lewenberg and Kayla Grey recap Toronto’s win over the Nuggets.
2Pat block at the rim leads to a DeRozan And1 on the break #defencetooffence #wethenorth #raptors #nba #nuggets pic.twitter.com/Wz16h9CxPE
— Sam Holako (@rapsfan) November 1, 2016
Nuggets rally, but Lowry, DeRozan too much in loss to Raptors – Denver Post
“They punked us in that first half,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of the Raptors. “They got whatever they want, they dropped their shoulder and bullied us. We’re not going to stand for that. I thought in the second half we had a much more physical tone to us; we became the aggressor.
“But as I told them, just like the Portland game … we want to be a playoff team? We can’t play two quarters. You can’t wait until the third quarter to outscore them. Hopefully we understand that. … It is required to play 48 minutes in the NBA.”
The Nuggets’ biggest deficit was 19 points. They were down by 13 at halftime. But in the third quarter, they rallied and were down just four going into the fourth.
The Nuggets had the game where they wanted it after a 15-5 run to start the fourth quarter gave them the lead. But just as the Toronto crowd was starting to get restless and starting to fret, Kyle Lowry heated up.
He made big shot after big shot, bringing the Raptors back to take the lead, and then keeping them in the lead with more all-star-caliber plays. He scored 12 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets had a shot to tie it, but Danilo Gallinari’s 3-pointer rimmed off at the buzzer.
DeMar with the turnaround jumper at the buzzer to give the Raptors a 4point lead heading into the 4th #wethenorth #raptors #nba #nuggets pic.twitter.com/02mW4xIczT
— Sam Holako (@rapsfan) November 1, 2016
Recap: Raptors hand Nuggets their second loss of the season, 105-102 – Denver Stiffs
After not playing a single minute in the previous two fourth quarters, Nurkic got the nod to start the 4th and stayed in the game for the entire 12 minutes. The Nuggets rallied to go up by as many as five points midway through the 4th and looked to have taken the momentum behind some solid defense and very unselfish basketball. Unfortunately, the lead was fairly short lived.
The Nuggets scored just three points in the final 5:56 and DeRozan and Kyle Lowry hit big shots down the stretch, polishing off a 105-102 win for the Raptors. Gallo and Mudiay each missed a game-tying three-pointers, both of which seemed forced and contested and the Nuggets left Toronto with their first losing streak of the season. Nurkic looked pretty gassed down the stretch, playing a team-high 38 minutes including nearly 23 minutes in the 2nd half.
DeMar goes left in traffic to get the #Raptors within 2 #wethenorth pic.twitter.com/Gq8hMGDuny
— Sam Holako (@rapsfan) November 1, 2016
Denver Nuggets Rally But Late Struggles Lead to Second Straight Loss – Nugg Love
The Nuggets failled to stop the star players yet again as DeMar DeRozan dropped 33 and Kyle Lowry added another 29. Those two alone helped push the Raptors to their 2nd win, especially with their play late in the game. The Nuggets will need to improve when playing teams with star players as they have let up three 30+ games from opposing players throughout their first 3 games.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMO_a5egrv-/
Raptors ride their stars, beat Nuggets 105-102 – Raptors HQ
Interestingly enough, the degree to which Lowry and DeRozan were superior to their teammates is one of a few troubling signs to come out of Monday’s game. When the pair combine for 62 points on 43 shots, it accentuates how predictable the Raptors’ ISO-heavy offense can be. Why fix something that’s been working to such great effect, right?
Well, the one-dimensional sets that helped bring the Raptors back from near disaster almost cost them in the final minute. With just 34 seconds on the clock, the Raptors ran multiple screens for Lowry and DeRozan in hopes of aligning one of those mismatches Casey was talking about. But instead of finding an open look or lane to the basket, the Raptors found a shot clock violation. Emmanuel Mudiay’s missed three-pointer near the buzzer is the only reason the preceding sequence probably won’t be dissected in-depth tomorrow.
Dependence on stars has its limits. Toronto has the luxury of employing two offensive pillars who are nearly impossible to contain when both are singing in unison as they did against the Nuggets. But at some point, DeRozan won’t be averaging 35 a game and Lowry won’t be ‘over everything.’
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMP139rAI5m/
Siakam living his late father’s NBA dream – Article – TSN
Siakam continues to defy the odds, but he’s doing so with a heavy heart.
In October of 2014, just before the start of his son’s freshman season at New Mexico State, Tchamo Siakam was killed in a car accident. He had always hoped that one of his four sons would make the NBA.
“I think he just loved everything about it,” Siakam, the youngest of the boys, said of his late father’s passion for basketball. “He loved the excitement of the game. I remember talking to him on the phone and he always told us, ‘Go between the legs or dunk, that’s what people like.’ So he liked that part of the game — the intensity, the dunking, the shooting three-pointers and the excitement, how you can make people feel good.”
Growing up in Douala, Cameroon, Siakam couldn’t escape the sport. His older brothers — Boris, Christian and James — all played. Each of them eventually left home to compete collegiately in the United States. Despite the physical gifts he shared with them, he had no intention of following in their footsteps. Siakam played soccer and was interested in business management. He thought about going to work with his dad at his transit company.
“I wanted to do something different,” he admitted. “I wanted to be the guy that’s going to be like, ‘Nah, I’m not going to do basketball, I’m going to do something else.’ I was going to go to college and finish college and do [business]. But things happen for a reason.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BMP0dRxAod4/
Bebe’s ankle injury costs him spot in Raptors’ rotation | Toronto Star
Lucas Nogueira’s ankle injury is proving to be costly. The Raptors’ backup centre not only missed his third game of the season Monday against Denver, he’s also lost his spot in the team’s rotation.
“This is, what, nine days now? He tried it (Sunday), just couldn’t go. I don’t know exactly when he’s going to come back,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.
Jakob Poeltl has assumed backup centre duties, behind starter Jonas Valanciunas. The rookie managed seven points and seven rebounds in 11 minutes in Friday’s loss to Cleveland.
“(Nogueira’s) going to have to get past him right now as far as playing, because Jakob is doing an excellent job,” Casey said. “And he fits in to what we need to do (against Denver), to be physical.”
Toronto Raptors: Fresh 24 – The Kyle Lowry Decoy Play – Tip of the Tower
it’s a late game situation, so the obvious choice for the Raptors is to have ball in Lowry’s hands . Realistically, he has been struggling since the season started, but nobody is going to remember nor care about that in the moment.
This time Lowry runs behind Lebron as if to set the screen. However, the Raptors’ two-time All-Star only makes contact, because Lebron hip checks him to slow him down.
James sees the screen coming and switches, even though no real screen is set. J.R. Smith can clearly see that there’s no screen so he follows Lowry, but at the last moment sees James switch.
Caught, Smith has to double back to cover DeRozan, but it’s too late. The Raptors’ shooting guard gets to watch the Cavaliers offence collapse without any ball movement whatsoever and immediately decimates the defence at the first sign of confusion.
Lowry has a gravity associated to him, just like any other star player and Dwane Casey seems to know how to exploit it. It’s a cute play to be sure, it’s a counter to the leagues’ counter of the Raptors’ play style.
This play isn’t going to be in the scouting report for a while and when it is discovered, the screen variant with DeRozan is still going to be insanely hard to stop. The only way to slow down the drive to the rim is to switch, but that still gives DeRozan the mismatch and a split second advantage over his opponent.
Westbrook vs. Lowry next week? Yes, please! – Article – TSN
Russell Westbrook (Thunder): His numbers are awesome. He’s got 38.7 PPG, 12.3 RPG and 11.7 APG. That’s downright nasty. This man is on a mission.
I’m counting the days until Wednesday, Nov. 9 when I get to see him and Kyle Lowry go head-to-head. Both guys bring incredible passion and toughness to the table. Westbrook takes no prisoners with his all out style. He’s absolute must-viewing on a nightly basis if you love the NBA.
The 4 Best NBA Performances From Last Week: Jonas Valanciunas Steamrolls Detroit – numberFire
Jonas Valanciunas had a great 2015-16 season, but he only saw the floor for an average of 26 minutes a game. This time around, things are expected to be a little different up north. Valanciunas will be more of a priority offensively, and he’s likely to play more minutes. On Wednesday, it helped that the Raptors were absent a reliable backup center in their home opener against the Detroit Pistons, as JV played 35 minutes and took advantage of every second.
Valanciunas tallied 32 points and 11 rebounds all the while shooting 10 of 15 from the floor and 12 of 14 at the line. He converted to the tune of a true shooting percentage of 75.6% to go with a usage of 27.5%. The big man’s performance warranted a 61.62 nERD — the highest of the week — which led the Raptors to a 109-91 victory over the Pistons.
BBALLBREAKDOWN’s NBA Dark Horse Contenders – BBALLBREAKDOWN
Jonas Valanciunas may not fit the archetype of the modern NBA center, but he’s a monster rebounder and useful tertiary (sometimes secondary) scorer to bolster the backcourt production. DeMarre Carroll’s first year in Toronto was muddled by injury, limiting him to a mere 26 games and clearly hampering him in the playoffs. This season, a healthy Carroll adds a layer of versatility to their 8th ranked offense and tightens up the defense, which finished a very respectable 11th in defensive rating last year.
One area of concern has to be the loss of Bismack Biyombo through free agency. The Raps finished seventh in defensive rebounding percentage last year, with Biyombo grabbing a team high 20.8 percent of available defensive boards while on the court. Replacing Biyombo with the underwhelming Jared Sullinger isn’t ideal, but an early injury (surprise) to Sullinger may be a blessing in disguise. Rookies Jakob Poeltl and Pascal Siakam are bringing energy and surprising production off the bench, combining for almost nine points and 10 rebounds a game early on.
And it’s early, but Toronto’s reluctance to open the floor with threes is something to watch; the Raps are dead last in the league in three-point rate (less than one in five of their shots are threes; by comparison, the Cavs are third in the league at about 40 percent, and the Celtics are fifth at 35 percent), and 29th in three-point percentage.
As they’ve done every year while they scratched their way up the Eastern hierarchy, there’s little doubt that Toronto will adapt and thrive. It would take a minor miracle for the Dinos to upend Cleveland, but as a certain 1-3 Finals comeback shows, sometimes basketball miracles DO happen.
Did I miss something? Send me any Raptors-related article/video/post to rapsfan@raptorsrepublic.com
