Raptors Cruise Past the Lakers

The Raptors put away the Lakers early in the second half and the Bench Mob closed the game off with relative ease.

Kyle Lowry set the pace for the majority of this game. As the Raptors cruise past the youthful Lakers.

The Toronto Raptors faced off against the visiting Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers have been rolling lately as they have won 8 of their last 10 games coming into this one. The Raptors were trying to get back to their winning ways after letting one slip by against Utah a couple nights ago. The Raptors were sporting their new OVO black and gold jerseys. The Raptors with this win will clinch the 2nd best record in the East and get Dwane Casey and the coaching staff to All-Star weekend. The Celtics’ Brad Stevens is not allowed to represent the Eastern Conference since he represented them last year.

The Raptors started off strong and were playing efficiently. They got off to a 7-point first quarter lead because of good ball movement and crashing the glass. The Los Angeles Lakers are one of the top five teams in the league in offensive rebounding which is a source of weakness for the Raptors in the past few games. This would be a good test to work on the team’s weaknesses.

Jonas got his fifth double-double in the last six games. 

DeRozan and Lowry played great despite the statistics. Lowry kept a great pace for the Raptors and DeRozan shut down any runs the Lakers were trying to put together. DeRozan scored the majority of his points in the 3rd quarter and gave the Bench Mob a good cushion to work with. In a game where defense was hardly seen, the Raptors proved that they have the offensive capability to play both at a high pace or a slow pace. DeRozan led the team with 7 assists and Lowry led the team with 11 rebounds. Other teams around the league might be surprised to learn that the Raptor’s best defensive rebounder next to JV, might be Kyle. For his small stature, he has a nose for the basketball and can still elevate for those rebounds.

The Bench Mob started the fourth quarter led by the relentless Fred VanVleet. It was great to see the bench take the lead and smash it wide open. The Raptors then put the game on cruise control and finished the game off with a final score of 123-111. VanVleet went to the rim constantly and the Lakers’ lack of rim protection was their downfall as VanVleet lit the Lakers up for a career-high 25 points. VanVleet recently came off his previous career-high against the Cleveland Cavaliers with 22 points. He is coming out of his shell and establishing himself as the Raptors’ 6th man (Sorry, Norman Powell). Norm was the Raptors go-to scorer last year but has been out of the rotation due to his poor shooting.

Fred VanVleet drops a career-high 25 points off the bench. 

The bench contributed a total of 61 points compared to the 62 points scored by the starters. Everyone on the night was a positive net rating. Dwane Casey was soaked with a water shower as Dwane Casey and his staff will be heading off to Los Angeles for the 2018 All-Star Game. Dwane will be coaching Team LeBron as he faces off against his stars, DeMar and Lowry, who will be playing for Team Curry. According to Lowry, the trash talking has already begun on who will come out victorious. It will be interesting to choose which side to cheer for. 

Pictures courtesy of: http://www.nba.com/raptors/gallery/rapslakers-012818