RAPTORS 104, THUNDER 98
Because beating the Mavericks just wasn’t
enough, the Toronto Raptors decided to produce another stirring fight-back and
roll the Oklahoma City Thunder too. While Kevin Durant’s off-night (5/16FGs)
clearly helped the cause, this was another massive team victory, sending the
Raptors back to the top of the Atlantic Division.
-I can’t say enough good things about that
last quarter. Down 9 after three quarters, the game was essentially over; OKC
had made their run and would surely cruise to victory. What ensued was twelve
minutes of tough defense, limiting the Thunder to only 14 points. That’s two
games in a row where clutch defense has carried the team to victory, and this
is such a good sign for the team’s development.
-Amir. Johnson. He saves this team time and
time again. That’s another 17 points without the offense ever being run through
him; just pure hustle and heart. When you factor in the rebound he scrapped for
with 25 seconds left, and his chase-down block on Westbrook, we can see this as
a win we must really thank Amir for. +21 if +/- is your thing.
-I’ll have to keep saying it every game, it
seems; can Kyle Lowry please stay a Raptor long-term? I don’t know how we can
possibly do that, but Lowry is playing amazing ball right now. Drew three
charges (only one of them was a humongous flop), came up with 4 steals, and led
the team in scoring and assists.
-Haven’t been loving how many minutes John
Salmons has been playing, but he was critical to the victory tonight. He played
really physical defense on Durant, and then came up with clutch buckets. Never
really looks like he wants to be playing, but he is proving to be a weapon off
the bench.
-Quick note on the sophomores; Terrence
Ross can take some really awful shots, reflected by his 2/10 shooting. He
actually played some solid early D on Durant (I thought he would be murdered).
Jonas Valanciunas had another efficient night, with 6/10 shooting and 6
rebounds.
-The interesting line-up competition right
now is Hansbrough versus Patterson for the back-up big minutes. I’m surprised
to see Patterson is still getting more minutes, considering that he hasn’t been
overly impressive since being traded here, and how effective Tyler had been
before his shoulder injury.
-Ok, so the Raptors are going to finish
with a winning record from this road trip. Let’s be honest, winning even one
game seemed pretty unlikely at the start of the trip. Credit to all the players
and Coach Casey, because they’ve genuinely restored the hope and excitement in
this franchise. Our 11-14 record puts us atop the Atlantic Division again, and
if this standard of play continues, we can remain there.
PLAYER VOTES
3 votes- AMIR JOHNSON (17pts, 7/11FGs,
13rebs). Brilliant performance. I’m going to say it again; this team cannot
tank with this animal in the lineup. He wants to win that much.
2 votes- KYLE LOWRY (22pts, 6/16FGs, 9asts,
7rebs). The 9 assists stand out for me; how many people are going to keep
calling him a ball-hog? That is just an absolutely inaccurate statement.
1 vote- JOHN SALMONS (14pts, 5/12FGs,
3rebs, +22). First vote for Salmons, an honour for him I’m sure.
NEXT- 23 December at SAN ANTONIO.
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