Jan 6, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) loses the ball to Toronto Raptors center Amir Johnson (15) as guard Alan Anderson (6) helps out at the Air Canada Centre. The Thunder beat the Raptors 104-92. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Thunder demonstrated all too clearly why they are a championship-grade squad. Despite a marvellous game by Alan Anderson, OKC took an early lead & except for a brief shining moment in Q2, never relinquished it. Their best players are young veterans, who carved up the Raptors defence to the tune of 49% shooting, despite only hitting 6/22 3-balls. You don’t need advanced math to conclude the Thunder were scoring with ridiculous efficiency inside, as Westbrook, Durant & Serge Ibaka penetrated time & again. Kevin Martin bounced off the bench to hurt the Raps from outside when the Thunder played dribble-kick.

The game was not a disaster for the Raps – they didn’t lose this one like they did against the Kings, they got beat. After a lackluster Q1, which the Raps were lucky to escape with only a 5-point deficit, Anderson started the second quarter & was magical. He poured in 19 points, including four 3-balls, one of which became a 4-pointer when he was steamrolled by Ibaka. The Thunder adjusted, & Alan didn’t get a lot of breathing room for the duration. However he was wily enough to start driving, & had 8 more points in the second half. He wasn’t getting a lot of help. The Raps were frequently up against the shot clock due to the Thunder’s smothering D, & a lot of hopeless shots were launched as a result. DeMar DeRozan took several of those without success, & wasn’t doing well penetrating either, ending with 11.

The Thunder won the game in Q3, stretching their lead from two points at half to 11 in a near-clinical fashion. At no point in Q4 did the Raps look like they were on the comeback trail, as the Thunder pushed the margin to 21 before both teams’ benches got to play. Amir Johnson emerged from his scoreless disaster against Sacramento to score 19, a number of them on foul line jumpers when the Thunder gave him space. He reminded me of Charles Oakley – slow to set up, & with no discernible jump, yet the ball splashed many times. Ed Davis had a number of open looks but couldn’t connect in the second half. We need more than 4 points & 3 boards from him. Terrence Ross couldn’t get untracked, as the Thunder were in his face on the perimeter, & didn’t score. In one of those statistical anomalies which occasionally occur in every sport, TR was plus12 for the game, largely because he was on the floor during Anderson’s Q2 spree.

The Raptors have a few days to prepare for the Philadelphia 76ers, who are in town on Wednesday.

Brian Boake is a staff writer for Raptors Rapture. “Like” Raptors Rapture on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @RaptorsRapture for all the latest news and updates about the best damn NBA team from Canada.

The Raptors picked the wrong night to quit shooting accurately, in the process absorbing a hammering from the Thunder. This game was decided early, as the Raps were stuck on 17 points while the Thunder piled up the baskets. During a 9-minute stretch straddling Qs 1 & 2, the Raps managed 1 field goal. And from our “when it rains, it pours” file, Kyle Lowry rolled his ankle in Q2, went down in serious pain, & did not return. He is expected to play tonight in Dallas.

It’s not often that an NBA game enters garbage time as early as this one. The Raps were down 19 at half, & by 29 partway through the third quarter. Both teams substituted freely, so much so that every player suited for both teams hit the floor, which I can’t remember seeing before. The Thunder, who are so deep it’s hard to tell who’s considered a second unit player, were led in their balanced attack by Russell Westbrook (19 points).  Serge Ibaka missed but 1 shot on his way to 17, & Kevin Martin & the NBA’s top scorer, Kevin Durant, each had 15. Before fouling out, Hasheem Thabeet had 10 points & 2 of OKC’s 9 blocked shots. The paint was a No-Fly-Zone for the Raps all night.

Turning to the Raps, whom Coach Dwane Casey said after the game he “did not recognize”, one must drill deep to find anything positive from such an embarrassment. Jonas Valanciunas led the scoring with 18 (well done, rookie), while Bargani, who reverted to his pylon-on-D self, had 16. Terrence Ross played 13+ minutes & added 10, including his first NBA 3-ball. Otherwise the scoresheet is littered with miserable stats. John Lucas was 1/9, while Alan Anderson missed all 5 shots he tried from distance. Landry Fields looks like he’s going to have a nervous breakdown; he can’t even finish the uncontested shots. He had 3 miserable points, & 2 boards. How long can this charade continue? DeMar DeRozan had no room to operate against OKC’s mobile bigs, & finished 2/10, & a shocking -27 to boot.

The Raptors received a rude notice last night about how steep the mountain is to becoming a top-rank team. The Thunder are already there, & toyed with our guys. In pro sports, it often helps to have a short memory. It’s time to think about how to beat the Mavericks.