Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com
IT WAS OVER WHEN
DeMar DeRozan unleashed a gorgeous spin move on the way to the basket for a pretty layup that extended Toronto’s lead to eight with 1:24 remaining. The Lakers wouldn’t score again and Toronto walked off the floor with a 102-91 win. The victory moves Toronto to 8-6 on the season.
TURNING POINT
The Raptors went into the fourth ahead by six and started the quarter with a small-ball lineup that quickly extended their lead to 16 with eight minutes remaining. Thanks to ball movement, active defence and a flurry of three-pointers, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry were able to rest for the first half of the quarter before coming in to close out the win.
VALANCIUNAS' EARLY EXIT
Jonas Valanciunas was in obvious pain after a foul by Kobe Bryant caught his hand and wrist awkwardly. He finished the half, but was in obvious discomfort. The team announced that x-rays on Valanciunas’ left hand revealed a fracture of the fourth metacarpal. He will undergo further tests.
ROSS RETURNS
Terrence Ross returned to the lineup after missing the previous six games with a thumb ligament injury. He played 14 minutes on Friday and scored eight points on 3-for-6 shooting.
RAPTORS PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kyle Lowry got off to a great start on Friday, scoring 19 points in the first half on 5-for-9 shooting, including 5-for-6 from beyond the arc and 4-for-4 from the free throw line. He finished with 25 points on 7-for-16 field goals. Each of his made field goals were from deep, as he shot 7-for-11 from the three-point line and 7-for-8 from the line. Lowry also added five rebounds, five assists and three steals in the win.
UNDERRATED RAPTORS PLAYER(S) OF THE GAME
Patrick Patterson and Cory Joseph were huge off the bench against the Lakers. Patterson scored seven points and grabbed seven rebounds while dishing three assists and picking up a steal. Joseph had 11 points and six assists as each player was a +21 for the game.
THAT'S A RAP…
“One he gets hot like that, it’s tough to guard him. Once he gets rolling like that we all know to move out of the way as much as possible and try to make it as easy as possible for him.”- DeMar DeRozan on Kyle Lowry’s big night
BY THE #’S
15… Three-pointers for the Raptors, compared to eight for the Lakers. Toronto shot better from deep (46 percent) than from the floor (44 percent).32… Bench points for the Raptors who have had trouble getting offensive production from their reserves in recent games. The bench won the battle on Friday, outscoring the L.A. bench 32-25.10… Points in the fourth for DeMarre Carroll who made four of five field goals in the quarter.21… Assists on 34 made field goals for the Raptors. On the season, the team is averaging 18.5 assists per contest.
THEY SAID IT…
“I think we got going a little bit earlier tonight and tried to not have the type of start we had in the Utah game. We had a sluggish second quarter, but the third quarter and fourth quarter I thought we played well.”- Kyle Lowry on the team getting off to a better start against the Lakers“Next man up. We’ll have to find out which way we want to go. It’s unfortunate for Jonas. This is the second time, I think when he first got here in his career, he broke his hand. It’s unfortunate, but again, next man up. I’m sure we’ll call Lucas up from the D-League. That’s the good thing about that. He had a good game the other night so hopefully we’ll have some minutes or a spot for him.”- Dwane Casey on Jonas Valanciunas’ injury“Next guy steps up. Bis [Bismack Biyombo] will most likely get the starting position and Bebe will get the call back up from the 905 and he’ll be with us. It’s an opportunity for Bis and the rest of us to step up.”- Patrick Patterson on being without Jonas Valanciunas in the near future“I don’t know what happened. I went up with the ball and got slapped. I don't know who slapped me and I felt the pain. It was hand to hand.”- Jonas Valanciunas on how the injury occurred“I’m going to try to do everything to recover fast and be out there as soon as I can. Now I can’t change anything. Ill just heal fast, do the right things, I hope my doctors will help me, I think so, and we’ll be out on the court soon.”- Jonas Valanciunas on wanting to be back as soon as possible
UP NEXT:
The Raptors remain in Los Angeles to take on the Clippers on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 P.M. ET.