They haven’t fixed their slow starts but they sure have fixed their depth and defensive concerns.
The Toronto Raptors used their strength in numbers to erase a double-digit deficit on the road against the hottest team in the NBA. Miami has been the league’s best team since January; this was just its seventh loss in its last 31 games.
Toronto is now 10-5 since Lowry went down with a wrist injury after the all-star break. Since their closed-door team meeting, the Raptors have won four straight.
Just 10 games remain for Toronto with an even split of five on the road and five at home. Here are my takeaways from another entertaining Raptors performance full of effort and energy.
DeRozan Does It Again
DeMar DeRozan was great from the outset. In the first quarter, he dropped 14 points shooting 6-for-7 from the field. DeRozan had 24 points in first half while his teammates combined for 21.
DeMar is one of the few players in the NBA who can get 40 points efficiently without making a three-pointer. This was the 28th time DeRozan has scored 30 points or more in a game. DeRozan needs three more to pass Vince Carter for the most 30-plus outings in franchise history. This is the first time in his career DeRozan has scored 40 points in back-to-back games.
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Defence Wakes Up
Toronto got off to another slow start defensively. The Miami Heat scored 33 points on 54 per cent shooting in first quarter to put the Raptors down 10. But Toronto turned up the defensive pressure forcing the Heat to shoot 3-for-15 in the second quarter. After the initial 33-point quarter, Toronto gave up just 35 points in the next two combined and took a stranglehold on the pace of the game.
Delon Defends His Way Out Of Dog House
Delon Wright didn’t play well versus Chicago. After being minus-7 in five minutes Dwane Casey went another direction and Fred VanVleet stepped up. VanVleet played 19 minutes and was a plus-16 earning Casey’s trust to close the game against Chicago.
The internal competition between the reserve guards is working as Wright bounced back and was the defensive catalyst for Toronto’s comeback versus Miami. Wright made great decisions offensively and was rewarded with the opportunity to close the game against the Heat.
The second-year guard was picking up the length of the floor and led a balanced offence. Wright harassed Raptors killer Goran Dragic into 5-for-18 shooting and a minus-8 performance. Wright finished with 13 points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes of action.
Comeback Kids
Without the injured Lowry and the suspended Serge Ibaka, Toronto managed to come back for yet another character-building win. This is the 19th time this year the Raptors have come back from a 10-point-or-more deficit, the most in franchise history. Toronto outscored Miami by eight in the second quarter, nine in the third and 10 in the fourth.
Bench Mob
DeRozan carried the team offensively, but with him resting Toronto went on a 13-3 run in the fourth to extend the lead to 17. Jakob Poeltl was especially impressive grabbing six rebounds, all in the in the fourth quarter and finishing a team best plus-30. Without Ibaka and Lowry, Toronto’s depth was the difference. The entire bench was dominant as VanVleet (plus-6), Patrick Patterson (plus-16), Norman Powell (plus-24), Wright (plus-26), and Poeltl all made a huge impact.