Raptors give one away to Spurs
Late turnovers lead to Toronto’s first loss as long road trip begins
SAN ANTONIO— There were nights, everyone was warned, when the Raptors would not look good, when their reliance on shooting would be troublesome, when they’d have some disjointed lineups and too many turnovers. Took three games for it to happen. Shooting just 10-for-38 from threepoint range and 43 per cent from the field overall, Toronto dropped its first game of the season, fading down the stretch in a 101-97 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
The Raptors committed turnovers on three straight possessions with about three minutes remaining, letting the 3-0 Spurs off the hook with their own failings. When San Antonio’s LaMarcus Aldridge, who had been involved in a slight shoving match with Serge Ibaka a minute earlier, powered through Ibaka for a three-point play with about 90 seconds left, it sealed the game.
DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with 28 points and Jakob Poeltl had 10, while Aldridge had 20 for the Spurs and Djounte Murray had 16 points and 15 rebounds.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey spent much of the time leading up to the game insisting it wasn’t any significant benchmark, particularly because it’s so early in a long season. And given the somewhat sloppy play by both teams most of the night — a combined 15 turnovers — he was right to downplay the importance.
“Our record on this whole trip is not going to dictate our season because there’s a lot of basketball still to be played, win or lose,” the coach said. “It doesn’t make a statement either way but it’s a good test for us.”
With Jonas Valanciunas out with a sprained left ankle, Lucas Nogueira got the start so Casey could keep his second unit basically intact. Valanci- unas said Monday morning that he hopes to play before this six-game road trip ends a week from Friday. Until then, the job is likely Nogueira’s.
“It still could be fluid and be matchup-driven but for now and into the foreseeable future it will be Lucas,” Casey said before the game. “It’s an opportunity for Lucas, it’s an opportunity for Yak (Jakob Poeltl) to get more minutes, opportunity to get us to see Serge (Ibaka) a bit more at the five, so it’s an opportunity to develop some of those guys at that position. Otherwise, Lucas would be behind Yak and JV, because JV was playing so well.”
Nogueira didn’t have a huge impact on the game, other that eating some minutes and not hurting them. He got two fouls in the first seven minutes. He finished with four points and five rebounds in 20 minutes.
The absence of Valanciunas is going to hurt not only because he was one of the team’s best and most consistent players through the pre-season and regular-season opener but because he’s the team’s best rebounder.