Welcome to the Weekly Rap, a resource for getting you caught up on what went down and what’s on the docket in Raptorland.
NBA All-Star Weekend has come and gone, now it’s time to get ready for the stretch run to the playoffs.
For the Toronto Raptors this means playing at the level they did in their last three games prior to the break, where they came away with impressive wins over the Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs and Washington Wizards.
It also means not getting eaten up by a very tough upcoming schedule.
The Raptors return to action on Friday, when they kick off a gruelling four-games-in-five-nights road trip in Atlanta against the Eastern Conference leading Hawks.
Where does the rest of the trip take them, you ask? Houston, New Orleans and Dallas, followed up by a return home where they’ll be greeted by the Golden State Warriors.
Hopefully the break has recharged the Raptors — who had started to show signs of sluggishness — because there will be no time for adjustment when their schedule resumes. They’ve got to hit the ground running, otherwise the nice 3.5 game cushion they have over the Chicago Bulls for second in the East will disappear fast.
Record
36-17 (1st in Atlantic Division, 2nd in Eastern Conference)
What happened?
Kyle Lowry dunked
What was learned?
Lowry looked a little nervous: Raptors guard Kyle Lowry made his all-star debut after getting voted in by the fans and, perhaps for the first time in his entire basketball career, he looked pretty nervous out there.
Lowry simply wasn’t himself in the game, tossing up some air balls in the first quarter before settling down a bit with a lay-up in the second quarter, followed by the dunk that you can see in the clip above. That slam seemed to loosen him up a bit because he nailed a couple of treys in the second half and threw up a perfect lob to LeBron James, who slammed home an incredible reverse two-hander.
Lowry finished with 10 points on 4-for-13 shooting, but had a game-high eight assists. The line isn’t great, but it was still cool to see him out there, knowing he belongs with the rest of the NBA’s elite.
DeRozan is playing his game again: DeMar DeRozan’s game-winning shot against the Washington Wizards was further evidence that the Raptors’ all-star from last season has fully returned from the injury that kept him out for 21 games.
Beyond his clutch play, the best indication that DeRozan is back on his game has been the number of free throws he’s attempted in Toronto’s last three games. DeRozan has taken 35 shots from the charity stripe in that span, converting on 32 of them. This stat is telling, as it shows that he’s regained his old aggression in going to the hoop that he may have been a little wary of before coming off a groin tear.
Upcoming slate
- Friday 7:30 p.m., TOR at ATL
- Saturday 8:00 p.m., TOR at HOU
Storylines to follow
Just rest, Kyle: While his Raptors teammates have no doubt been enjoying time off since their last game on Feb. 11, Kyle Lowry has been caught in the whirlwind of fun and responsibility that comes with being named an NBA all-star. Therefore, it’s vital for both him and the Raptors that he rests up as much as possible over these next four days.
Will Ujiri make a move? The NBA’s trade deadline is this Thursday at 3:00 p.m. ET. The Raptors have been rumoured to be going after another big man like the Bulls’ Taj Gibson, the Denver Nuggets’ Kenneth Faried and the Indiana Pacers’ David West, but will price be too high? We’ve seen in the past that Masai Ujiri isn’t afraid to pull the trigger, but given where the team is in the standings and how good the chemistry is, it’s difficult to say if he’d be willing to shake things up.