Toronto Raptors Roundup: Two big wins and a Valanciunas injury

Toronto Raptors Roundup is a weekly segment where we fill you in on all the games, highlights and stories from last week. Here’s what you missed from the ninth week of the season.

After losing three of four games last week, the Toronto Raptors set out on a west coast trip that would test their resolve. Back to back games against the Clippers and Warriors followed by a trip to Portland and then Denver could’ve pushed the Raptors to the limit, especially considering their floor general, Kyle Lowry, was stuck in an epic shooting slump.

The Raptors started the road trip with two impressive wins against Los Angeles and Golden State. By mid-week, they were the darlings of the NBA,  being touted as the best team in the league and a real threat to dethrone the champion Warriors. Kyle Lowry sat out the final two games with a thigh bruise and his absence was noticeable.

Another unfortunate by-product of the week was Jonas Valanciunas‘s thumb dislocation. A cast was placed on the hand and Valanciunas and he’s expected to be out at least six weeks. Greg Monroe will get some run, as will Canadian Chris Boucher, recently called up from the 905.

Game Recap

Toronto at Los Angeles

As the NBA world buzzed about the possibility of Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and other big-name free agents heading to the Clippers this offseason, the Toronto Raptors came into the Staples Centre and took care of business, winning decisively 123-99 to start a four-game west coast road trip.

The Raptors were without Leonard who sat out with a sore right hip, but it didn’t matter as Kyle Lowry emerged from a shooting slump scoring 21 points, going four of eight from deep, a good sign for Raptor fans.

Like Lowry, the Raptors as a whole would shoot better than they have in recent games. They shot 52-percent from the floor and 48-percent from deep while racking up 34 assists on 50 field goals. Serge Ibaka had 25 points, playing aggressively on both ends of the floor.

Toronto at Golden State

Well, that was a little unexpected, wasn’t it? I don’t care how much you think of this team, no one could have predicted the complete domination we saw at Oracle Arena on Wednesday with the Raptors shocking the Warriors 113-93. 

The Raptors had every excuse in the book coming into this one. It was the second game of a back to back and they’d be playing without Kawhi Leonard.

This is a scheduled loss if I’ve ever seen one. To make matters worse, Jonas Valanciunas went down the with a dislocated thumb, an injury that will cost him at minimum four to six weeks.

However, the Raptors didn’t bend, nor did they break. They led nearly the entire game, improving on a 16 point first half lead, with an 11-0 run to start the fourth; a run that sent the fans to the exits halfway through the final quarter. The Warriors were stymied by the effort and energy the Raptors brought, unable to match their intensity for much of the game.

Kyle Lowry, seemingly out of his shooting slump now, scored 23 points and 12 assists. He looked like the Lowry of old, hitting in rhythm jumpers and aggressively driving the ball inside, attacking the rim.

Toronto at Portland

It was bound to happen. After the highs of the Clippers and Warriors wins, the Raptors came into Portland and lost 128-122 to a Portland team who seemed to locate their rhythm after a tough stretch.

The Raptors had Leonard back after a two-game absence as he scored 28 points in the losing cause. Danny Green added a double-double scoring 19 points, adding 11 rebounds. But the Raptors clearly missed their floor general, Kyle Lowry,  who sat out with a thigh bruise.

The Raptors were down 16 in the final quarter but a few threes from Leonard and C.J. Miles got the Raptors right back into it with a couple of minutes to go. With a chance to tie it,  Fred VanVleet dribbled into two Blazer defenders, turning the ball over, essentially ending the run.

"“We got it right where we needed to at the start of the fourth but then it was like a one-minute barrage where we had to climb back uphill again and we almost did it,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “We went into sellout mode and just about got it.”"

Toronto at Denver

This was going to be a tough one to get. The Raptors were down several key players including Lowry, Siakam, Valanciunas, VanVleet and Powell and they were playing at altitude against a very good Denver team (atop the Western Conference and 11-3 at home).

The Raptors, however, came out strong, led by Delon Wright and Kawhi Leonard, leading 47-39 at the half, finishing on an 11-0 run. In the second half, it became a game of runs, the Raptors and Nuggets swapping spurts of offence. The Nuggets, also playing shorthanded, struggled shooting the ball in the first but the combination Nikola Jokic, who played both primary scorer and facilitator, and Jamal Murray, ended up being too much.

In the end, the Raptors hit a wall, going scoreless for over six minutes, allowing Denver to pull away with an 18-0 run. The Raptors got good looks but couldn’t get their shots to fall (40% from the field and only 14 points in the fourth quarter). The 95-86 loss pushed the Raptors to 2-2 on this west coast road trip. Toronto doesn’t play again until Wednesday and will hopefully get back some of their ailing players in time for a couple of games at home.

The Week Ahead

Indiana at Toronto

The streaking Indiana Pacers come to town next week, winning six straight games and quickly climbing the Central Division standings. They now have wins against every team ahead of them in the East except for the Raptors who they’ll play for the first time on Wednesday.

The Raptors will be in tough as the Pacers march out a deep squad that includes Thad Young, Bojan Bogdanovic, Darren Collison and, of course, Victor Oladipo. Oladipo is dangerous at all times but has been particularly dangerous in late game situations, bringing his game to another level in crunch time. The Raptors will have to be sharp to ensure they are not the latest Eastern Conference team to be knocked off by the Pacers.

Cleveland at Toronto

The Cavaliers sit in the basement of the Eastern Conference and will probably stay there all season. And things aren’t getting any better. Several key absences have hurt an already devastated team.

Tristan Thompson will probably be out for at least a month with a foot sprain and Kevin Love is still out with a toe injury and probably won’t return until mid-January. A disgruntled J.R. Smith has probably played his last game as a Cav as the team ponders a possible move for him. The Raptors should beat this team if they bring their A game.

Toronto at Philadelphia

The Raptors will head to Philadelphia for a rematch against the Sixers, who they have defeated twice already this year. Jimmy Butler has been out recently but the Sixers hope for him to be back against the Raptors. Markelle Fultz is still on the shelf with an injury.

Joel Embiid has been an absolute beast of late and the Raptors will have to again contain the three-headed beast that is Philadelphia. The Sixers still lack a depth, that the Raptors, when their bench has played well, have taken complete advantage of this year.