The Toronto Raptors, mesmerized by an all out two-way assault, fell 126-105 to the Golden State Warriors in a game that was never really close. With the loss and Atlanta’s victory over the Jazz, the Raptors have officially fallen out of the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Kyle Lowry was of course, just being Lowry. Doing everything he could to keep the team afloat, the talented guard posted 22 points, eight assists, and five boards on 8 of 17 shooting.
While it was business as usual for Splash Brothers, the Warriors X-factor was one of the NBA’s biggest surprises this season, Marreese Speights. Speights, who was replacing the injured Andrew Bogut in the starting 5, was the beneficiary of the extra defensive pressure put on the Warriors explosive backcourt, posting 26 points in only 25 minutes of work. If there were any positives to be taken from this rare blowout was the play of Greivis Vasquez off the bench. Vasquez, who has struggled mightily with game to game consistency dropped 25 points and seven helpers on a very efficient 10-19 shooting. Hits outside looks were falling and he was aggressively attacking the basket. The team and fans alike can hope that Vasquez can build on a game like this to return to last season’s form.
Offence: C
While the Raptors did put up 105 points and posted a respectable 46.5% from the field and 40% from deep, the team’s ultimate downfall was their ability to take care of the ball. The Raptors, who out of any playoff team averages the lowest amount of turnovers in the NBA uncharacteristically gave up the ball 17 times in the game. Turning the ball over that many times on any team can hamper a team’s efforts against and average team, but against a team like the Warriors, it’s fatal.
Defence: D
It usually isn’t fair to be too hard on a team whose defence isn’t exactly up to task against such a scorching offence, but the Raptors tonight were absolutely carved up. Coach Dwane Casey, a strong proponent of the defensive side of the ball, will certainly have a lot to dissect when reflecting on tonight’s affair after his team allowed 40 points in the first quarter and 66 points in the first half. While the Raptors did make an impressive defensive stand midway through the 2nd to take a 2 point lead, the tide would change greatly once the second half began. The Warriors would burst out to a 22-3 run and would not look back.
Rebounding: C
The Raps lost the battle of the boards 37-45 tonight. Amir Johnson led his team with ten rebounds while Draymond Green contributed eleven for the Dubs. There was a glaring lack of hustle on the glass tonight, hence the low grade and final score.
Game Ball: Stephen Curry, who has a well documented connection to the city of Toronto is historically a cold blooded Raptor killer, and tonight was no exception. Curry showed why he is likely the current front runner for NBA MVP and leading vote-getter for the Western Conference All-Star team putting up 32 points and 12 assists. It was just another spectacular night at the office for the superstar guard.
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