Raptors Post Game Report Card: Toronto Comes Up Short Against the San Antonio Spurs
The Toronto Raptors fought hard tonight against the San Antonio Spurs, but towards the end of the game it was evident that the Raptors were out-matched and worn down, falling 113-106 to the Spurs.
Jerryd Bayless, Andrea Bargnani, and Linas Kleiza all sat with injuries, leaving the Raptors with a very short rotation. Bayless and Kleiza are day to day, while Bargnani is still out indefinitely.
“We’re a little undermanned,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said before the game. “If anybody is looking for a 10-day (contract), we’re looking for bodies.”
The Raps got off to another slow start, but were within one with just over 4 minutes to play, but the Spurs pulled away down the stretch and the Raps didn’t have enough fight to come back.
Let’s get to the report card:
Offence- A
Positives
DeMar DeRozan put on a dazzling performances, torching the Spurs for 29 points. Jose Calderon also continued his stellar play with 16 points and 11 assists.
The Raps had 5 players in double figures, and this was one of the better offensive performances of the season.
Negatives
The Raptors were poor from three point range, hitting only 27%. Shooting 64% from the free throw line doesn’t help either.
Defence- D-
Positives
Nothing much to say here.
Negatives
This defensive performance is one Raptor fans are more accustomed to. Allowing 113 points isn’t going to give this team a good chance to win, and this was just an awful defensive performance. The league-worst defensive title has been revoked from the Raptors with Dwane Casey’s new system, however performances such as these gave the Raptors the infamous defensive title.
Tony Parker ripped the Raptors with 34 points and 14 assists. Wow.
Rebounding- B
Positives
The Raptors had a solid rebounding game as a team. Amir Johnson led the way with 7.
Negatives
In a low rebounding game, the Raptors got outrebounded 37-35. While the margin wasn’t substantial, an edge on the glass would have gotten the Raptors the W in this one.
Overall, this was another competitive home loss against a tough team for the Raptors. They’re making games fun to watch regardless of the outcome, and this is all you can expect of the young squad missing their leader. It was refreshing to see such a dominating performance from DeMar DeRozan. Hopefully he can continue his stellar play against Charlotte on Friday night as the Raptors continue their 7 game home stand.
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