The banged-up Raptors seem to have rediscovered some defensive mojo. They needed it to pull out a victory late against the Pelicans.
The Toronto Raptors survived a dismal start, a second straight poor game from its top scorer, and some crummy free-throw shooting to steal a win. Toronto’s struggles would have doomed them most nights. Fortunately for the Raptors and their fans, the opponent wasn’t a league powerhouse, but a bumbling collection of New Orleans Pelicans. The home team’s chances worsened when Anthony Davis didn’t return for the second half.
The ongoing absence of Kyle Lowry has forced Raptors coach Dwane Casey to put on the floor some odd combinations, and that trend will likely be more pronounced should DeMarre Carroll’s ankle injury prove stubborn. P.J. Tucker started at small forward, and his performance in 37+ minutes was strong enough to suggest a permanent change.

However, his contribution pales beside that of Jonas Valanciunas. Our starting centre has been besieged by complaints about his poor defense. On this night, he acquitted himself very well against manboy DeMarcus Cousins on D. Beyond that, he was the game’s high scorer and rebounder with 25 points and 13 boards.
The personal icing on the cake was the confidence shown in JV by his coach. He’s been parked on the bench more often than not late in games, but on this night he was prominent in Q4, making all 4 shots he tried, including a dagger putback of a Serge Ibaka miss.
Speaking of our power forward, his contribution was substantial. While Serge’s shooting wasn’t his best, he chipped in 12 points. On D, he was a problem for the Pels, blocking 4 shots and changing many others.
Um…it wasn’t pretty
This was a ragged game, which we Raptors fans had best get used to. Our new guys are still get used to their mates. Emergency point guard Cory Joseph has been adequate, which describes his work on this night. Becoming more dangerous beyond the arc would be most welcome. CoJo made just 1 of 6 tries, and wasn’t even covered on several.
DeRozan’s recent shooting troubles are hard to figure. To my eyes, he’s taking as many contested shots as ever, but missing more. His defenders don’t leave their feet as much, which blunts the effectiveness of his ball fakes. Against the Pels, he deserves credit for leading the team with 6 assists. Passing instead of taking bad shots is what to do when your touch is somewhere else.
The Raptors added to their NBA lead in games won after being down by double digits. They qualified by falling behind 18-8 in Q1, which will happen when you miss your first six shots.
However, it was the Pelicans’ offense which went dry late in the game. With 5+ to play, another Raptors turnover allowed an easy bucket, and the Pelicans were ahead by one. They didn’t score again until E’Twaun Moore drained a 3-ball with 37 seconds left to play. In the meantime, the Raptors had poured in 11 points.
Toronto faces a tougher opponent on Friday night. They meet the Hawks in Atlanta.