In spite of an overall weak effort, the Toronto Raptors managed an edgy 91-86 victory over their division rival Philadelphia 76ers on the road. Toronto got off to a horrendous start, digging themselves into a 0-15 hole to begin the contest. Following a strong offensive second-quarter push, the team boasted an acceptable 48-41 lead at halftime. The Raps’ recent struggles emerged yet again in the third frame but were amended by a heroic performance from Kyle Lowry to close the game. The newly minted All-Star recorded 17 of his game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter. In summation, Toronto can live with the win, but there remain obvious issues on both ends of the floor. The squad improves to 28-15 on the season and looks forward to next week’s matchups against weaker Eastern Conference foes.
Offense: C+
Sure, the Raptors came out on top. But they only scored 91 points on the night. For a team that averages 105.6 PPG, this is truly astounding. There are several plausible explanations to this emerging issue. DeMar DeRozan has been rather ineffective since returning from injury earlier this month. The star guard logged just eight points in 29 minutes tonight. Furthermore, Jonas Valanciunas played 25 minutes despite his solid output over the last stretch of games. Lou Williams is quickly losing his appeal to Toronto fans. His hero ball-esque shot selection is both questionable and irritating at times. As a whole the team would benefit from rotational adjustments and smarter offensive trips. You can’t rely on individual takeovers to save you every night.
Defense: B
Philly was without leading scorer Tony Wroten, yet the final margin of victory was just five points. Another trending issue among Raptor supporters is the dwindling appearances of James Johnson. Mr. “Cocked-That-Joint-Back” played a measly nine minutes in tonight’s game. His defensive presence would have made the final minutes a bit more comfortable. Additionally, the Sixers’ frontcourt trio of Robert Covington, Luc Mbah a Moute and Nerlens Noel combined for an impressive 40 points. Toronto was outscored 40-36 in the paint. Put two and two together and you have a glaring problem- lackluster interior D. It wasn’t a horrible defensive outing for the Raps but you have to expect better from a top-tier team.
Rebounding: C
The Raptors lost the battle of the boards 42-48. Patrick Patterson led the way with 13 rebounds while Lowry, Greivis Vasquez and Tyler Hansbrough had five apiece. On the flip side, Noel pulled down 14 boards and Michael Carter-Williams had seven of his own. Again, this isn’t a major area of concern but amplified effort from the likes of Amir Johnson and JV can be the difference makers in the final box score.
Game Ball: Kyle Lowry
What’s left to say about this guy that hasn’t already been said. Canada’s adopted son showed out for his hometown with a monstrous performance worthy of praise and applause. Here’s a clip of K-Low and his son Karter in the post-game interview (hold back your tears):
https://vine.co/v/OIEugQDalFn
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