> RAPTORS
The Raptors got a taste of what having a target on their back feels like as the New Orleans Pelicans snapped Toronto’s home unbeaten streak with a 126-110 win Monday night.
Sporadic defending, shooting just over 40 per cent from the field and an uncharacteristic 28 per cent from three won’t be enough with teams expected to bring their ‘A’ game to Scotiabank Arena to face the topseeded Eastern Conference team.
Toronto’s biggest lead of the night was three points in the first quarter, compared to 18 for the Pelicans. The visitors shot 54.5 per cent from the field and outshot the Raptors 72-42 in the paint. Toronto was once again outworked on the glass, coming up with 43 rebounds to the Pelicans’ 54.
It was going to be a highscoring game, with two of the NBA’s top six offensive teams going head-to-head, but it took 30 and 29-point nights, respectively, from E’Twaun Moore and Jrue Holiday, alongside the generally reliable Anthony Davis, to topple the high-flying Raptors.
Toronto’s record is now 12-2.
Injury report: C.J. Miles got off to a promising start against the Pelicans, hitting a three in transition with his first field goal attempt of the night. But the 31-year-old, who was averaging five points and 15.7 minutes coming into the game, went 1-for-3, missing a driving layup and a hook shot before he left the game with a right adductor strain after just seven minutes on the court. He did not return.
Out of the gates: Toronto trailed at the half for just a fourth time this season, by a score of 66-61. It was the most points the Raptors have allowed in any half this year, thanks in large part to Toronto’s paltry defence allowing the Pelicans, who consistently beat the home team down the court, to shoot 58 per cent from the field. Four players finished the half with 10 or more points, led by Moore’s tally of 17. The Raptors’ starting backcourt didn’t do much to help counter that, either: Kyle Lowry and Danny Green combined for just two points in the first 24 minutes, going 0-for-6 from the field. The pair finished the night with seven points, though Lowry did put up a team-high 11 assists.
On the bright side: Pascal Siakam, who was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference player of the week for the first time earlier in the day, continued his dominance with a teamhigh 22 points and another two three pointers.
Up next: One of the season’s two big reunions takes place, when former coach Dwane Casey returns to Toronto for the first time since his firing in May, now at the helm of the 6-6 Detroit Pistons.