Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
It Was Over When…
Russell Westbrook capped off another brilliant performance with two free throws to extend the Oklahoma City Thunder lead to four with 14 seconds remaining. Westbrook’s points spoiled an eight-point run by DeMar DeRozan to give the Toronto Raptors a shot at stealing the game.
Turning Point
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After leading by three at the half, the Raptors came out flat in the third and were outscored by the Thunder 28-18. Oklahoma City took an 86-79 lead into the fourth quarter.
"I thought we came out and they attacked us," Casey said of the second half. "It’s not like we didn’t play hard but they took it to another level and we didn’t meet it especially in the paint and the rebounding. I thought Kanter and also Ibaka came in and just kind of hurt us in the paint and the second shots, moving us out of the way, and hitting us. We didn’t respond and come up with those rebounds. Those are big possessions in that stretch and it kind of set the tone for the way they play."
Bounce Back Game For T-Ross
In his second game back with the starting lineup, Terrence Ross got back to business. Ross scored 20 points against the Thunder, shooting 7-for-12 from the floor and made a season-high six three-pointers, on 6-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Ross also added four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot in 26 minutes of action. After a brutal stretch to start 2015, a productive Ross in the starting lineup would be a huge boost for the Raptors to close out the season.
DeRozan Continues To Flourish
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DeMar DeRozan had another strong game, scoring 24 points on 11-for-22 field goals to go with four rebounds and a team-high nine assists. DeRozan is averaging 30 points on 52-percent shooting in March, compared to just 16.7 points on 34-percent shooting in February.
That’s A Rap
"If you find somebody who has slowed him down, let me know. It's definitely tough. You got to give him credit. Their best player is out and he's stepping up when they're fighting for a playoff spot." - DeRozan on Russell Westbrook's big night
By The Numbers
16 - more rebounds for the Thunder than the Raptors. This is the second straight game (both losses) that Toronto has been killed on the glass. Patrick Patterson’s eight rebounds were a team-high for Toronto. Oklahoma City pulled down 49 rebounds to Toronto’s 33.
9 - Free throw attempts for Toronto. The good news is that the Raptors were a perfect 9-for-9 from the line. The bad news is that the Thunder went 18-for-25 from the line, making twice as many free throws as Toronto attempted.
30 - Points, 11 rebounds, 17 assists, four steals and nine turnovers for Russell Westbrook who was everywhere on Sunday night. This was Westbrook’s seventh triple-double of the season.
10 - Blocked shots by the Thunder, including five from Serge Ibaka, compared to just three blocks for the Raptors.
They Said It
“That’s the difference. We have to put together two halves. I thought we moved the basketball…we had 18 assists in the first half, but only six in the second half. That was the difference. Defensively, we were scrambling, moving, and they still shot a high percentage. Then, the rebounding to start the second half killed us. It seemed like they scored every time on second shots. Rebounding, continue to move the ball. I thought our shot selection was better tonight. We had a couple of bad looks. Overall, I thought the offensive movement was good and the first half defense was as good as we have played in a while.” - Casey on the Raptors playing a full 48 minutes
"I've got to look at the film of it, but I think one thing is the assists went down I guess, and partially because we missed some shots in the second half. I think they intensified their defense. We couldn't get the spots we were getting to in the first half. We just need to continue to be strong." - Kyle Lowry on a tale of two halves
"Sometimes the same thing that was probably working in the first half may not work in the second half. We should have been more aggressive with getting to the basket and getting to the free throw line and try to slow down the game that way. We just have to be more conscious that way. Give them credit. They came out swinging, and we missed a lot of shots.” - DeRozan on a lack of aggressiveness in the second half
Up Next
The Raptors wrap up their three-game road trip with a game against the Spurs in San Antonio on Tuesday at 8:30 PM ET.