The Toronto Raptors rallied for a win in New Orleans after being down 14 early. Toronto finished its road trip 2-1 and improved to 9-5 on the year. The Pelicans fell to 8-7 on the season as the Raptors swept New Orleans for the third consecutive season.
Here are my takeaways from the Raptors’ impressive win on the second night of a back-to-back.
Slow starts
Another slow and sloppy start by the starters meant another deficit reeled in by the bench which brought energy. With OG Anunoby inserted in the starting lineup for his second consecutive start, that opened up more playing time for the bench, something exacerbated when Delon Wright got hurt.
Wright hurts shoulder again
The win was overshadowed by the right shoulder injury of Delon Wright. It is the same shoulder he previously had surgery on, keeping him out of the first half of last season. Wright was immediately helped to the locker room while holding his right arm with his left hand. He did not return and will be re-evaluated when the team returns to Toronto on Thursday. The injury comes at an inopportune time as Wright was playing the most consistent basketball of his young career. The 25-year-old had gone seven straight games shooting 50 per cent from the field, and hitting 21 of his last 28 shots before being removed from the game.
Toronto turnovers
Despite the win it wasn’t all good. Toronto was sloppy with the ball again, especially early. The Raptors had 14 first-half turnovers which lead to 21 points the other way. Toronto finished with 31 turnovers total. The previous season-high for turnovers was 18 versus Golden State.
Reset Raptors
The culture reset Masai Ujiri was looking for has quickly arrived. The Raptors finished with seven players in double figures. After hitting 14 three-pointers versus Houston, Toronto had 16 against New Orleans. The Raptors scored 125 points in back-to-back games for the first time in franchise history. Toronto has hit over 10 three-pointers and shot 38 per cent or higher from deep in each of the last five games.
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DeRozan dominates
DeMar DeRozan had another complete effort with 25 points, 9 rebounds and six assists. It was DeRozan’s second straight game with five first-half assists. Much is made about his lack of proficiency from beyond the three-point line but DeRrozan hit two threes versus New Orleans. He also provides value by creating open three-point looks for others off his penetration. His other point of criticism is his defence, but DeRozan did a great job on that end and was effective guarding Anthony Davis at times.
Lowry’s back
Kyle Lowry has been working his way through an offensive slump while trying to find his spots in a new offence. He looked much more comfortable on Wednesday, scoring 20 points for the first time this season. It was the second night in a row Lowry had a double-double.
Lowry was close to his second road triple-double of the season with 22 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Beyond the scoring, Lowry’s value is immeasurable. He took his league-leading 10th charge in this contest versus DeMarcus Cousins. It was one of many times Lowry found himself on the ground in some discomfort after sacrificing his body. When he wasn’t literally on the floor he was up off the bench vocally giving encouragement and instruction.
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Next up
The Raptors return home for a brief homestand of two games (both on Sportsnet One). On Friday, they take on the resurgent New York Knicks and Sunday they face the Washington Wizards whom they already lost to at home without John Wall.
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