Nuggets reunion.
All Things Alphabetically. Day 4: All Things D. → DeMar DeRozan
Jonas Valanciunas, C from Lithuania was drafted 5th overall by the Toronto Raptors.
Thanks to power forward Amir Johnson’s layup shot at literally the last second (1.4 sec left in the game), the Toronto Raptors got a victory over the very hot at the moment Oklahoma City Thunder.
OKC was behind in the third, and got over the 10-point deficit they were facing, only to be disappointed at the last minute. Leandro Barbosa shot a 3-pointer that tied the game, he also assisted with Johnson’s game winning shot.
This game snapped a streak for both teams. The Raptors were on a 14-game road losing streak, for the Thunder, it was a streak that they would prefer to keep going – a six game winning streak.
Andrea Bargnani was the Raptors’ top scorer with 23 points. He was also the lead defense player holding Kevin Durant to 0 for 7 shooting in the 3rd quarter. Amir Johnson brought in 5 points, including the game winning shot. James Johnson scored 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. DeMar DeRozan scored 16 and Jose Calderon 3. Their bench also added 36 points thanks to Reggie Evans, Leandro Barbosa, Sonny Weems, and Jerryd Bayless.
For the Thunder, Kevin Durant, was stripped of his usual title of lead scorer. He scored 20 points to Russell Westbrook’s 22. Serge Ibaka scored 8 and we also saw low numbers from Kendrick Perkins and Thabo Sefolosha who brought in 5 and 4 respectively. The team’s highest scorer was actually James Harden who came off the bench to contribute 23 points to the team’s total.
Tomorrow the Raptors will face the Denver Nuggets and on Wednesday the Thunder will face the Utah Jazz.
Oklahoma City Thunder 93 - Toronto Raptors 95
The Detroit Pistons bounced back from a three-game losing streak as they beat the Toronto Raptors tonight. The Pistons dominated the whole night, with Toronto only having the lead once when they scored the game’s first basket. I guess those green uniforms didn’t bring them any luck tonight.
The Detroit starters included the team’s four oldest players and a rookie. This combination definitely worked.
The Pistons got Ben Wallace back after he missed 8 games due to a death in the family, he brought in 6 points and 8 rebounds. Greg Monroe grabbed 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. The top scorer was Rip Hamilton who scored 24 points. Tayshaun Prince got 22 with Rodney Stuckey only taking one shot, but bringing in 14 assists.
Veterans Tracy McGrady and Wallace had a pretty play during the first quarter that ended in a dunk by McGrady. They were definitely playing like the young guys.
The Raptors’ top performer was DeMar DeRozan who got 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist. The rest of the starters included James Johnson who scored 9, Ed Davis who added only 2, Andrea Bargnani who got 20, and Jose Calderon who brought in 10. Leandro Barbosa came off the bench to add 18 points in 26 minutes of play.
The Raptors tried, but pad passes, missed rebounds, and foul trouble caused them to fall short.
Toronto Raptors 93 - Detroit Pistons 107
