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The San Antonio Spurs proved what everybody in the world already knew by displaying they were a superior team in a 100-80 win over the Toronto Raptors.
A healthy Raptors team would have a tough time defeating the Spurs in San Antonio, therefore it isn’t surprising to see a Toronto team fail to pull out the upset while missing Kyle Lowry, Andrea Bargnani and Jonas Valanciunas.
On the same night the team announced Valanciunas will miss 4-to-6 weeks, the Raptors five game winning streak was snapped by San Antonio. Toronto’s compete level throughout the game can’t be questioned, as the team managed to keep the game close before a 13-4 run to the end the third quarter saw the Spurs pull away.
San Antonio’s defense showed why it’s still one of the best in the Western Conference, limiting the Raptors’ starters to only 27 points in the contest. DeMar DeRozan was held to only eight points after averaging 27.7 points in his last four games against the Spurs. With the injury bug forcing three of the team’s starters out of action, Toronto had no chance of being successful with its best remaining player scoring in single digits.
Despite the starters struggling to score, Jose Calderon still found a way to record 10 assists along with his seven points thanks to four bench players finishing in double-figures. Amir Johnson and Alan Anderson led the team with 12 points each while both, Terrence Ross and John Lucas chipped in with 11 points.
Landry Fields saw his first game action since Nov. 11 after missing time with an elbow injury that needed surgery to repair nerve damage. Fields was shooting only 20.8% before the surgery as the damage to his elbow was affecting his shooting stroke and releasing the ball in an awkward manner. He finished with two points in 19 minutes after sinking his first shot attempt, finishing 1 for 2 from the floor. He looked confident in his decision making with the ball after appearing hesitant in his first five games as a Raptor. Toronto fans hope this a step in the right direction for Fields to find his game and start to live up to the contract he signed over the summer.
Brain cramps were a big factor as Toronto had an opportunity to enter the half potentially down only one possession but instead entered trailing 44-37. Back-to-back turnovers by Ross and Calderon with under a minute remaining in the half, saw San Antonio quickly add-on to its lead before the break.
The Spurs also had a significant advantage at the foul line, making twice as many free throws as Toronto even attempted. San Antonio went 24 for 29 from the charity stripe while the Raptors shot 7 for 12.
The combination of the Spurs focusing on shutting down DeRozan, costly turnovers at key times, and the inability to control San Antonio in the paint (34 Spurs points in the paint compared to 14 by the Raptors) was too much for Toronto to overcome.
Still, the 9-20 Raptors have no reason to hang their heads despite seeing their win streak come to end. The loss to San Antonio is by no means a step in the wrong in the direction as its common knowledge Toronto is not on the level of a championship contender.
The team can still find some positives in the loss including Calderon continuing to impress with his playmaking, Ross scoring in double-digits and the strong support off the bench with 53 points. They may be small victories considering the blowout defeat but the team can’t say they lost due to a lack of effort.
The Raptors competed hard but the Spurs are just on a superior level.
Michael covers ACC and Big East basketball along with the Toronto Raptors for Rant Sports, you can follow him on Twitter @MichaelxRoberts
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