Post Game Report: Toronto Raptors Take 1st Game of Back To Back

The Toronto Raptors were able to sneak out of Madison Square Garden with a win, despite being down 9 at half. Don’t let that deficit fool you, the Raptors played poorly enough to be down by 20, and were unbelievably sluggish after their Christmas break. Luckily enough, they were playing the New York Knicks.

DeMar DeRozan played a terrific game on both ends of the court, playing solid defense on the Knicks wings, and also coming up with a huge block and score scenario which eventually sparked the Raptors’ momentum. Jonas Valanciunas came out with a career-high 18 rebounds, Kyle Lowry pitched in with 15 points, 11 assists, 4 rebounds, and only 3 turnovers. Terrence Ross and John Salmons also hit some big shots, and played well defensively. This team is really starting to build some resiliency, and this win gives the team momentum to play the Knicks on their home-court.

Offense: B

The offense was sub-par to start the game, to say the least. The team turned the ball over early, putting themselves in a slight hole to try and dig out of. The second half was a whole different story. Greivis Vasquez steps in, Patrick Patterson comes in, Tyler Hansbrough comes in, and the ball starts to move, and the defense starts to pick up. The Raptors made a huge 18 point swing from the start of the fourth, to the final minute of the fourth quarter. From there, the game was over. The assists number was encouraging, sharing the ball 21 times, and the number of open looks the team had was terrific. What held the Raptors from getting a higher grade offensively was the 16 turnovers 43% from the field.

Defense: B

The defense was very inconsistent in this game. The Raptors were able to force the Knicks to turn the ball over 16 times, and made them take tough shots resulting in a poor shooting percentage at 38%. At the same time, they did not rotate over well in the beginning, allowing New York to shoot an incredibly 52.6% from the perimeter. New York was able to get into the paint early, and lots of mismatches against the Raps. The Raptors were also able to hold Andrea Bargnani, and J.R. Smith to inefficient shooting.

Rebounding: A

The rebounding was pretty bad in the first quarter, giving up a ton of offensive boards, and not getting any themselves. Offensive rebounding is one of this team’s strengths; early on, it did not look like it. The rebounding got better as the game progressed. At the end, they were able to out-rebound New York, 50-42, and also held Tyson Chandler to only 6 total rebounds. The one problem they have of not getting a perfect grade, was giving up 12 rebounds to Andrea Bargnani. C’mon now.

Game-Ball: Jonas Valanciunas

The game-ball nearly went to DeMar DeRozan, for some terrific plays down the stretch, but JV was very deserving this evening, with great plays on both ends, and a career high of 18 rebounds. Jonas defensively was a presence, coming up with 11 defensive rebounds, 1 block, and holding Tyson Chandler to 7 points, and 6 rebounds on 3-7 shooting. Offensively, JV struggled right out of the gate, turning it over 3 times to start the game. But, Coach Dwane Casey showed him trust, and even let him finish out the fourth quarter. JV finished with 16 points, and 7 offensive boards on 7-11 shooting. This young centre is growing into something really special, and what he showed tonight against one of the elite defensive centres if not the best, was encouraging for his development. #VictoryBaby