Raptors Cage

Post Game Report Card: Without Lowry, Raptors unable to overcome Celtics

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After facing the Boston Celtics for the second time in three games, the Toronto Raptors fell to their division rivals 91-79. With the news of star guard Kyle Lowry sitting out, the Raps started Cory Joseph at point guard. While this game was one to forget, the Raps did clinch a third straight playoff berth, so that’s something to look forward to.

Although, the boys from the Six lost, their record against Atlantic division foes is still 11-2 so it’s safe to assume the Dinos will take home the Atlantic crown. However, this franchise is all to used to regular season success. This last stretch of games will give Toronto a better understanding of the team we have as we enter the playoffs. Let’s take a look at Cage’s report card.

Offence: F

No holding back here. The offence was horrible. We can go ahead and make excuses that Kyle Lowry didn’t play, but the numbers don’t lie. 35% from the field, 27% from beyond the arc and an abysmal 55% from the charity stripe. This was arguably the worst offensive showing the Dinos have given all season. The single bright spot in this game was the offensive boards, where the team tallied 15. DeMar DeRozan led the way with 23 points, while Terrence Ross accumulated 13 and Jonas Valanciunas scored 10.

Defense: C

The defense wasn’t as bad as the offence. However, that doesn’t mean it was good. The Celtics shot 44% from the field, 40% from deep and assisted on 24 of their 35 made field goals. Boston has a roster as deep as the Marianas Trench, so no surprise that everyone who saw the court, scored a basket. All-Star Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics with 23 points, Evan Turner chipped in 17 and 7 assists while Avery Bradley scored 16.

Rebounding: B+

While the offence and defense left a lot to be desired, the rebounding was actually pretty decent. Toronto won the battle of the boards 52-48. Bismack Biyombo led the way with 13 boards, Jason Thompson contributed 10 and Jonas Valanciunas pulled down 7.

Game Ball: Amir Johnson

I’ve got to give this one to the former Raptors. Amir is still hustling as much as any other player and the stat line showed this as he conjured up 11 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal. That’s an impressive set of numbers as Amir helped his team to secure a win in their quest for a playoff berth. Now that the Toronto Raptors have secured their own playoff berth, time to for our guys to focus all of our attention to winning games and playing smart.

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