The Toronto Raptors, on the second night of a home-&-home with the New York Knicks, were able to come away with a great victory. It was one of the most fun games we’ve seen from the Raptors in awhile, and with great passing, some key defensive stops, and highlight plays, it made it all the more exciting to tune in. Great team win, especially on the back-to-back.
Offense: A
That was about as fun as a first half of basketball we’ve seen from the Toronto Raptors on the offensive end. A couple of three balls, some awesome fouls and finishes, and the team getting out and making some plays in transition. One bad thing in that half of basketball, was the 11 turnovers. In the second half, specifically the third quarter, the Raptors came out blazing. More Terrence Ross threes, a couple o defensive plays, some great sharing of the ball, and they were up +20. The second half was a little bit closer, especially in the fourth quarter only being up by 5. But, the Raptors were able to get to the free throw line late, and hit some shots to seal the victory. The Raptors finished the game with 23 total assists, and only turned it over 5 times in the second half.
Defense: B+
The defense was solid in the first half of the game. Forcing New York to turn the ball over 9 times, forced New York to shoot 40.5% from the field, and an awful 20% from the three-point line. Andrea Bargnani in the first half shot 4-8 from the field for 8 points, and came out burning to start the game. Which is why the Raptors struggled to gain any leverage until they got to the second quarter. The third quarter was a bit of a drop, despite being up 14 come 4th quarter time. The Raptors allowed a broken Amare Stoudemire to go on his own run, and the Knicks to get into the heart of the paint. The 4th came, and with 4 minutes left in the game, the Knicks made a huge run, attacking the paint once again, and hitting shots from the perimeter. The Raptors don’t deserve an A grade tonight, despite forcing New York to turn the ball over 15 times. They allowed New York to touch 100 points, and they shot 48.8% from the field and 33.3% from three.
Rebounding: A
The rebounding in the first half was solid, killing the offensive boards 6-2, the defensive boards 21-16, adding up to a 27-18 lead. Not allowing New York to get those second chance points that they got last night, was a big reason on ending the half with a 13 point lead. The second half came, and the Raptors weren’t as aggressive and as protective on the boards. They gave up a couple of second chance points, which allowed the Knicks to get within arms length. Still, the Raptors were eventually able to get leverage, and still finished the game 45-37. They also gave up 7 offensive rebounds only, but c’mon Raps, gotta bring those 50/50 balls down when it really counts!
Game Ball: Kyle Lowry
Kyle Lowry, was absolutely spectacular in tonight’s game. Ran the team perfectly, was able to get everyone involved, made timely plays and shots when they needed it, and his defense was annoying. Beno Udrih and Toure Murray could not keep up with Lowry. KLOE finished the game with 32 points, 11 assists, 8 rebounds, 1 turnover on 10-17 shooting, 4-7 from 3, and 8-10 from the free throw line. Not sure if I had described Kyle Lowry, or Chris Paul.
