DeRozan scores 34 en route to victory
The Raptors can’t say Dwane Casey failed to send a warning before Wednesday’s game against the Boston Celtics.
“We can’t play two out of four quarters,” Casey had said a day earlier. “We need to string them together. If not, it’s going to be a long evening.”
The Raptors again showcased the team’s wildcard nature, playing at times absurdly well offensively against a very good defensive squad and at others, particularly in the first and third quarters, playing some truly wretched defence.
In the end, the inconsistency didn’t prove fatal as the club won its sixth straight game, 115-109.
DeMar DeRozan led the way with 34 points, while Jonas Valanciunas added 19 on perfect 9- for- 9 shooting and 12 rebounds, Luis Scola chipped in 18, Terrence Ross added 14 and Kyle Lowry had 14, plus eight assists, which moved him into third place on the team’s all- time helpers list, ahead of Damon Stoudamire.
Canadian Kelly Olynyk was fantastic for Boston, scoring 18 points and Isaiah Thomas was deadly all night with 21 points and 10 assists.
The Celtics outscored the Raptors 35-21 in the second quarter to take a lead into the half and Casey was fuming, especially since Toronto had toyed with Boston in the opening 12 minutes.
At least one player managed to string together a full night’s work though, as DeRozan had one of the finest performances of his career, scoring at will against what was the NBA’s secondbest defence heading in. DeRozan used to have problems against the likes of Avery Bradley, but apparently not anymore, as his all- star calibre season added another high point. DeRozan scored 18 points in the third quarter alone as the Raptors erased a 62- 56 halftime Celtics lead.
DeRozan started early, with help from the other starters, and Boston had no answers.
The evening’s sub- plot was clearly the return of Amir Johnson, the Raptors franchise leader in a number of categories and one of the most popular players in the team’s 21-year history.
Johnson, who is battling plantar fasciitis, wasn’t much of a factor in the game, scoring just two points, with three rebounds in 20 minutes.
He says he has found Boston a great fit.