The Raptors bent but didn’t break against the talented Wizards. Instead it was Toronto which closed the game strongly.
The Toronto Raptors, in a tight battle with a number of teams for playoff positioning, were in serious need of a victory on Friday night. One of those contenders, the Washington Wizards, had just rolled over on the Raptors in their own building. Losing again would have been a serious blow.
Instead, Toronto turned the tables on the home team. Despite blowing all of a hard-earned 19-point lead, the Raptors were the better team in Q4. Led by a remarkable game from shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, Toronto bent but didn’t break, and hit key shots under shots. A quality opponent was defeated on the road.
DeRozan becomes by default Toronto’s leader, as Kyle Lowry is in street clothes for a month. DD has responded well to the challenge, and he reached new heights in this game. He led all scorers with 32 points, and his team in rebounds (13) and assists (5).
DeRozan made all 3 long balls he tried, which would be a huge boost to the team if he could sustain that kind of effectiveness from deep.
No guards, no wins
This game provided further proof, if any was needed, that today’s NBA is all about guard play. The Wizards’ starting backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal totalled 57 points, while the Raptors received 15 from Cory Joseph to go with DD’s efficient numbers.
The difference-maker for Toronto was Norman Powell. He should be told every quarter is the fourth; just as he did in Toronto, his game came alive in Q4. Norman had suffered the indignity of two air balls from deep, and looked badly out of sorts, but shook off whatever was ailing him to score 14 of his 21 points late.
Toronto’s defense was ready for the man who killed them Wednesday night, Bojan Bogdanovic. He was continually chased off the 3-point line and not provided a lane to the basket. Instead of 27 points, he scored 2.
Lucas Nogueira has been a consistent shot-blocker for the Raptors, but he can’t do it from the bench. He was pasted there once again, leaving the role open for…Delon Wright? Yes, our backup point guard, rejected 4 Wizards’ attempts. His stout defense was welcome, as was his modest 9 points, on only 2 shots.
Jonas Valanciunas is the starting centre, but he certainly isn’t the finishing one. He never saw the floor, again, in the closing quarter. Neither did the ineffectual DeMarre Carroll, who’s all but lost his job to nasty boy P.J. Tucker.
The Raptors should be proud of this win. Let’s hope they can maintain their momentum as they face the Milwaukee Bucks tonight (wait – who made up this terrible schedule, and why isn’t he facing charges?)