Melo’s winning shot tough pill to swallow for hometown team
Nick Nurse said it himself in the lead-up to the Portland Trail Blazers’ visit to Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night: Melo’s still Melo.
As in Carmelo Anthony, the 35-year-old former all-star forward who signed with Portland just days after the Blazers and Raptors last went head-tohead out west in mid-November, and did not disappoint in his return to Toronto. Anthony put up a game-high 28 points, capped by a mid-range dagger with 4.1 seconds remaining, to give the visitors a 101-99 win.
The Raptors locked down all-star point guard Damian Lillard with 13.6 seconds to go after a poor turnover by Patrick McCaw on an errant pass to Kyle Lowry, which landed out of bounds. Portland turned instead to C.J. McCollum — back from an upper respiratory infection — who then found Anthony in the paint for the game-winner.
“I’ll always embrace those moments and love those moments,” Anthony said. “Whenever you get a chance to have a moment like that, you’ve got to take advantage of it.”
It was Lillard who tied the game on a 35-foot three with 37.5 seconds to play, a nearuncontested shot because of a screen by Portland centre Hassan Whiteside on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson — one that Raptors coach Nick Nurse thought was a clear offensive foul.
Portland needed another shooting option to run with Lillard, who finished with 20 points — 18 in the second half. They got it in Anthony. The result was a tough pill to swallow for the Raptors after “playing their guts out,” Nurse said.
The home side led for all but 17 seconds of the contest.
Lowry led the Raptors with 24 points and 10 assists and had one final shot, but it pinged off the back rim and out.
You’re not going to win very often by shooting 36.5 per cent from the field as the Raptors did, Lowry said post-game.
A lack of concentration in the final quarter, when Portland made six threes, also cost the Raptors.
VanVleet out: Guard Fred VanVleet was out of the Raptors lineup, three days after suffering a hamstring injury during a road win over the Nets. At first, the club had hoped VanVleet wouldn’t miss much time, if any, having taking himself out of the game in Brooklyn late as a precaution. The prognosis is now more grim. “He’s out,” Nurse said. “I think it’s going to be a little bit before we know exactly how long.”
Bench Mob reboot: With VanVleet unavailable along with the continued absence of regulars Pascal Siakam (groin), Norm Powell (shoulder) and
Marc Gasol (hamstring), Nurse went with a McCaw-led bench unit on multiple occasions. He was joined by Matt Thomas, Stanley Johnson, Oshae Brissett and Chris Boucher. The unit scored 26 points — 12 each from Canadian energy-drivers Brissett and Boucher — and impressed the coach, particularly with an 8-0 run to end the first half. “Take that every night of the week and we’d be in really good shape,” Nurse said.
Davis dud: Nurse had some harsh words, however, for another member of the rotation: Terence Davis II, who played eight minutes and was held scoreless. “He’s not playing very well,” Nurse said. “It’s probably five (minutes) too many.”
Up next: The Raptors visit the Charlotte Hornets to complete their sixth back-to-back of the season, Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Raptors split each of the first five back-to-backs.