At the halfway point of the 2014-15 NBA season, the Toronto Raptors and their fans have to be pleased with the team sitting at 27-14.
What that record doesn’t show is the recent slump that has seen the team drop seven of its past 10 games.
The road won’t get any easier tonight as the Raptors invade FedExForum to take on the Memphis Grizzlies.
When these teams squared off at the Air Canada Centre in November, a flu bug sidelined five members of the Grizzlies’ rotation and the Raptors came away with a narrow victory.
Memphis has proved it is serious about taking a run at the Larry O’Brien Trophy this season, recently dealing veteran Tayshaun Prince to the Boston Celtics in exchange for scoring threat Jeff Green. The Raptors will need a complete effort to steal a road win tonight.
Matt Devlin and Leo Rautins have the call at 8:00 p.m. ET on Sportsnet 360.
Major Storyline 1: James Johnson’s role. The Raptors elected to tinker with their rotation against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, inserting Greivis Vasquez into the starting lineup in place of Terrence Ross. The move paid immediate short-term dividends as Ross broke out of a slump that had been plaguing him for nearly a month. The changes also kept James Johnson glued to the bench all night. Johnson provides a change of pace on offence, seemingly getting to the rim at will, and is also the team’s best defender, so it will be interesting to monitor his role moving forward. At least we know the martial arts specialist is staying loose while he waits.
Major Storyline 2: Sixth Man duel. With the addition of Green, Memphis has added a true scoring threat off of the bench. Through four appearances with the Grizzlies, the Maryland native is averaging 14.8 points in 30 minutes per game. Toronto is very familiar with the impact a Sixth Man of the Year candidate can have, as Lou Williams has consistently torched opposing reserves. A big evening from either man could go a long way in determining the outcome of the game.
Major Storyline 3: Ball security. For the season, the Raptors rank fourth in the NBA in turnovers per game with 12.2 while the Grizzlies sit seventh at 12.6. However, when you isolate the stats to January, both teams have taken a serious hit. Memphis has coughed the ball up 14.3 times a night for the month and Toronto is even worse at 16.0. We’ll see which squad can rein in the sloppiness this evening.
Marquee Player to Watch, Toronto: DeMar DeRozan. After netting at least 20 points in each of his first three games back from a groin injury, DeRozan failed to score a single point against Milwaukee on Monday night. The USC product was actually taken out of the contest in the waning minutes of the fourth, which opened the door for Ross to shine down the stretch. A rebound performance may not be in store for DeRozan tonight going up against a pair of premier wing defenders in Tony Allen and Courtney Lee, but the Raptors will need him to step up to have a chance at the W.
Marquee Player to Watch, Memphis: Marc Gasol. The Raptors are rumoured to be interested in the big Spaniard, who is due to become a free agent this summer, and what team wouldn’t be? The former second-round pick is averaging 19.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, and also serves as an imposing presence on D, earning the 2012-13 Defensive Player of the Year Award. Gasol ate the Raptors for lunch back in November, forcing Dwane Casey to lean on little-used big man Chuck Hayes down the stretch. Don’t be surprised if we see that same matchup at some point tonight.
Role Player Who Will Make a Difference, Toronto: Patrick Patterson. Patterson remains in an offensive drought, averaging just 5.4 points per over the past five games. Despite that dry patch, the fifth-year man out of Kentucky has continued to contribute in other areas. Patterson clearly has the full trust of the coaching staff, and they have no reason to doubt him after his career-high 13-rebound performance in Monday’s victory. If he can regain his offensive rhythm, it will push the Raptors to the next level.
Role Player Who Will Make a Difference, Memphis: Tony Allen. At this point in his career, the word has been out on Allen for a while. The veteran has a limited offensive arsenal, but remains a valuable piece on a championship contender due to his hard-nosed defence. The 33-year-old has been named to two NBA All-Defensive First Teams, proving he is capable of neutralizing wing scorers. Allen has seen his minutes dip with the addition of Green, but he remains in the starting lineup to help set the tone early.
Season series vs. Grizzlies: Raptors lead 1-0
Raptors Stats Leaders:
Points: Kyle Lowry (19.8)
Rebounds: Jonas Valanciunas (8.5)
Assists: Kyle Lowry (7.6)
Grizzlies Stats Leaders:
Points: Marc Gasol (19.2)
Rebounds: Zach Randolph (11.9)
Assists: Mike Conley (6.0)
Verdict: Toronto came away with a gritty road victory against the Bucks on Monday, but this Grizzlies team is a different animal (no pun intended). The chances of a flu bug ravaging the Memphis lineup for a second time are slim to none, so the Raptors will be hard-pressed to earn the season-series sweep tonight in Tennessee.