Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
It Was Over When
DeMar DeRozan closed out the third quarter with four straight free throws to give the Toronto Raptors a 16-point lead heading into the fourth against the Clippers at Air Canada Centre.
The Turning Point
With the Clippers racing out to a 30-10 lead in the first quarter, it was the Raptors bench plus starter Amir Johnson that turned things around. James Johnson had a 12-point quarter and Williams also added 12 points for the half, as the group exploded for a 38-point second quarter, trimming the L.A. lead to 59-57 at the half.
The Game Changer
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James Johnson returned after missing four straight games with a strained hamstring and he did it in a huge way. Coming off the bench to erupt for 16 points on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting, Johnson brought energy on both ends of the floor and sparked a Raptors team that had missed his intensity during his absence.
"You see what he can do," said Kyle Lowry post-game. "He's a versatile guy, he can play three, four, two and five. He guarded Blake Griffin tonight, he guarded CP [Chris Paul] tonight from one through four and one through five. We need him to play like that and when he's on his game like he was tonight, it's unbelievable."
The Underrated Raptor
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Lou Williams finished the game with 18 points on 4-for-9 shootin from the field and 7-for-9 shooting from the free throw line, but he also added three rebounds, five assists and played a key role for the Raptors during their first half comeback.
"He made some good shots but I thought his passing was good," Raptors head coach Dwane Casey said post-game. "He had one split he tried to go through in the pick-and-roll, but for the most part I thought he did a good job of passing. His defence was solid on (Chris) Paul and their other perimeter guys. He’s a veteran and he knows how to play. It’s one of those things where he had a bad couple of nights but we have a lot of faith in Lou (Williams) and our shooters."
That’s A Rap
“James [Johnson] and Lou [Williams] came in and gave us a big spark in the second quarter, just the opposite of what had happened against Brooklyn the other game. We need that spark from the bench. We have to start getting quicker starters. I don't know what we have to do with the starting unit but we have to come out putting the pedal to the metal and find a group that is going to come out and give us a spark. I loved the way that we bounced back. I loved the right and tenacity we had defensively against one of the top scoring teams in the league. I loved the way guys responded.” - Dwane Casey on his team’s perseverance against the Clippers
By The Numbers
34 - Combined points from Lou Williams and James Johnson. The Clippers entire bench scored 29 points, with 20 coming from Jamal Crawford.
13 - Free throw attempts for DeMar DeRozan who went 12-for-13 from the line against Los Angeles.
76 - Points scored by the Raptors over the second and third quarters, one more than their total against the Milwaukee Bucks in a loss on Monday night (Twitter user @Marbles72 passed this along)
8 - assists for DeRozan who continues to look for his teammates when double-teamed. DeRozan had a triple-double watch on Friday night, finishing with a team-high 24 points to go with nine rebounds, eight assists and two steals.
They Said It
“The bench really got us back into the game, then DeMar (DeRozan) and I. We have to play that way to be successful I believe and we have to be more aggressive. He (DeMar DeRozan) did a great job of passing and rebounding. I got aggressive and it just felt more comfortable shooting the ball.” - Kyle Lowry on the play of the bench and DeMar DeRozan
“They’re a great team. They came into L.A. And did what they wanted to do. I thought we came out with the right mindset tonight and we knew they weren’t going to bak down, but we didn't put up enough of a fight down the stretch.” - Blake Griffin on the Raptors comeback
“Lou Williams, [Patrick] Patterson, and [James] Johnson, I thought they turned the game around with their energy. I thought they beat us off the dribble. I thought they created plays. Our pick-and-roll coverage tonight I thought was horrendous and I thought overall that hurt us more than anything defensively.” - Doc Rivers on Toronto’s reserves changing the game
Up Next...
The Raptors will take on the defending-champion San Antonio Spurs on Sunday evening at Air Canada Centre (7 PM ET, TSN, TSN 1050).