 | Orlando | 114 | Final Box Score | 113 | Toronto |  |
 B+ | P. Patterson29 MIN, 7 PTS, 10 REB, 1 AST, 2-4 FG, 1-2 3FG, 2-3 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 11 +/-I liked the overall effort from Patterson tonight, and he seems to have fully phased himself back into the Raptors lineup. But after initially thinking the Raptors woes may have something to do with Patterson’s absence, it’s clear to me now that there is so much more to the equation. | |
 C+ | D. Carroll17 MIN, 7 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 3-8 FG, 0-5 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -11 +/-Shooting 34% from the field in his past 10 coming into tonight, it’s clear DC has been struggling shooting it, and while he had some encouraging moments tonight, going 0/5 from three (including an airball) was just deflating for the offense. | |
 B+ | J. Valanciunas28 MIN, 12 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST, 4-6 FG, 0-0 3FG, 4-5 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 2 +/-I liked his aggressiveness tonight on the glass, and he also showed nice some passing early on. More plays run for JV isn’t always a bad idea, but he’s got to continue to learn to pass out of post-ups and take advantage of help defense. | |
 B | D. DeRozan36 MIN, 22 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST, 6-18 FG, 0-1 3FG, 10-11 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 4 +/-Showed clear signs of rust in the first half, going a quiet ¼with no legs in his jumpers, and awkward takes to the rim. He had a much better second half, and some huge shots in the fourth quarter leading to another 20+ point night. I’ll give him an overall pass tonight on the shooting, but I fully expect DeMar to be back in all-star form by Tuesday. | |
 A | K. Lowry38 MIN, 33 PTS, 5 REB, 8 AST, 9-18 FG, 6-9 3FG, 9-12 FT, 0 BLK, 4 TO, 10 +/-Like so many nights during the Raptors’ depressing January, Lowry was simply the only consistent offensive answer tonight. He sat for a 3 minute period to close the quarter, and well – the Magic went on a 21-3 run, and that was the what set the tone. To put it nicely, the offensive execution in Lowry’s absence was abysmal. | |
 A | T. Ross28 MIN, 17 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 6-10 FG, 4-7 3FG, 1-1 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 15 +/-Played a real strong 28 minutes, and showed rhythm on his three-point stroke which was encouraging. I also liked Ross’s energy on defense, as he showed mobility and was active getting in between passing lanes. His team-high +15 was huge for the Raptors in making their mini comebacks. | |
 D | C. Joseph18 MIN, 3 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 1-6 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -15 +/-This was probably one of the top 5 worst games I’ve ever seen CoJo play in a Raptors uniform. In taking over the second unit in the second quarter, Cory was simply flat, leading to a team-low -15 on the night. The usual maneuverability in the lane that we saw from Cory’s game last year has still yet to make a consistent appearance this season. | |
 C+ | N. Powell13 MIN, 4 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 1-3 FG, 0-1 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -13 +/-I would have liked Dwane Casey to go to Powell earlier in the first half, but Norman was not able to capitalize on a couple of open looks at the rim and from outside. He also let a gorgeous Lowry pass right at the rim slip right through his fingers. | |
 B- | L. Nogueira12 MIN, 4 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 2-2 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 9 +/-Showed the typical energy we’re used to seeing from Bebe, but his tendency to get into foul trouble continues to hamper the Raptors. With Bebe not being able to make significant contributions, it forced Dwane Casey’s hand in going to Sullinger. | |
 C+ | P. Siakam11 MIN, 4 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 2-3 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, -13 +/-Not a whole lot from Pascal, who was -13 in 11 minutes of action with just 4 points, no rebounds, and no assists. | |
 C+ | J. Sullinger7 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -1 +/-I know he’s still working his way back but…right now, with the stage of the season we’re in and the shape this guy seems to be in, it’s hard to really imagine him making a meaningful contribution this season. Then again, I’d loved to be proven wrong. | |
 B+ | F. VanVleet3 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -3 +/-Garbage time. | |
 D | Dwane Casey Just like almost every game the past 2-3 weeks or so, I didn’t like the game preparation, sharpness in execution, and ability to close quarters. I didn’t like that he didn’t use Powell earlier in the game either, despite DeMarre’s continued struggles. Interesting that he went to 12 guys tonight, but the way the game was going it almost seemed like many of Casey’s substitutions were guesses rather than part of a plan. | |
THINGS WE SAW
- Shooting from DC and Joseph: The “third-option” scoring for the Raptors from guys like JV, Carroll, Ross, Joseph and Patterson has been up-and-down this season to say the least, but it’s been especially bad efforts from Cory Joseph and DeMarre Carroll recently, who stunk it up once again tonight (on both ends of the floor). The free-agent duo acquired in 2015 shot a combined 4/14 and showed definite struggles defending their respective postions.
- Defense? What defense? Okay so the Raptors don’t have a great defense anymore, I can live with that. But to give up 114 points at home to a team that’s 29th in the league in offense, including 44 bench points and on 53% shooting, that’s just a disgrace. Regardless of how many wins or what seed the Raptors will be, this kind of defense smells of yet another first round exit.
- Division lead and seeding: For the first time in I don’t even know how long, the Raptors aren’t leading the Atlantic Division anymore, and more importantly they’ve now slid to the third slot in the Eastern Conference. While it’s only a slim half-game lead for the Celtics, it means Wednesday’s tilt against the Celtics in Boston could have huge implications for the Raptors regular season.
