The Raptors stumbled early, but found their footing sufficiently to grab a win against the Lakers.
Despite a sloppy first half, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan got the Toronto Raptors back on track. The Raptors managed to sneak out of LA with a 123-114 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The end result of this game doesn’t speak to how terrible the Raps played in the first half. They got destroyed on the offensive glass, committed nine turnovers, while also losing the bench battle, being outscored 21-10 heading into halftime.
Patrick Patterson might have had something to do with the bench struggles early as he was absent due to a left knee injury he sustained in Phoenix on Thursday. Patterson being sidelined isn’t something fans should worry too much about as head coach Dwane Casey explained pre-game that it’s for precautionary reasons. Patterson, who has proven to be a massive part of the Raps defense, was dearly missed early.
Jan 1, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Toronto Raptors guard Cory Joseph (6) and Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (42) look on as Los Angeles Lakers forward Brandon Ingram (14) takes a shot during the second half of the game at Staples Center. Raptors won 123-114. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The bench production wasn’t the same, Cory Joseph, Terrence Ross, and Lucas Nogueira combined for a plus/minus of -18 in the first half. But as the game progressed they seemed to get comfortable, finishing with a combined plus/minus of +32.
At one point, things were looking bleak for the Raptors; they were down 12 in Q2 as the offense was plagued with turnovers and poor shooting. A freak of nature who goes by K-Low got the Raptors rolling, leading a comeback to give them a 58-57 heading into the half.
Lowry – in beast mode late
The Raptors pulled away with a 7-0 run to begin the fourth, outscoring the Lakers 19-5 early. The Lakers pushed back to within five, which gave the Raptors a little scare late. However, with Lowry all locked in there really wasn’t much to be worried about if you were Toronto. Lowry poured in 20 of his season-high 41 points in the quarter, proving once again how inhuman he really is. Lowry became the first Toronto player in franchise history to record at least 40/7/7 as he knotted 41 points, 7 assists and 9 rebounds on the night. He provided a superstar-like performance from a guy who is deserving of a coveted starting spot once again in this year’s All-Star Game.
Takeaways from this game
1) Bebe/Jakob were quite the unexpected pairing. Raptors made their run late with these guys on the court. When they sat, the Lakers made their push. Could fans potentially see more of a Bebe/Jakob front court in the future?
2) Don’t poke DeRozan. After being shoved by Timofey Mozgov in the second quarter which resulted in a flagrant-one foul, DeRozan was visibly upset. That didn’t stop him from being phenomenal offensively, as he poured in 31 points through three-quarters.
Rule #1: Don’t upset the kid from Compton.
3) Toronto cannot guard the three ball if their franchise depended on it. The Raps allowed the Lakers to shoot 46.9% from beyond the arc on the night, not to mention letting Nick Young hit seven three’s. This has been an issue for the Raps for quite a long time and is one that needs to be addressed seriously if they hope to improve their defensive concerns.
Toronto ends its six-game road trip in Texas on Tuesday in a matchup with Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs.
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