Game #13: Toronto Raptors 129 - Houston Rockets 113

[Hotshot]

Makes sense. Won't be surprised if he plays around 15 minutes or so tomorrow.

That's the logical thing but Casey has proven to "forget" minutes if he thinks he can win.

[golden]

Nice 3-pt shooting performance by the Raps last night.... it's encouraging. Team 3P% is up to .345, which is 23rd overall on 8th most 3PA per game. Checked the league-wide stats and was really surprised to see just how well other teams are shooting the 3 these days. Seems like we need to be around .360 just to be middle of the pack.

[TheWaterboy]

I gotta give props to the way our bench has been playing - they bring the intensity, they defend tenaciously, and they know how to play as a unit. This is not the first time they've come in and actually broke a game open as a result, and that's a fantastic thing to see - especially since it seems to give the starters a lift as well.

On top of that, based on the age/experience level of our bench, that there is a very real likelihood of improvement over the course of the season. Once the starters get comfortable again (provided they get comfortable with the year's offence rather than reverting to last year's, of course) then we should be steamrolling all but the top 5 teams in the league.

[Nilanka]

You like gifs? Here's a gif.

I held my breathe when he fell. Was about to send a hand written letter to Silver about banning baseline cameramen.

[LJ2]

That defence OG was playing on Harden in the 4th was unreal. Props to Casey for trusting in the rookie to step up and play big minutes down the stretch though it shouldn't have been a difficult decision with the way he was playing. The kid has no fear.

[Scraptor]

I held my breathe when he fell. Was about to send a hand written letter to Silver about banning baseline cameramen.

Just tell him that space could be used for valuable advertising revenue and the cameramen will be gone tomorrow.

[G__Deane]

I don't know, JV played pretty great, especially when you consider how everyone assumed he'd struggle in this game. Poeltl was good too, though he didn't start that great but as he loosened up he got better.

Ibaka was rough for a lot of this game, but at least made a few key plays. Siakam was not really a factor.

Bebe thankfully got benched and hopefully stays there.

I think they could have easily played a bit less small ball and had JV or Poeltl out there longer.

.

This.

I thought JV looked pretty good for long spurts but fans have to watch how he (and Poeltl) get zero help defensively when he makes the first rebound or tip. I lost cont how many times he was out-manned on the DEFENSIVE glass and that's inexcusable.

In prior years the last guy(s) on the bench got exclusively garbage time. That's what should be there for Bebe and a bit for FVV

[S.R.]

That defence OG was playing on Harden in the 4th was unreal. Props to Casey for trusting in the rookie to step up and play big minutes down the stretch though it shouldn't have been a difficult decision with the way he was playing. The kid has no fear.

And Casey had Siakam guard him the full length of the floor. Siakam! It's great to see his game developing, his game isn't going to be limited to the Psycho T hustle guy role. Keep working on those 3's and the ability to guard multiple positions.

[Puffer]

This.

I thought JV looked pretty good for long spurts but fans have to watch how he (and Poeltl) get zero help defensively when he makes the first rebound or tip. I lost cont how many times he was out-manned on the DEFENSIVE glass and that's inexcusable...

Happens pretty regularly that JV leaves his man to help when somebody loses their check, and nobody rotates to box out JV's guy. I get tired of watching it.

[Bendit]

Others are noticing....

Two seasons ago, Toronto was 19th in three-pointers attempted and 29th in assists per game. Last season, the Raptors were 22nd and 30th, respectively.

This season, though, the Raptors are eighth and 11th, respectively, and performances such as Tuesday night’s 129-113 win over the Rockets in Houston – with 30 three pointers attempted and 28 assists on 41 made baskets – are becoming the norm.

“Anything that [can be] beneficial is always worth trying,” DeRozan said. “If it’s something that’s better in the long run, without a doubt. And then still, within that, [we’re] using the same things that have made us successful over the years, as well.”

The early returns are encouraging. Toronto is third in offensive efficiency, averaging 109 points per 100 possessions per NBA.com, indicating that pivoting away from so much reliance on Lowry and DeRozan won’t mean a slip in scoring.

But what has slipped, at least early on, is Lowry’s production. He’s taking fewer shots, not shooting as well and most notably, taking fewer than half as many free throws as he did the past two years (although the latter could be attributed to the NBA’s crackdown on exaggerated drawing of shooting fouls, a skill Lowry has mastered).

Tuesday, though, Lowry got to the line 10 times – a season-high – and matched his season highs with 19 points and 10 assists. If Toronto’s plan is going to bear fruit in the playoffs, the Raptors still need the Lowry of the past few seasons.

But Lowry and the Raptors have five months to get it right.

“It’s for the playoffs,” Lowry said. “So we have to get to the playoffs and then we’ll see in the playoffs if it’s working. That’s what we changed it for, so that’s when we’ll really figure out if it is.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.e399ec38c5ad

[KeonClark]

This.

I thought JV looked pretty good for long spurts but fans have to watch how he (and Poeltl) get zero help defensively when he makes the first rebound or tip. I lost cont how many times he was out-manned on the DEFENSIVE glass and that's inexcusable.

In prior years the last guy(s) on the bench got exclusively garbage time. That's what should be there for Bebe and a bit for FVV

I didn't see quite the same JV as a lot of you guys did. I thought he had a bad first half, pretty good 2nd half which I guess is ok against houston. But I know there's another level jv plays at that he's not been at much this year. Which is actually encouraging, considering you could say the same for serge and lowry, 3 of our top 4 or 5 most important players, and we're still 8-5

[white men can't jump]

I gotta give props to the way our bench has been playing - they bring the intensity, they defend tenaciously, and they know how to play as a unit. This is not the first time they've come in and actually broke a game open as a result, and that's a fantastic thing to see - especially since it seems to give the starters a lift as well.

On top of that, based on the age/experience level of our bench, that there is a very real likelihood of improvement over the course of the season. Once the starters get comfortable again (provided they get comfortable with the year's offence rather than reverting to last year's, of course) then we should be steamrolling all but the top 5 teams in the league.

The bench has been good, but they've also had struggles, especially later in games. In the 2nd half they had a rougher stretch where they actually gave up some of the lead. And I've had a long week already and I'm trying to repress it, but I think I remember them similarly having a harder time in the 2nd half against Boston.

I think teams are getting caught off guard by their energy on D early in the game, and the unit can feed off the D to get some better O. And this is why we are all getting a little nervous about these 5-man bench units with FVV, because teams seem to be adjusting, if not early then by the 2nd half, and are more careful about giving up turnovers while trying to make that unit play in the halfcourt without a go-to player. I think most of us agree if the bench is going to continue to be a big positive all year, we're going to have to stagger in Kyle and DeMar more to give a higher level offensive threat to that unit and bench FVV.

[golden]

Others are noticing....



https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.e399ec38c5ad

Washington Post with a feature on the Raptors offense culture reset? That's pretty high profile. Fake news?

[Nilanka]

Others are noticing....



https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.e399ec38c5ad

Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but it sounds like Lowry's a tad skeptical of the new approach.

“It’s for the playoffs,” Lowry said. “So we have to get to the playoffs and then we’ll see in the playoffs if it’s working. That’s what we changed it for, so that’s when we’ll really figure out if it is.

[planetmars]

Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but it sounds like Lowry's a tad skeptical of the new approach.

He seemed to have sacrificed his game the most out of everyone on the team. So if he's skeptical I could see why.