Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
It Was Over When…
Kyle Lowry was unable to get a shot to fall in the final minute and Jimmer Fredette nailed two free throws to cap an 18-point comeback for New Orleans that started with the Pelicans holding the Raptors to just 18 third-quarter points.
The Game Changer
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Alexis Ajinca had his second strong outing in a win against the Raptors this season. Ajinca scored 16 points on Monday night, none bigger than the layup that put the Pelicans ahead for good with 50 seconds remaining. Newcomer Norris Cole scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, while Luke Babbitt added 10 as the Pelicans outscored Toronto 33-22 in the final frame.
The Underrated Raptor
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Jonas Valanciunas had a strong outing for the Raptors and finished with a 17-point, 14-rebound double-double (his 17th on the season) to go with an assist, block and two steals in 36 minutes of action.
That’s A Rap
“I thought we got three point happy a little bit. We were shooting 21%. We were in transition, we have to take it to the basket starting in the fourth quarter. Again, you always have to drive it to the basket. We have to recognize those and some nights your threes aren’t falling, that’s when you drive it. We have to recognize that when your shots aren’t falling and you’re tight there. For whatever reason we decided to take some quick threes and they converted those.” - Dwane Casey talking about his team’s offensive woes in the second half
By The Numbers
18 - The Raptors led by as many as 18 points agains the Pelicans before getting outscored 33-23 in the fourth quarter. The comeback was the largest for New Orleans this season.
12 - Assists for Toronto on 35 made field-goals. In comparison, New Orleans assisted on 27 of their 40 made field-goals.
55 - Points scored by the Pelicans bench, blowing away Toronto’s reserves who managed just 21 points off the bench.
46:05 - Amount of floor time it took the Pelicans to get their first lead vs. the Raptors
17-4 - Fast break points favouring the Raptors
They Said It
“Down the stretch, they hit shots. They had a couple of big threes and we had a couple of turnovers. We didn’t finish our game. We just had difficult shots down the stretch. We ran the right plays, but we had a couple of turnovers that we definitely messed up on. In the end, we didn’t hit shots and they made their shots.” - Amir Johnson on the difference in the game before and after halftime
“It’s a tough loss. We should have had that one. They hit some big shots and we had a couple of misses. They made a couple of threes and got right back in the game. It’s frustrating. It sucks, especially playing like we have. It’s a tough one. It could have been better. We settled for too many jump shots and didn’t press the issue.” - DeMar DeRozan on dropping a tough loss against an Anthony-Davis-less Pelicans team
“The way we’ve come through this thing, our journey has been like this, we have to keep fighting that was one of things I told the guys at half time. We were giving up 10 offensive rebounds and 16 free throws in a half. They made a lot of tough shots and they’re a really good team, but if we just stay with it we would pull through and give ourselves a chance.” - Pelicans head coach Monty Williams on a big comeback win against a solid Raptors team
Up Next
The Raptors finish up a four-game road trip with a stop in Dallas to play the Mavericks on Tuesday night (8:30 PM ET, TSN, FAN590).