Raptors 110 – Portland Trail Blazers 103: Fend them off
By Brian Boake
The Raptors have punished home teams this season, and did so again in Portland, a city where wins have been hard to come by over the years.
A problem which has plagued the Toronto Raptors all season, namely starting games in a sluggish fashion, was refreshingly absent on Thursday night. The Raptors shrugged off early foul trouble to shred the Portland Trail Blazers’ defense for 37 points in Q1. The 12-point lead they built up was sufficient to sustain them to victory, despite several wobbles.
This game was billed as the battle of the backcourts, and for once there was truth in advertising. Toronto’s Batman and other Batman (there’s no Robin here), Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, scored 30 and 29 points, respectively. For Portland, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollom led the way, combining for 48. Allen Crabbe, an unheralded swingman, added 17. He looks like Portland’s version of Denver’s Will Barton, and has a bright future.
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The Raptors’ second unit played a prominent role in the win. Terrence Ross, in a return to his hometown, scored a dozen points. None was from distance; instead he picked his spots to make 5 field goals in the flow of the game. He was plus_11, which looks good except compared to Patrick Patterson’s plus_19. 2-Pat hit both 3-balls he tried, to everyone’s relief, and managed 3 steals. Cory Joseph was another with 12 points. He and Lowry were victims of Portland’s quick-handed guards; CoJo had 3 turnovers, while Kyle was charged with 7.
Jonas Valanciunas appeared destined for a difficult night, after being called for two fouls in the game’s first minute. The second foul was later rescinded and assessed to Norman Powell, but Dwane Casey couldn’t know that would happen and called upon Bismack Biyombo to hold the fort. When JV returned later in the quarter, he scored six of his eventual 14 points. He completed the double-double with 11 rebounds. The Raptors’ spacing was great for him, as the team made 6 of 7 long balls, and Portland had to confront the shooters.
Portland pushed hard in Q2, and whittled a 16-point deficit down to six before the Raptors recovered. The halftime margin was eight. The third quarter was more of the same, with Portland pressing and Toronto counter-punching. Though the Blazers got as close as four points, a CoJo jumper produced a seven-point lead as Q3 ended.
The fourth quarter was tight for a while, but the Raptors pulled out to a 14-point bulge with just over 4 minutes to play. They then slipped into that depressing pattern of turnovers and missed shots which continually allows opposing teams to get back into games that should have been settled. The last minute of play was interminable; a procession of free throw shots. A CoJo steal ended the nonsense, and another Raptor victory was official.
Portland looks like it has a backcourt ready to challenge anyone, and some up and coming swingmen, but has few interesting big men. Ex-Raptor Ed Davis looked competent, but I’m not all dewy-eyed about getting him back in our colours. He was minus_18 in 21+ minutes.
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The Raptors return to Toronto before heading to Detroit for a Monday night game. Will the Pistons, then the Timberwolves, become more Raptors road kill?