“He’s handled it well,” Casey said of Lowry. “I thought at the end of Game 4 in Washington, it took a toll on us a little bit because his minutes ramped up pretty high. Again, he’s a pro and he can handle it. He’ll probably feel it one game, but he’ll adjust his body and mentality in another game. So Kyle — he can play multiple minutes and it won’t bother him. He knows how to pick his spots to rest.”
At times, DeRozan has fallen back into his previous “empty the clip” mode. Through five games, he is using 35.1 per cent of the Raptors’ possessions when he is on the floor, above his career high from last regular season, and higher than any playoffs in his career.
Raptors Practice: Kyle Lowry – April 26, 2018 – YouTube
This is the big story out of Game 5. After leaving him on the bench in the 4th in all four games, the coaching staff went back to the big man for the final 8 minutes of the 4th quarter in this game. They were rewarded with Jonas Valanciunas posting a +18 in the 4th quarter alone (team-best +19 on the night).
Valanciunas filled the box score on the night, in spite of some inefficient shooting, putting up 14 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and a steal in 32 minutes. 6 of those points and 7 of those rebounds came in the 4th quarter alone.
When Game 5 was on the line against the Raptors, Wizards stars were erased – The Washington Post
No one on the Wizards’ roster has more crunch-time minutes this season than Bradley Beal, and yet he was reduced to being a long-distance afterthought. The all-star shooting guard launched a trio of deep attempts, making one futile three-pointer well after the result of Game 5 had been determined.
On Wednesday night the Raptors snatched a three-games-to-two series lead with a 108-98 win behind a dominant showing at the end of the game. With four minutes left in Wednesday’s game, the Wizards were within 94-93 and conceivably on the verge of an elusive road win (including last year, Washington has won eight consecutive playoff games at home but has dropped its past seven on the road). However, Washington’s offense then devolved into a poorly run three-point drill, and the team’s two all-stars virtually disappeared.
Raptors Practice: Delon Wright – April 26, 2018 – YouTube
Raptors looking for Wright stuff in wrong building | The Star
In a lot of ways, home-road discrepancies don’t make logical sense. NBA courts are more standardized than they’ve ever been. Travel has never been easier. Hotels are invariably five-diamond. The hardwood runs 94 feet everywhere. Visiting locker rooms are mostly passable, if not palaces.
And yet, home-road discrepancies happen. The same Wizards that have won eight straight playoff games at Capital One Arena have lost seven straight playoff games in opposing gyms. And heading into Thursday, visiting teams had a 10-29 record so far in the NBA post-season.
Jonas Valanciunas, the Raptors’ middleman – The Globe and Mail
This had been a big night for Valanciunas – a pivotal role in choking off a late Washington run. He doesn’t have that sort of outing often.
But even now, he was being reminded of his role in the Raptors’ veteran trio. Where Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are stars, Valanciunas is sidekick and comic relief. If they’re Batman and Robin, he’s Alfred with zingers.
The next day, Valanciunas was asked how many languages he really speaks.
Raptors Practice: Dwane Casey – April 26, 2018 – YouTube
Raptors ignore the trash-talk as they look to finish off Wizards | CBC Sports
“We need to go out there, execute the game plan, play our game,” said point guard Kyle Lowry. “Understand where we are. We’re on the road. We understand that things are going to be a bit different but we’ve got to stay focused.”
With backup point guard Fred VanVleet nursing a shoulder injury, the minutes are up for both Lowry and Wright. Coach Dwane Casey hopes Wright will continue his fine work from Game 5, taking shots he passed up in a tentative fourth quarter in Game 4.
Raptors’ Delon Wright fires back at Kelly Oubre
Naturally, those comments rubbed Wright the wrong way and the Raptors point guard responded on Thursday.
“I mean, that’s his opinion,” Delon Wright said to Josh Lewenberg of TSN. “I didn’t play as good as I did at home there, but he made it seem like I was just a total bust. We’ll see in Game 6.”
Lewenberg also reported that Wright said under his breath “I’ve got a quote ready for (Oubre) after we win,” as the Raptors bench member walked away.
Toronto Raptors on Instagram: “Deuces! Off to D.C.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiC_oskg_fe/
Raptors’ Wright ‘lets it fly’ in season-saving fourth quarter – Article – TSN
The third-year point guard has been Toronto’s X-factor. In the three wins, all of them at home, Wright is averaging 15.7 points on 55 per cent shooting. In the two losses, both on the road, those numbers fall to 6.5 points on 33 per cent.
He’s not alone in that regard, just about every player on both teams has played better on home court, but Wizards reserve Kelly Oubre singled Wright out following Game 5.
“The next game is a different story,” Oubre told the Washington Post. “We’re back at home. Just like Delon doesn’t play well anywhere else, you know, other than at home. You can kind of chalk it up as the same story.”
Raptors’ rest strategy paying off for Kyle Lowry | Toronto Sun
At mid-season, Lowry told TSN.ca that for the first time in memory, he couldn’t remember one instance this year where he got off the plane following a game and felt the usual soreness he had grown accustomed to when he averaged 36 or 37 minutes a night. Nothing has changed in that regard, and a fresher Lowry nailed half of his six three-point attempts, had 10 assists and only one turnover in a stellar Game 5 performance when his team needed him the most.
“I feel good. I really feel good,” Lowry repeated after practice on Thursday, before he and his teammates heading to Washington hoping to close out the Wizards on Friday night.
Toronto Raptors on Instagram: “Standard night at the office”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiCt69tgE0B/
Early exit would bring questions for the Washington Wizards | Toronto Sun
“Up five with still eight minutes, there’s still a lot of basketball left,” Wall said. “It’s a lot of stuff going on.
“We feel we let one slip away, but at the same time we played aggressive. We just didn’t make shots. They made the bigger shots at the end of the game, and other than probably two or three turnovers that I had, we got all the looks we wanted in the fourth quarter. They just made bigger shots and bigger plays than us.”
Otto Porter Jr.’s status for Wizards-Raptors Game 6 is unclear – The Washington Post
Porter has played with a bone contusion in his left leg that has been monitored by the Wizards’ medical staff, according to a person close to the situation. On Thursday, Wizards Coach Scott Brooks was vague about Porter’s status for Game 6, set to be played at 7 p.m. Friday in Capital One Arena. The Wizards trail the Raptors 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.
“Anything’s possible, but we hope for the best,” Brooks said when asked whether it’s possible Porter will not play Friday. “I know he’s banged up. That’s all I know as of right now.”
Woz Blog: Raptors took care of business at home, now the toughest test looms | Toronto Sun
The Raptors got off to another nice start, once again forcing Washington’s Scott Brooks to call the initial timeout.
“I notice I don’t like ’em … they’ve had four good starts, we’ve had to overcome a couple of ’em, but that’s playing with fire,” Brooks had lamented pre-game. Still, the Wizards led after a quarter and the game was air-tight until the decisive fourth.
