Anunoby admired from afar
Rookie surprises teammates with six threes in Raptors’ rout
CHARLOTTE, N.C.— The first three-pointer went in and then the second — and the third and the fourth and the fifth — and the sideways glances and smiles on the Raptors’ bench were plentiful.
They had never seen it before, some weren’t sure they ever would, but as OG Anuoby was having the best shooting night of his young NBA career, the level of appreciation for the rookie grew and grew.
“I didn’t see it,” Raptors guard Kyle Lowry said after Anunoby made six three-pointers in Toronto’s 129-111 smackdown of the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday night. “I didn’t think he could shoot this way. I think his confidence is built, he’s worked on it tremendously and he’s continued to get better at it.”
Anunoby’s great long-distance night was part of one of the best offensive nights the Raptors have had this season. They made 17 three-pointers, one better than their previous high, dished out a season-best 34 assists and befuddled the Hornets from start to finish.
Serge Ibaka had a season-high 24 points, Anunoby’s 20 were the most he’s ever scored in an NBA game and DeMar DeRozan’s 28-point night was basically an afterthought.
Instead, the focus was on the painfully quiet Anunoby and the shooting skill few thought he had.
“No, we did not know he was this good of a shooter,” DeRozan said. “Me and Kyle nicknamed him Ray, Ray Allen, Miami Ray though.
“That is one thing we kind of trust of him, especially when we give him that nickname. It’s great to see the young fella have that confidence and shoot at such a high level.”
Anunoby, who doesn’t seem to want to use five words when three will do, said he is not surprised he’s been able to adapt to the NBA threepoint distance and the speed of the game and the defenders he’s facing.
“I knew I could shoot from high school and college, I was shooting good,” he said. “I fell off at the end in Indiana (his university career) but I still knew I could shoot. I continue to work on it.”
It was another dominant performance by the Raptors, who have now won four straight games and 10 of their last 11 heading into a meeting with the Sixers in Philadelphia on Thursday night.
Outside of a four-minute stretch at the end of the first quarter, the Raptors were never really threatened. They led by 20 points heading in the fourth quarter and lost Jakob Poeltl to the first foul-out of his career three minutes into the quarter as the Hornets shaved the deficit to 15. But Ibaka had his fourth dunk of the game to quell the run as the Raptors went small up front with Ibaka and Anunoby and regained control, leading by 21 when garbage time hit with about five minutes left.
“Serge has been playing great the last few weeks and when Serge is playing great it makes everyone else’s job that much easier.” DeRozan said. “No one can lock in on guys like me and Kyle. It’s just fun to see him get it going because he gets a lot of easy shots and it makes our job a lot, a lot more easier.”
Because they were so efficient offensively, the Raptors were able to afford Lowry, DeRozan, Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas easy nights. None of those four starters played more than DeRozan’s 29 minutes. Lowry played 24, Ibaka 27.
“You’ve got guys who come in and produce and do what they’re doing and it gives everybody time to relax and rest,” Lowry said. “You can rest in games, that’s big. We’re just doing a good job of everyone having the confidence to go out there and do their jobs, work hard and we’re winning games.”
NEED TO KNOW
Philadelphia centre Joel Embiid has missed two straight games with back tightness and his availability won’t be known until close to game time . . . The Sixers are exciting to watch but they’ve lost eight of their last 10 games, including the last three . . . Toronto beat Philadelphia by 34 points in the first week of the regular season . . . Ex-Raptor Amir Johnson is averaging 4.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 15.3 minutes with the Sixers.
UP NEXT
Saturday, vs. Philadelphia, 5 p.m. Doug Smith