RAPTORS JUMP ON WEARY CLIPPERS
Even without Lowry, Toronto scores easy afternoon home win on Super Bowl Sunday
An early Sunday afternoon affair proved extremely advantageous for the Toronto Raptors.
Some welcome scheduling to avoid overlap with the Super Bowl had the Raptors and Los Angeles Clippers tipping off at 3 p.m. local time, which seemed to suit everyone beyond the Clippers, who justifiably weren’t thrilled.
Having played the evening before in Detroit with a 5 p.m. start, the Clippers had the rare distinction of playing twice in a 24-hour period, or to hear coach Doc Rivers tell it, twice in “two different countries.”
Not even the pre-game surprise that guard Kyle Lowry would not be playing due to a cranky back was enough to even up things in a game the Raptors would win easily, 121-103.
The result was a near wire-towire win for the Raptors in which the Clippers rarely looked like a threat.
It was a bounce-back win for the Raptors, desperately needed after they “dropped the ball” in a loss to Milwaukee on Thursday.
It’s a tough game to review from Toronto’s side, factoring in a tired opponent and Lowry’s absence.
Of course, the only measure that matters is how this team does in the playoffs and the plan, assuming health, has Lowry a major part of that scenario.
So far this season, the Raptors have played 12 games without Lowry, going 8-4 in those games. They have played a separate 14 games without Kawhi Leonard in which they are 11-3.
Do the math and that leaves half the wins (19) and more than half the losses (9) with both in the lineup. That’s the area the team wants figured out by playoff time.
On the plus side Sunday, there was a nice move by the second unit to establish some continuity with Delon Wright and CJ Miles. They took the lead from three points to double digits before they came out.
With the win, the Raptors improved to 38-16 and head out on a three-game road trip that starts in Philadelphia, followed by stops in Atlanta and New York.
BACK WOES ARE BACK
Just when it looked like the Raptors were on their way to full health, the back woes that cost Lowry six games between Christmas and the early part of January are back. There’s no indication of how serious the issue is.
Any setback of length would be costly as Lowry was only just getting back to the kind of playing condition he needs to be in to perform at an elite level.
DEADLINE WEEK
Come Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, there is either going to be many happy Raptors — or not.
It all depends on what management decides to do heading into the final 25 games. The Raptors have never been a group that lays its cards out in advance of a move and don’t expect anything different this year. There is widespread belief that another shooter, and perhaps even a backup power forward or big man, could be useful.
The cost of any acquisition is just one of many factors that have to be taken into consideration. There’s also the long shot of acquiring Anthony Davis from the Pelicans in a trade, but that would definitely be the all-in move, making anything else irrelevant.
Raptors head coach Nick Nurse will be impacted whatever decisions are made, but he’s not about to express a preference.
“I’ve coached a lot of teams either in Europe or in the minor leagues (where) pieces move,” Nurse said. “I’ve become quite used to coaching what I’ve been given on the day or the week or the month. That’s just kind of how I look at it.
“Listen, I love these guys and I’m trying to get every ounce out of all of them. There are some guys that are having unbelievable years, the best years of their lives. There’s a couple guys we need to get back up on the tracks a little bit and get them rolling and improve, there’s no doubt.
“It’s funny because you don’t think about the guys that are having such great years, because you’re so worried about the guys that aren’t.
“I’m just focusing on playing this game to the best of our abilities today and then evaluate who played well, who didn’t, and how we can get them playing better.” QUICK HITS: Mississauga native Nik Stauskas found himself on the move for the fifth time in his short NBA career — this time moving from Portland, where he seemed to have found a home with the second unit, to Cleveland along with two secondround picks and Wade Baldwin for Rodney Hood.
You don’t think about the guys that are having such great years, because you’re so worried about the guys that aren’t