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October 31, 2008

TORONTO (CP) - With 6:17 left in the fourth quarter and the Raptors trailing by two points to the Golden State Warriors on Friday, a struggling Jermaine O'Neal picked up his fifth foul and plunked down on the bench.

So Andrea Bargnani stood up, and then he stepped up.

The third-year forward went on to score seven points in the rest of the fourth quarter and in overtime, providing clutch shooting and an uncharacteristic defensive boost in leading Toronto to a 112-108 win.

"We wouldn't have won the game without the way Andrea played tonight,'' head coach Sam Mitchell said. "His scoring, his defence, some of the blocks he had down the stretch. He was on the floor when we were making our run, getting those stops. He played tough tonight.''

The former first overall pick finished with 19 points, five rebounds and three blocks, playing with a sense of purpose that was absent for much of a disappointing 2007-08 campaign.

Instead of lingering behind the three-point line, Bargnani did most of his damage in the paint with driving dunks and layups. And where he once looked lost on defensive rotations, Bargnani was communicative and aware in his own end. He even made two massive blocks on Warriors forward Al Harrington in the dying minutes of overtime.

"I got an opportunity to do what I was working on in the summer,'' Bargnani said.

Raptors all-star Chris Bosh said it was the best game he's seen Bargnani play in a long while.

"We were like, 'Who's No. 7?''' Bosh said with a laugh. "He just played aggressive, and I think that's good for him. He's making people pay now. When he has somebody isolated he's not afraid to take it to the hole.''

Indeed, it was a very different Bargnani than fans have grown used to seeing. After a promising rookie campaign, Bargnani struggled in his sophomore year, averaging 10.2 points and 3.7 rebounds on 38.6 shooting.

On most nights, he was an Italian enigma - occasional flashes of brilliance were tempered by long stretches of listless play. So he dedicated himself to a stringent workout regimen over the summer and worked diligently with Raptors coaches on playing around the net.

He failed to register a point in Toronto's season-opening win against Philadelphia on Wednesday, but had five rebounds and made a point of throwing his newly acquired bulk around in the post.

Mitchell said Bargnani was quiet in the days following, and came into Friday's game focused.

"He didn't play well in the first game, but he came back,'' Mitchell said.

The coach certainly showed confidence in his seven-footer.

With 2:33 remaining in overtime and the Raptors hanging on to a slim four-point lead, Mitchell called for point guard Jose Calderon to toss the ball to Bargnani, who was being covered by a smaller player, Warriors forward Kelenna Azubuike.

Bargnani backed Azubuike down in the post and nearly lost the ball. But he collected himself before nailing a turnaround jumper that put the Raptors up 102-96.

"Andrea was putting the ball in the basket, playing with a lot of confidence, he was hitting guys - when guys are doing that, you give them the basketball,'' Mitchell said.

It was one huge play in a game full of them for Bargnani, who was a sizzling 8-of-10 from the field.

For his part, O'Neal said he didn't mind resting on the pine - not with the way Bargnani was playing.

"Andrea just had such a great, great game coming off the bench,'' O'Neal said. "He was ready to answer the call, and that's what we need for this team.''