The defence remained highly problematic — the Sixers scored 54 points in the paint, shot 53% and notched an absurd 32 assists (Golden State leads the NBA at 27 per game) and Jonas Valanciunas was ignored down low all too frequently, but that can be dealt with later. Greivis Vasquez had 12 points and five assists in place of Lowry and Lou Williams was good off the bench, scoring 21 points, along with five assists and no turnovers. DeRozan exploded for 15 points in the first quarter, his top scoring 12 minutes of the season and had 18 by the break, the most he had scored in an entire game over the past week. “I was out six weeks without playing basketball, that was the longest I’ve ever been out since I’ve been in the NBA, and just getting accustomed to playing night in and night out my typical minutes, my style of play and everything. My rhythm was a little off,” DeRozan said of the slump. Now, he hopes all of that is over with.
“I’m taking my time and [the] coaches wanted me to get some rest and some time off and I think in the long run, this will help me and help the team out.” Lowry’s wounds seem to go beyond general mid-season bumps and bruises. They’re more significant than most realize. Among them are a series of injuries to his right (shooting) hand. The guard dislocated his right ring finger in a January loss to Memphis, also suffering an abrasion to the same hand when diving for the ball against Washington a few weeks later. Casey believes that could be partially responsible for his shooting woes – Lowry shot 34 per cent from the field last month, 24 per cent from three-point range. True to character, Lowry has kept his injury report in house, often declining to share that information with the media. Even some of his own teammates are unaware of what’s been ailing him specifically. “He won’t let anybody in on it,” said Patrick Patterson. “I’m surprised he lets the trainers in on it. Kyle is such a hard worker. He’s such a bulldog. He doesn’t show any weakness. He doesn’t show any pain. He may be hurt, he may have bumps, cuts, bruises on his body and I’m sure he does right now, which is why he’s taking some time off because he’s in pain, but whoever we play, whoever the opponent is, whatever the circumstances are, Kyle doesn’t let anybody know, whether it’s his teammates or the opposition. Kyle, he just keeps it all to himself and just focuses on the game.”
Throw in a Raptors team that has been mired in its worst slump of the season, and sitting and watching becomes even harder. But the fiery point guard says he’s had to learn to think about the long game. In this case, the NBA post-season. For the second straight game, Lowry sat out as the Raptors played his hometown Philadelphia 76ers Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Against the woeful Sixers, it turns out they didn’t need him after all, as they snapped a five-game losing streak with a 114-103 victory. If left to his own devices, Lowry admitted, he probably would have been out on the court. “At the same time, you are getting older in your career and you’ve got bigger plans than to try to go out there and force and force something, especially when you have bumps and bruises, where you can take some time to get healthy, the long term is the plan, the long term for our season is really the goal in mind,” said Lowry. Without Lowry, the Raptors lost to the league-worst New York Knicks 103-98 Saturday night, extending their losing streak to five games. Against the Sixers, the Raptors pulled away in the fourth quarter for their first win since Feb. 20. DeMar DeRozan led the way with 35 points.
Worst performance: Sixers rookie Jerami Grant had four points in more than 28minutes, shooting 2 for 7 from the field, including 0 for 4 from beyond the arc.
Despite strong offensive output, Sixers swept again by Raptors | Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia
Eight different players attempted at least seven shots for the Sixers on Monday night with four players getting between 10 and 13 shots. Then again, with starters Jason Richardson and Robert Covington out with nagging injuries, the Sixers needed to move the ball. “I think Ish did a fantastic job,” Noel said. “He was moving the ball and keeping the defense honest. I think the whole team is playing well and I think the team play opens up everything for me.”
Sixers fall to Raptors, but Robinson shows flashes | Philly.com
Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan, a former all-star himself, made up for the loss of Lowry. DeRozan exploded for 35 points. For good measure he added nine rebounds and five assists. “It didn’t matter who we got this win against, we needed this win to get the monkey off our backs and get our confidence back,” DeRozan said. It’s amazing that even a team that is 16 games over .500 like the Raptors can slowly lose confidence with a bad stretch. As for the Sixers, they continue to play hard because every time out on the court is another audition. Players like guard Ish Smith (19 points off the bench), Robinson and others are trying to make a favorable impression.
DeRozan and the Raptors Halt Five-Game Skid With Win Over 76ers | Raptors HQ
The teams exchanged scoring runs in the third quarter, but when DeRozan decided to stop settling for long-distance jumpers and resume his onslaught on the defenceless rim, the Raptors really started to take off. Entering the final frame, the visitors had built up a seven-point cushion. In the fourth, Toronto’s superior talent put the pedal to the metal, establishing a healthy double-digit lead. That would be all she wrote as the 76ers dropped their seventh game in the last eight outings. With the win, the Raptors swept the season series for the second consecutive year.
Raptors Sweep Season Series, Defeat Sixers 114-103 | Liberty Ballers
No Kyle Lowry? No problem for the Toronto Raptors. They snapped a six-game losing streak and continued their dominance of the 76ers, notching a 114-103 win behind a standout performance from DeMar DeRozan. Despite the best efforts of Jerami Grant, Hollis Thompson and the rest of the Sixers lineup, DeRozan poured in 35 points and did his best to make up for the absence of Kyle Lowry. The formula for Sixers games has tilted since the trade deadline, with defensive regression traded for a boost on the offensive end. A number of contributors emerged off the bench tonight, with newcomers Thomas Robinson and Ish Smith chief among them.
The Nerlens Noel Show Can’t Overcome the Raptors Rapture | The Sixer Sense
There aren’t many fingers to point at here for the loss, it was just a team that the Sixers don’t have enough power to beat. The Sixers managed to shoot over 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three, although missing six foul shots did hurt. Regardless of the outcome, there were a lot of positives to take from this game. The Sixers scoring 103 points without Robert Covington and Jason Richardson is a good sight.
Sixers Lose To Raptors; Everybody Plays Kinda Well | Hoop76
lthough the plunging Raptors snapped their five-game losing streak, Philadelphia brought out several solid performances from a variety of players. The offense was uncharacteristically efficient tonight, shooting 52.6% from the floor and assisting on 78% of all field goals. A strong performance by DeMar DeRozan and the Raptors bench ultimately pummeled the Sixers, but the flow and efficiency of the offense leaves a positive mark. The Sixers will hope to build on tonight in Oklahoma City against the Thunder on Wednesday.
Toronto Raptors end skid at 5, rally past Philadelphia 76ers | Raptors Cage
Never a good sign when your team allows 100+ points to one of the worst scoring outfits in the association (90.1 ppg). I could not name three starters on the 76ers but developed a better understanding of their personnel when I would see the likes of household names Ish Smith, Henry Sims and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scoring easy baskets. Fortunately, the Raptors were bailed out defensively by forcing turnovers against an inefficient offense amassing 16 by night’s end, leading to 19 points. As a whole, the defensive unit held the Sixers to 52.6% shooting.
Raps’ DeRozan should keep shooting: Vasquez | Toronto Sun
“Deebo is a shot-taking, scoring guard in this league so we need him to take shots,” Vasquez told the Sun Monday, using DeRozan’s nickname. “Some of those shots, people might not like them, but we do like them and he has to take those shots, he’s our guy and when he makes those shots, we are good and so far it’s working pretty good. We’re still second in the East right? It’s not like we ain’t going to the playoffs. I told Deebo, he’s the franchise and franchise players, sometimes they go through struggles, but that’s when they find their character and he has a big-time character.” DeRozan is mired in the worst shooting slump of his career, but seems content to try to shoot his way out of it. Earlier this season, the 2014 all-star posted a number of big assist games, usually without many turnovers and the offence was operating in a far more efficient way when that was happening, but the Raptors seem to prefer DeRozan acting like a true-and-true scorer. You might think it doesn’t make much sense, but it does to them.
The Raptors are still too flawed to win a championship. | SportsonEarth.com
Identifying the problem is one thing. Solving it is a much more difficult proposition, especially for a roster with so many players whose offensive game is predicated on creating one-one-one against their defender. Per Synergy, the Raptors have three players — DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and Lou Williams — who rank in the top 30 in offensive isolation possessions. While Lowry is shooting 44.4 percent in iso possessions, DeRozan and Williams are both shooting below 36 percent. As a team, Toronto has the fifth highest offensive isolation possessions in the league, but it is near the bottom 10 in team field goal percentage in those situations. The Raptors are a perimeter-oriented team, and while ball movement can help the team create easier shots, this is Toronto’s identity. The Raptors rely on their top options on offense to create for themselves and the rest of the team to hit its open shots from beyond the arc. With 22 games left in the season, the team’s offensive approach isn’t going to change. And despite all the criticism of how they’re scoring their points, the Raptors are still fourth in the league in offensive efficiency. But the amount of isolation possessions, especially in the fourth quarter, and the team’s reliance on low-percentage shots, make the Raptors a very volatile team, as we’re seeing right now. It does not bode well for the playoffs. In their 37 wins this season prior to Monday’s win against the 76ers, the Raptors shot 47.0 percent from the field and 38.0 percent from three, averaging 21.9 assists and 12.4 turnovers. In their 22 losses, they’re shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 28.7 percent from three, with 18.4 assists and 14.5 turnovers in those games. During that aforementioned five-game losing streak, the Raptors shot 40.4 percent from the field and 25.4 percent from three. They’re a jump shooting team, and as simple as it may sound, when the shots aren’t falling in, they’re not going to win many games, because the ability to create those easier shots they speak about just isn’t there.
Well, my wife tells me I can’t pick my nose in the airport anymore—too many people watching! I really love to interact with fans as much as I can, but you’re right: it’s pandemonium. Family grounds me. I try to spend as much time as possible with my two princesses—my wife and my baby girl, who just turned one.
I can haz yo linkz??! rapsfan@raptorsrepublic.com
