They’ve heard the phrase ‘next man up’ far too often this season, these Toronto Raptors.
Most recently, it’s been because of DeMar DeRozan’s sprained right ankle. Before that? It was Patrick Patterson. But on Friday, Kyle Lowry may have put a twist on that cliché. How about different man up?
“I feel like he (Lowry) shoots the ball less without DeMar … but that’s crazy,” Patterson deadpanned after a 102-86 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at the Air Canada Centre. Seeing skeptical glances, he added: “It just seems that way.”
Patterson eventually settled for his teammate being “more focused; he’s more leading out there and he’s making the right play every single time, offensively and defensively. He’s just more aggressive on both sides of the ball. So, without DeMar out there, he’s hungrier, I’d say.”
As head coach Dwane Casey said afterward: “Words are shallow. Actions, at this time of the year, are more important.”
So after Lowry celebrated his selection to the Eastern Conference All-Star team by essentially reminding everybody he was tired of talking about what was needed to be done, the 30-year-old took it to the floor himself: 32 points, including 11 for 14 from the free-throw line, and six assists in 38 minutes and 45 seconds as the Raptors ended the NBA’s longest active losing streak at five games.
“We had a hard time with him, that’s why he’s an all-star, that’s why he’s one of the better point guards in the league,” Bucks head coach Jason Kidd said. “We didn’t do a good job on him tonight.”
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No, they didn’t. It was Lowry’s sixth game with 30 or more points and he had five in a 10-2 run to start the fourth quarter, pushing the Raptors lead to 15 points.
Toronto led 77-70 at the start of a quarter that began with a missed Terrence Ross jump shot but it was what happened seconds later that showed Lowry’s imprint on the game. Lowry drained a three-pointer from 26 feet out and drew a foul from Tony Snell.
That set the stage for Lowry’s NBA-leading eighth four-point attempt – and although he choked off the free throw – it was another of those nights where Lowry found himself on the floor frequently, in more ways than one.
“He carried us,” Casey said. “I wanted to get his minutes down, but he ended up playing 38. They went with a smaller lineup. That’s another reason. They didn’t play (Greg) Monroe as much and that is one reason why Jared (Sullinger) and the other bigs didn’t get involved. Jonas Valanciunas and Lucas (Nogueira) had to guard Jabari Parker playing the five.”
Parker led the Bucks with 21 points and a career-high-tying 13 rebounds, his first double-double of the season. All-star Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 19 points but he was less of a factor than expected, on a night when the Bucks – who led the NBA with an average of plus-8 on points in the paint – were outscored 54-44 in that area. Valanciunas had eight points and 11 rebounds while Nogueira had five blocks and four offensive rebounds.
The Raptors raced out to a 36-19 lead after 12 minutes, shooting 56.5 per cent including 5-for-7 from three-point range in the first quarter – racking up 10 assists, five of them by Lowry. Kidd went to his bench early, subbing out two of his starting five within the first four and a half minutes, and needed to coach his way around two quick fouls picked up by Antetokounmpo.
All concerned credited DeMarre Carroll for his defence on the Greek Freak.
“I thought he did an excellent job of guarding his yard, making sure he stuck with the game plan and stayed disciplined,” Casey said of Carroll. “He (Antetokounmpo) is a handful because he is so long, he’s so big. I compared him to Magic Johnson at this stage; he has the same skill set and once he starts shooting that jump shot, he’s going to be dangerous.
“I thought DeMarre … did an excellent job of giving him the proper room. Didn’t get too close.”
But sparked by Jason Terry and Thon Maker, the Bucks outscored the Raptors 9-0 to start the second quarter, as Toronto managed to hit just one of its first 10 from the field in the quarter until Norman Powell’s layup made it 43-34.
The Raptors coaching staff made a point during this losing streak of finding any little silver lining – especially on defence – but none of that was present during a seven-minute stretch when it seemed as if they lost all interest in finishing their defensive possessions. Shots were contested, but more often than not there was little attempt to box out.
Casey coached the hell out of the second quarter as he successfully stemmed the bleeding, even going to a three-guard lineup at one point with Lowry, Powell and Cory Joseph. He went back to that trio throughout the game.
Patterson was his usual sublime presence: 10 points, seven boards in 26:37 in his third game back after a six-game absence necessitated by soreness in his left knee. He stressed the positive, long-term value of the lineup shuffling and rotation mixing, particularly for players like Nogueira and Powell. “Norm, he’s guarding fours or fives at different points,” Patterson said. “They’re learning how to be more versatile.”
This has been an unsettling month in some ways for the Raptors, although the damage has been mitigated by the fact that two teams around them – the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics – have also spun their wheels. Friday’s win won’t settle the ‘How do they play with Valanciunas and Sullinger or Nogueira on the court at the same time?’ debate. But sometimes, the win’s what really matters.
Sure felt that way last night.
