Raptors muzzle red-hot Rockets in battle of best
In a battle between the best from the West and the East top dogs, it wasn’t exactly the best basketball has to offer.
But when the game isn’t decided until the very end — and no lead is safe when James Harden is on the floor — it makes for great theatre. In that respect, Friday’s matchup between the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors did not disappoint.
It was an epic battle, the Rockets coming into the night having won an NBA season-high 17 in a row, with the Raptors mounting their own run of success.
One shot, one possession. That’s how slim the margin was after Houston erased a 19-point deficit.
In the end, Toronto held on 108105, making key plays down the stretch, draining some clutch free throws and playing good defence on the final possession as Harden’s deep three-point attempt had no chance.
Kyle Lowry led Toronto with 30 points on a brilliant night for Toronto’s point guard.
Harden was so smooth in pouring in 40 for Houston, while DeMar DeRozan had 23 points for the Raptors.
It was a four-point lead when the Raptors’ bench began to elevate its game, helping the home side rebuild its double-digit advantage.
The key for Toronto was its defence, especially how it ran shooters off the three-point line or simply closed out when contesting shots.
Yet Toronto’s inability to contain the dribble led to far too many points in the paint by the Rockets. With 6:09 to play and Toronto holding a 95-91 advantage, Harden’s ability to get to the rim was a major issue for the Raptors.
The game had an edge and a competitive spirit worthy of the NBA’s conference leaders, the importance of each possession growing as the clock ticked down.
Harden took DeRozan off the dribble to draw a foul, converting from the line as Houston trailed 102-99 with 2:45 left.
Harden’s three tied it as the evening reached its moment of truth.
Toronto turned to DeRozan to retake the lead 104-102, then played great defence on two successive possessions by the Rockets.
What ensued was a wild scramble, a loose ball ending in the hands of the Rockets’ Chris Paul, who missed an open corner three. Toronto retrieved the miss as the Rockets committed a foul, sending Lowry to the line where he buried both of his shots with 10.7 seconds remaining in a two-possession game.
The atmosphere was pulsating inside the Air Canada Centre and the Raptors did not disappoint the fans, playing at a high level from the opening tap to the final buzzer as the opening quarter ended with the Raptors on top 32-16.
Credit the Raptors in how they executed at both ends, but Houston did look a step slow, often getting beaten on loose balls.
Following six misses from beyond the arc, Joe Johnson drained Houston’s first three-ball two minutes into the second quarter.
With the bench asked to defend Toronto’s lead, the second unit did a nice job, contesting shots, moving the ball and moving off the ball, a free-flowing offence that led to drives to the basket and easy finishes.
Malcolm Miller was particularly effective, hitting a three-ball and scoring seven points in five minutes.
At one point, Toronto led 44-25, with many of Houston’s attempts falling well short.
Johnson took Jakob Poeltl off the dribble and Poeltl then got switched on Paul, who would score on a mid-range pull-up.
The one negative was how Toronto could not contain Harden getting to the basket, whether it was Harden using the dribble or coming off screens on the left wing.
Miller took a turn defending Harden and then Powell re-entered the game.
Powell’s offence came to life Wednesday night in Detroit, but his hard-luck shooting returned against Houston, good looks from distance hitting iron, a putback attempt falling short.
When DeRozan retrieved one of Powell’s misses, DeRozan calmly sank a corner three to give Toronto a 54-35 lead with 3:14 to play in the first half.
Following a Rockets timeout, Houston did begin to play with more desperation.
Once again, it was Toronto’s inability to defend the screen and roll that led to easy scores by Harden.
The half ended with the Raptors leading, 58-43.
Normally, a double-digit lead at the break is cause for celebration, but keep in mind Houston made only one three-ball on nine attempts, going a combined 18-of43 from the field.
Toronto’s eight turnovers led to 12 Houston points. Had they taken better care of the ball, the Raptors would have led by 20.
In the third period, Houston went small with its lineup about midway through and the Raptors did not match up, opting to keep their starters on the floor.
Amazingly, Houston had only one made three-pointer at that point until Harden buried a straightaway shot from distance with more than three minutes left in the third. He drained his second in a row following a Toronto miss as Houston came back, trailing 76-67 with 2:48 left in the third, forcing Toronto to call a timeout.
For most of the evening, the Raptors were playing with a doubledigit lead, making plays and being the beneficiaries of plenty of Houston misses.
By going small, Houston was more active on defence, but at times its lack of size would yield offensive rebounds.
Following the timeout, the Raptors had Pascal Siakam guarding Harden.
An Eric Gordon three made it 78-70 with 1:50 to play in the third quarter, a basket that sparked Gordon as he then attacked the rim following Toronto’s 12th turnover, this one on a charge to DeRozan, to complete a three-point play.
DeRozan responded following a missed shot from distance by Houston to bury a three-pointer, his third of the game.
The quarter ended with P.J. Tucker missing a three-pointer, Houston’s 13th missed shot from distance on 17 heaves.
Harden poured in 14 points in the third period.
Heading into the fourth quarter, Toronto led 83-75.