Raptors’ defence gets back on track
Team avoids first 3-game losing streak of season
Dwane Casey was looking for a bit of fight and griminess from his charges following some poor performances and he got it on Sunday against the NBA’s self-titled grit and grinders, the Memphis Grizzlies.
Toronto’s absent defensive disposition returned from hiatus and in the process, the club avoided its first threegame losing streak since November, topping the Grizzlies 98-85.
Jonas Valanciunas dominated the boards out of the gate and was a force inside, finishing with 10 points and 12 rebounds, Kyle Lowry (18 points and seven assists) attacked from all over the floor and DeMar DeRozan heated up at the right time, scoring some big fourth- quarter points ( seven of his gamehigh 21), but the defence was the key.
Memphis shot just 37.8 per cent in the opening half, just 26 per cent if Zach Randolph ( 18 points in all) and Vince Carter (16) were taken out of the equation.
A rare terrible shooting night from outside by the Raptors — 7-for-28 — helped Memphis hang around, despite its own offensive issues.
But player of the game Cory Joseph had a secondstraight superb outing for the Raptors, including two huge three- pointers. One gave the Raptors momentum, as it came at the first- quarter buzzer, the second extended the lead to 10 points with 1: 09 remaining in the game and stuck a fork in the plucky visitors.
“He is doing a great job and we are happy he is here,” Casey said of Joseph’s continued development and improvement.
“He is getting better at something, especially late in the game, because he is in crunch time (and) defensively, he is a godsend.”
Casey had wanted his team to take advantage of playing at home for the first time in three weeks, a franchise record for time away, due to allstar break preparations. The team did just that, winning its eighth-straight in Toronto.
The effort level was there, especially defensively — Casey said Toronto was “out of vacation mode” — and Valanciunas was a load. With Memphis offering little rim protection and jump shots not falling, Toronto players paraded to the hoop.
Memphis is a resilient, defensive- minded group that has withstood injuries, including to star centre Marc Gasol to still came in 10 games above .500, despite playing in the West, including wins in 7-of-9.
“You better have your seatbelt buckled up and be ready to play against that team,” Casey said. “It is a good test for us.”
DeRozan agreed and saw the game as potentially helpful down the line.
“That’s what it’s all about. That’s how the playoffs is going to be,” DeRozan said.
“You know, 70, 80, 90s, we’ve got to be able to grind it out. Even if we’re not scoring, we’ve got to understand we need to get stops and execute the way we can.”
DeRozan tied Chris Bosh and Morris Peterson for the most wins in Raptors history.
“I look back at how long I’ve been here, through the tough times, it’s really a great thing,” he said.
Doing it with Carter, the only player ahead of him in winning percentage as a Raptor (minimum of 400 games played), made it even more special.
“I grew up watching him play. He turned me into a Raptor fan,” DeRozan said.
Carter is stepping into a bigger role for the depleted Grizzlies. He had a then season- best 15 points against Minnesota in the team’s previous game and upped that total in his latest Toronto return, saying afterward that if the Raptors continue with the pieces they have, all they need is some time before it will all come together.
Memphis r eclamation projects Mario Chalmers and Lance Stephenson added 17 points, respectively.