Raptors re-start the season with a statement W over the Lakers

Now that’s how you re-start the season! Sure we handled the Lakers back in November on their homecourt (minus the services of Lowry and Ibaka who were both out with injury that night). But last night’s victory, to me at least, was equally impressive as the Raptors took care of business against LeBron and his Lakers in what could potentially be a sneak preview of the NBA Finals.

Let’s get right into it with our customary 4 things we liked and 1 thing we disliked from their 15-point beatdown (107–92) of the Lakers.

LIKE #1 — Masterclass

LeBronto? Nah, how about Kylefornia! This tweet pretty much sums up all you need to know about what Kyle Lowry did to the Lakers.

Simply put: Lowry put on a masterclass at the point guard position. I feel like I owe him a thank you — it was such an awesome performance to witness.

He was also the best player on the court. Period. End of sentence. In the early going, his shot wasn’t falling but he kept up his aggressive play by relentlessly attacking the basket, drawing fouls, getting to the line, and racking up charges.

But then the shot started falling and it was pretty much game over from that point. Lowry went 8-for-16 from the field with 6 of those buckets coming in the second half on the way to finishing with a game high 33 points to go along with 6 dimes, 14 boards (a new career high), 5 threes, and 15 trips to the line.

If you don’t recognize that Lowry is the best point gaurd in the East then that tells me that you’re a casual fan at best. No harm in being a casual fan — just put some respect on Lowry’s name.

LIKE #2 — I’m Kawhi Now

This was the best sequence of the game: early in the fourth quarter, LeBron hit back-to-back triples to put the Lakers up 76–72. OG responded by hitting his own back-to-back threes to put the good guys back up 78–76.

Can we also talk about OG’s defense on LeBron because it was on point! It also seemed like OG relished going up against one of the all-time greats; there was no fear on Anunoby’s part.

He also brought it on the offensive end despite having to expend energy guarding LeBron all night. OG finished with 23 points on a ridiculous 8-for-9 shooting performance including 3-for-3 from downtown. He also had 4 boards, 1 dime, 2 swipes, and finished a game-high +27 (again, now that’s how you use plus/minus people — you don’t lead with it, you end with it).

This performance was pretty much OG saying I’m Kawhi now.

Oh yeah, those 2 steals by OG now gives him 24 steals in his last eight games (for those keeping score at home).

LIKE #3 — Defense Wins Championships

This was a battle between two of the top three defensive teams in the league and the Raptors did not disappoint.

The good guys held the Lakers to 35.4% and 25% shooting respectively (the 35.4% was a season low for the Lakers by the way). The Raptors defense also did what it always does: they forced the non-star players to beat them. They limited Anthony Davis to just 7 shots across 35 minutes (AD averages 17.9 shots per game). OG also limited LeBron to 15 shots (LBJ averages 19.5 shots per game). The rest of the Lakers’ supporting cast, whom the Raptors were more than happy to let fly (thank you Kuzma and Waiters), were a combined 20-for-60 (33.3%).

Here is what LeBron had to say post-game about these pesky Raptors:

“That’s a great team…no ifs, ands or buts. Exceptionally well coached and championship DNA, you can never take that away from a ballclub if you win a championship…so, that’s just a great team. The media may not talk about them much or give them much credit because Kawhi is gone, but players in the league definitely know what type of team they are.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

LIKE #4 — Three-Ball

The Raptors combine their elite-level defense with being one of the best three-point shooting squads in the Association. They currently rank 5th in three-point percentage (37.2%), 7th in attempts per game (37.0), and 4th in makes per game (13.8). Essentially, they combine volume with efficiency.

One of the reasons it’s hard for me to take the Lakers seriously as a threat to win the title is their poor three-point shooting. They rank 19th in percentage and 22nd in both makes and attempts. It kind of feels like you need to be able to consistently hit your threes (and be willing to take them) in today’s game.

This stark contrast was on full display as the Raptors went 14-for-34 from distance (41.2%) while the Lakers were 10-for-40 (25%). Also, in their first meeting back in November, the Lakers went 10-for-30 from three which means they are a combined 20-for-70 across two games against the Raptors.

That type of shooting doesn’t win championships. Just sayin!

DISLIKE — The Bench

I know it’s just the first game back, but I think we all had higher hopes for our second unit. We expected a better outing from Norm who, in his previous 5 games, was putting up 28.0 points in 39.2 minutes and was hitting 39.5% of his three-pointers. Powell finished 3-for-12 from the field and was a team worse -22 in a game they won by 15. Not good.

Our bench was indeed our lone weak spot against LA. They combined to score 15 points on 25% (6-for-24) overall shooting and 11.1% (1-for-9) from long-range. Not ideal. The low-point was watching Matt Thomas trying his absolute hardest on defense but still not being able to keep anyone in front of him. Nurse had no choice but to pull him after an embarrassing 4 minutes. The lesson from this game is that unless Thomas is hitting his threes, he is best served keeping the bench warm. Only bring him in during garbage time (the human victory cigar).

Until next time…

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