There are still areas in his game where he needs to improve – like his three-point shooting – but at just 24 years old, Joseph has the rare opportunity to play for his hometown team and it’s safe to say that he’s performed beyond expectations at this point.
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Leo Rautins and Jack Armstrong explain how Kyle Lowry led Toronto’s charge in the second quarter and discuss the potency of the Raptors’ bench, which contributed 51 points against the Clippers.
They are better in almost every statistical category when Griffin plays; effective field goal percentage, rebounding (both defensive and offensive), assist percentage, even block percentage. Joseph, Biyombo, Ross and Patterson, the core bench unit this team needs so badly, combined for 50 points. Before Sunday’s game, Chris Paul has averaged 10.6 assists per game against the Raptors, the most of any player against Toronto in the franchise’s history. One of the key ones is that quality bench players are expected to come in and hold leads handed to them by the starters. “I think their style of play more so than the perception is the thing”.
DeMar DeRozan and Terrence Ross added 18 points each for the Raptors.
Rivers acknowledged as much before DeRozan scored 18 points in one of his quietest games this month.
The Raptors are riding the second-longest winning streak in franchise history. “We have taken advantage of it, and that’s been great with the balance that we’ve been able to sustain throughout these past couple of games”.
“The record is great but we’ve got to understand how to do this consistently, especially when everything matters”.
Guard Chris Paul scored 23 points and distributed 11 assists for the Clippers. J.J. Redick added 17 points, and center DeAndre Jordan scored 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. “Their first unit played really well against us and our first unit”. The bench turned the ball over, took very bad shots, and did not seem like they could stop the Raptors at any point.
The NBA announced the Eastern and Western Conference starters on January 21 for the 2016 NBA all-star game. DeRozan can still be selected as an all-star.
Los Angeles tweaked their game-day rotations early in the season by bringing in free-agents Josh Smith and Lance Stephenson but the duo is receiving limited time on the court during the successful run by head coach Doc Rivers.
Patterson said there was nothing to a scuffle with Jamal Crawford, but admitted the Clippers can get under the skin of an opponent. “The turnovers didn’t help, and once you get layups and stuff you get confidence as a group”. Toronto is as red hot, or more so, than the Clippers as the team aims to extend its season-best win streak to eight today on the Air Canada hardwood.
The changes meant that Ross and Patterson were going to be relied on for secondary scoring – an area where the Raptors thrived led by Lou Williams and Greivis Vasquez last season.
“We gave up 34 points in the first quarter and I thought that it was going to be a long night”, Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. Clippers forward Wesley Johnson clanked a three-point attempt off the rim and into Biyombo’s hands in the dying seconds of the period.
This was Toronto’s 60th sellout in a row (including playoffs) and the first time the Raptors swept both Los Angeles teams …
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But in the midst of it all will be Lowry-the Raptors’ fearless leader, the one who sparked his team’s long-awaited turnaround two seasons ago, and the player that the [adopted] hometown crowd is now proud to call its own.
