Big Guns Deliver
This was the most pleasantly surprising win by the Raptors this season, given the circumstances. Coach Nurse rode his big guns hard, and 4 starters scored 20 or more points as we defeated the Deer 123-116.
I'd already said last week I probably wasn't going to watch or pay much attention to the Raptors-Bucks game today. That Jazz-Spurs-Bucks-Pacers swing seemed almost unfairly tough for our undermanned squad. And especially after we threw up a stinker vs. the Spurs the other day, I fully expected another ugly loss against Giannis and Co.
I caught only a few minutes of the early part of the Raptors game, which started about 90 minutes after the puck drop for the Leafs, and I was still very much glued to the hockey game. I figured, if the Raptors win, I'll go watch it again later. If we lose, then I'll just push it aside and forget about it.
With the hockey game all but decided, I began focusing slightly more on the Raptors during the 2nd quarter. We were keeping it much closer than I'd expected or even hoped and a late 2Q run allowed us to close the half down by just one point at 57-56.
And I am glad I watched the rest of the game.
Fab Five
And in the 3Q, Serge put together perhaps my favorite sequence of the season.
I mean, HAVE YOU SEEN ANYONE BLOCK GIANNIS AND COME BACK DOWN THE COURT FOR A 3??? That was a massive play, giving us a 66-59 lead and stunning the crowd at the deer house.
We ended up outscoring them 35-25 in the 3Q and finally, FINALLY, we made some 3-pointers.
14-of-31, to be exact. FVV made 5, Siakam was 3-of-5, and Kawhi and Danny G each went 2-of-3.
So those five starters combined for 118 of 123 points today. Talk about shortening the bench, eh? OG was the only reserve to even make a FG. CJ had another DNP-CD.
Between the late 3Q and the early 4Q, Kawhi and the gang got some much-needed breather. And the Bucks made a 14-4 run to start the 4Q, with Giannis making a couple of 3s to put them ahead 96-95 at one point.
But with the big guys back in action, we pulled ahead with a 10-0 run. There was Freddie's 3, Danny G's layup in transition and Siakam's 3 along the way.
This is that Siakam trey. See those Bucks guys standing up on the bench trying to disrupt the shot? Siakam drains it and gives those scrubs a quick look. Love it!
It was great to see shots falling for a change. We were probably due. Too good of a team not to be making some buckets every once in a while.
And this, my friends, was a dagger. Can't do a post on a Raptors win without an and-1 by Kawhi:
Now What?
A game after setting a career high with 28 points, Pascal did two better with 30. Kawhi also had 30, while Ibaka had 25 and FVV had 21. All five starter played at least 35 minutes.
And... the very next day, we now take on a very good Pacers team riding a six-game winning streak. Our top dogs may be too gassed to have any chance of beating Dipo and Co. But I think it was totally worth it to go hard vs. Bucks and pull out that road win. Plus, we're still very much capable of beating the Pacers even with our starters running on fumes...
Or maybe not. Kawhi could play the 2nd end of a back-to-back for the first time this season (though, given how much he played today, my guess is he won't.). Freddie's been banged up all year. Serge just came back from injury.
Powell, OG, Wright and Monroe have to step up and just eat up minutes tomorrow, regardless of the result. Then we get the Hawks Wednesday, which is like a breather of a game. So maybe Coach Nurse will rely heavily on the starters for one more day and give them some rest against the Hawks, who knows...
I'd already said last week I probably wasn't going to watch or pay much attention to the Raptors-Bucks game today. That Jazz-Spurs-Bucks-Pacers swing seemed almost unfairly tough for our undermanned squad. And especially after we threw up a stinker vs. the Spurs the other day, I fully expected another ugly loss against Giannis and Co.
I caught only a few minutes of the early part of the Raptors game, which started about 90 minutes after the puck drop for the Leafs, and I was still very much glued to the hockey game. I figured, if the Raptors win, I'll go watch it again later. If we lose, then I'll just push it aside and forget about it.
With the hockey game all but decided, I began focusing slightly more on the Raptors during the 2nd quarter. We were keeping it much closer than I'd expected or even hoped and a late 2Q run allowed us to close the half down by just one point at 57-56.
And I am glad I watched the rest of the game.
Fab Five
And in the 3Q, Serge put together perhaps my favorite sequence of the season.
I mean, HAVE YOU SEEN ANYONE BLOCK GIANNIS AND COME BACK DOWN THE COURT FOR A 3??? That was a massive play, giving us a 66-59 lead and stunning the crowd at the deer house.
We ended up outscoring them 35-25 in the 3Q and finally, FINALLY, we made some 3-pointers.
14-of-31, to be exact. FVV made 5, Siakam was 3-of-5, and Kawhi and Danny G each went 2-of-3.
So those five starters combined for 118 of 123 points today. Talk about shortening the bench, eh? OG was the only reserve to even make a FG. CJ had another DNP-CD.
Between the late 3Q and the early 4Q, Kawhi and the gang got some much-needed breather. And the Bucks made a 14-4 run to start the 4Q, with Giannis making a couple of 3s to put them ahead 96-95 at one point.
But with the big guys back in action, we pulled ahead with a 10-0 run. There was Freddie's 3, Danny G's layup in transition and Siakam's 3 along the way.
This is that Siakam trey. See those Bucks guys standing up on the bench trying to disrupt the shot? Siakam drains it and gives those scrubs a quick look. Love it!
It was great to see shots falling for a change. We were probably due. Too good of a team not to be making some buckets every once in a while.
And this, my friends, was a dagger. Can't do a post on a Raptors win without an and-1 by Kawhi:
Now What?
A game after setting a career high with 28 points, Pascal did two better with 30. Kawhi also had 30, while Ibaka had 25 and FVV had 21. All five starter played at least 35 minutes.
And... the very next day, we now take on a very good Pacers team riding a six-game winning streak. Our top dogs may be too gassed to have any chance of beating Dipo and Co. But I think it was totally worth it to go hard vs. Bucks and pull out that road win. Plus, we're still very much capable of beating the Pacers even with our starters running on fumes...
Or maybe not. Kawhi could play the 2nd end of a back-to-back for the first time this season (though, given how much he played today, my guess is he won't.). Freddie's been banged up all year. Serge just came back from injury.
Powell, OG, Wright and Monroe have to step up and just eat up minutes tomorrow, regardless of the result. Then we get the Hawks Wednesday, which is like a breather of a game. So maybe Coach Nurse will rely heavily on the starters for one more day and give them some rest against the Hawks, who knows...
Comments