Powell makes case to start as Raptors split a pair with Rockets
They came, they saw, they put on a show, and now it’s time for the Toronto Raptors to say sayonara to Japan and start serious preparations for the regular season.
Toronto split a pair of pre-season games against the Houston Rockets, winning on Tuesday before losing 118-111 on Thursday at the Saitama Super Arena.
Toronto had Marc Gasol in the lineup for the first time — “looks like he hasn’t missed a beat,” head coach Nick Nurse said — though Kyle Lowry remains sidelined.
Gasol, coming off the bench behind Serge Ibaka, had three steals and six rebounds, along with six points in 18 minutes.
Norman Powell had a second big game in a row as he continues to make a case for the starting shooting guard role.
Powell led the Raptors with 22 points, which tied Rockets stars James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
Pascal Siakam added 16, but Toronto’s offence lacked the cohesion seen in the first game.
Powell said afterward he has the Oct. 22 opener against New Orleans circled and hopes to have claimed that starting spot. That said, he added he’s not playing any differently to try to enhance his cause.
The UCLA product missed only two of his seven threepoint attempts, grabbed three rebounds and handed out one of the best assists of the night.
“Honestly, I approach this season pretty much the same way. I’ve set high expectations for myself,” Powell said.
“I see the opportunity and I’m really focused on taking advantage of that by doing so in a way that best helps the team. I’ve never been a guy to put my own wants and needs ahead of the team.”
Toronto’s defence wasn’t particularly sharp for the second game in a row, but was bailed out a bit by some poor outside shooting by Harden and Westbrook, who were a combined 4 for 19 on three-pointers.
Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker nailed 7 of 15 three-point attempts, though, as the Rockets put up a whopping 64 shots from beyond the arc.
Toronto’s lone draft pick this season, centre Dewan Hernandez, made his debut. He’s expected to start for Raptors 905 for some seasoning.
Another big man option, Chris Boucher, impressed again, and head coach Nick Nurse made it clear afterward Boucher is putting himself in the mix for some minutes. Nurse also singled out Terence Davis, Malcolm Miller and Oshae Brissett as catching his eye.
All in all, Nurse seems reasonably content at this early stage, but he’s ready to look ahead as well.
“I think our guys that we’ve had around a little bit are rounding into shape. I really like the way Pascal, Norm, Fred look,” he said in summing up the two games.
The Raptors now head home ahead of typhoon Hagibis in Japan to prepare for Sunday’s home game against the Chicago Bulls.