Raptors 116 – Grizzlies 107: Lots of work pays off

The Raptors didn’t seize the reins of the Grizzlies game until Q4, but using solid defense as the anchor, ground out a victory.

The Toronto Raptors seldom make life easy on themselves. Last night’s game against the undermanned Memphis Grizzlies was yet another example. Toronto managed to find itself down by an absurd 17-point margin in Q2 to one of the lowest scoring teams in the NBA. They fought back, and finally buried the bears in Q4 by holding them to 14 points with sterling defense. Toronto was behind for more time than they were ahead, but once they grabbed the lead, Memphis was done.

The Grizzlies shot a ridiculous 73.7% in Q1, and carried a 9-point lead into the second quarter. After bottoming out with the huge deficit, Serge Ibaka buried a pair of 3-balls. After another Raptors turnover, Ben McLemore tried a 360-slam unopposed – and clanked it. That reprieve seemed to provide Toronto with new life. The Raptors kept chipping away, and the margin was only 5 at halftime.

Tyreke Evans was a thorn in the Raptors’ side the entire game, leading all scorers with 27 efficient points. Conversely, CJ Miles was blanked in two tries from deep, and compiled a minus_15 in just over four minutes. That typified the second unit’s struggles, which were considerable in Q2.

The real Raps to the rescue

Thankfully, the reserves showed up in the second half. Fred VanVleet’s minus_16 in the first was an accurate reflection of his error-plagued effort. After the break, he returned to the under-control hustler we’ve grown used to, hitting a triple of 3-balls, and adding two assists with no turnovers.

OG Anunoby gets some love for his tenacious defense on the perimeter. He has pickpocket’s hands, and isn’t afraid to dive on the floor to tussle for loose balls he’s forced. He won’t get many votes for Rookie of the Year, but is starting to get noticed.

The Raps were able to force the pace of play, which led to 41 fast-break points. They also got to the charity stripe more than their opponents, cashing in on 29 of 33 tries. DeMar DeRozan’s shooting was off, but he made up for that at the line, hitting 14 times without a miss. The Grizz managed 16 of 22.

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Neither team was happy with the officiating. Memphis was called for 2 technicals in Q4, which blunted their comeback attempt. Dwane Casey looked like he was going to have a stroke several times as he raged at the zebras. His anger with his troops was also on display several times.

They needed several wake-up calls, but finally answered the bell. Combined with Cleveland’s loss in Indiana, Toronto has moved into second place in the East.

The Raps are in California to face Sacramento on Sunday night and the Los Angeles Clippers the following.