RAPS, ROCKETS PUT ON A SHOW OVER IN TOKYO
Champs lock horns with reunited Harden, Westbrook in offence-focused exhibition
RAPTORS 134,
ROCKETS 129
Toronto Raptors supporters travel as well as just about any fan base in the NBA. Anywhere you go across North America if Toronto is the road team, there will be Raptors backers and often a lot of them.
So it wasn’t too surprising to see so many people wearing redand-gold Raptors championship gear at Saitama Arena on the other side of the globe Tuesday night for the pre-season opener between the NBA’s defending champions and the new-look Houston Rockets, which Toronto won 134-129.
As the Raptors rallied from a 17-point deficit in the second half of the first NBA game in Japan in 16 years, a number of the Raptors faithful loudly made their presence known, leading to postgame smiles from those within the organization.
“We get ‘Let’s go, Raptors’ in a lot of cities and it was nice to see it in Tokyo as well,” said head coach Nick Nurse. “A lot of Raptors fans around the world. It’s great.”
What wasn’t so great, which is to be expected, was the play of both teams. Though it definitely didn’t lack for entertainment (Toronto shot 51 per cent from the field, Houston 48 per cent), there was clearly some rust on both sides. The Raptors have been off since beating the Golden State Warriors four months ago in the NBA Finals, while superstar Russell Westbrook suited up as a Rocket for the first time.
“It was OK. I mean, early season you expect the ball to fly around a little bit,” Nurse said. “A few too many turnovers for both teams, but there was a lot of offence out here; it was a pretty entertaining game.”
Nurse said Pascal Siakam, who many have projected to make an all-star leap this season, was in “midseason form” and, indeed, the big man had 24 points and 11 rebounds, made all eight of his free throws and flashed some extended range. He paired nicely with Serge Ibaka, who Nurse also lauded for his 8-for-10 shooting performance (Ibaka has reportedly been red hot in scrimmages, too. Fellow centre Marc Gasol was rested on this night).
Westbrook had 13 points and six assists, but was a bit erratic and couldn’t get his three-pointers to drop. Harden was brilliant, easily the best player on the floor with 21 points in the first quarter alone. Harden dazzled and finished with 34 in 27 minutes, including a number of highlight-reel plays that thrilled the fans. Houston will be an interesting experiment, but Westbrook didn’t seem hampered by off-season surgery.
“For someone who hasn’t played all summer, has only practised about five times, I thought it was very good,” said Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni.
“Saw his athleticism, what he and James can both do together. A lot of good stuff, we just have to get better.”
For Siakam and Fred VanVleet, it was great just to be back on the floor.
“We’ve been working hard all summer and training camp, so been beating up on each other pretty good, especially the last week,” VanVleet said.
“It just felt good to get back out there, getting back to it after a great finish to the year last year. Obviously starting a new journey.
“It’s a new team, new year, new season. Obviously what we did last year was unbelievable, that’s something that we’ll remember for a long time, but you don’t retire every time you win a championship. You’ve got to go back out there and try to do it all over again.
“There’s new goals and expectations. You just try to build for a long year.”
VanVleet had 16 points starting in place of Kyle Lowry, who was also rested as he works his way back from thumb surgery, and Canadian Chris Boucher was strong off of the bench with 12 points and seven rebounds in perhaps his best NBA outing yet.
The teams will meet again Thursday before the Raptors fly home to host Chicago Sunday. They’ll finish the pre-season in Brooklyn before opening at home against the New Orleans Pelicans and star rookie Zion Williamson as the championship banner gets raised. twitter.com/WolstatSun
You don’t retire every time you win a championship. You’ve got to go back out there and try to do it all over again.
FRED VANVLEET, Raptors guard