RAPS TAKE BITE OUT OF GRIZZLIES
Toronto bench gets roughed up in first half, but bounces back to claw out 116-107 win
This one had all the makings of the Raptors’ vaunted bench mob finally eating some humble pie.
C.J. Miles, the father figure in the unit, was off from the get-go and for the second time in his tenure as a Raptor, did not record a point.
But it wasn’t just the loss of Miles’ normally productive three-point contributions. It was the Memphis bench that has been looking for its own nickname and looking to knock off the Toronto bench mob widely accepted as the best bench through the early part of the season.
The Memphis bench certainly made a statement in the early going, but Toronto’s reserves found their legs in the second half, going from 13 points in the first half to 24 in the second and helping the Raptors crawl back in a game the starters eventually brought home in a 116-107 win.
But this wasn’t just the bench bringing the Raptors back. There was Jonas Valanciunas putting the clamps on Marc Gasol, who was held to just 19 points. A year ago, Gasol took the Raptors for 42 in a two-point Grizzlies win.
DeMar DeRozan had himself a night at the free throw line. He was a perfect 14-for-14 and finished with a team-high 26 points.
Not far behind was a surging Serge Ibaka, who tied his season-high 21 points. Ibaka has been coming on of late and that trend continued in Memphis.
It was the fifth win in a row for the Raptors in the first game of a four-game road swing that continues in Sacramento against the Kings on Sunday.
The Grizzlies came out gunning and seemed to hit just about everything, scoring 34 points while hitting on 14 of their 19 attempts, including going 4-for-7 from three-point land.
The Memphis lead was three when Raptors head coach Dwane Casey began going to his bench and by the time he got all the way back to his starters the deficit was 16.
Through the half, the Memphis bench was outscoring Toronto’s 36-13.
Memphis appeared to be in cruise control and might have stayed there had Ben McLemore not become a little cocky midway through the second. With 6:42 to play in the quarter and the Grizzlies up 13, McLemore got in behind the Toronto defence and attempted a running 360-dunk that found only iron before popping out.
The Grizzlies retrieved the rebound but interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff immediately called a timeout and put McLemore on the bench.
It may have been just the slap in the face the Raptors needed, because from that point on the lead started to come down.
The Raptors left immediately after the game for Sacramento, where they will practice on Saturday before Sunday’s afternoon tipoff.