RaptorsHQ Rapid Recap: Toronto Raptors 94 - New Jersey Nets 73

by RaptorsHQ - Defensive Stance on Jan 29, 2012 8:34 PM EST in Raptors Rapid Recap

- Missing two of their biggest offensive weapons in Andrea Bargnani and Leandro Barbosa, the Toronto Raptors somehow managed to cruise to a 21-point victory over the New Jersey Nets. As broadcaster Matt Devlin noted, the 21-point lead with just over five minutes to go was the Raptors' largest lead over an opponent this season. And they held on to make it the final margin of victory.

- The Raptors finished with their first winning record on a road trip of five games or more since 2001. Yes, we had to take it back to the glory days of Vince Carter and Antonio Davis to find a Raptors team that had a better showing on an extended road swing. The Raptors improved to 5-9 on the road (they won all of six games on the road last season).

- Dwane Casey decided to shake things up with a small-ball starting lineup of Jose Calderon, Jerryd Bayless, DeMar DeRozan, James Johnson and Amir Johnson. And it paid dividends early as the Raptors finished the opening frame tied at 24.

- DeRozan displayed an aggressiveness rarely seen from the third-year pro. He dropped an efficient 27 points on just 12 shots while getting to the line a career-high 16 times. If someone could figure out how to coax that type of effort out of DeRozan on a nightly basis, I'm sure the Raptors organization would pay you a lot of money.

- For the Nets, it was Deron Williams and little else. Williams took 20 shots to score 24 points and looked annoyed (to say the least) as he watched the minutes tick away during garbage time. Anthony Morrow was the only other Net in double figures.

- Thankfully, the Nets' scorching three-point shooting from the last time these two teams faced each other didn't carry over to this contest. The team that will soon call Brooklyn home was just 7-for-22 from outside.

Tweet Comment 10 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

If someone could figure out how to coax that type of effort out of DeRozan on a nightly basis, I’m sure the Raptors organization would pay you a lot of money.

Funny thing is I think they already pay DeMar a lot of money to figure that out…

"the Truth"

by Mikthaniel on Jan 29, 2012 9:01 PM EST reply actions

missed the game

had to help move my son from his apartment…
glad to see Csey trying different things.
Its all about matchups.

will try for the next…

sorry to all those who wish for a loss for ping pong balls

by ppellico on Jan 29, 2012 9:14 PM EST reply actions

Keep Demar

he sucks most nights this season but he’s young and who knows what he’ll end up amounting to. You don’t give away young assets bec they’re having a rough time. Happy to see him finally have a great game.

by Member29 on Jan 29, 2012 9:29 PM EST reply actions

I agree on not giving away DeMar, but if somebody comes knocking and is selling something nice, you obviously listen…

Talkinf fantasy bball on twitter http://twitter.com/FinalsFantasy#

by JumpShootersRUS on Jan 29, 2012 9:58 PM EST up reply actions

oh yes i agree

by Member29 on Jan 29, 2012 10:10 PM EST reply actions

While I could see us having trouble containing many teams defensively employing such a small starting line up, and maybe not winning much with it, I would like to continue to see this one going forward. Actually, I would love to see Ed Davis replace Amir in the starting line up. He has more upside than Amir, and I am curious to see if he can bring anything to the table if given an extended shot. I already know what I think of Amir. I like him, and think he is/could be a very useful back up forward/center… Bayless and James Johnson should be playing a lot of minutes because they are auditioning and we should see exactly what we have in them. Plus DeMar’s inability to score off of the bounce against most SGs hurts him. Bayless should be able to get by many SGs.

Talkinf fantasy bball on twitter http://twitter.com/FinalsFantasy#

by JumpShootersRUS on Jan 29, 2012 10:42 PM EST reply actions

Not sure I agree

Actually, I would love to see Ed Davis replace Amir in the starting line up. He has more upside than Amir,

Well, Ed would need to develop a decent jumper to at least equal Amir. So far, there’s not been much sign of that, but Ed is still young so there’s time. Amir’s a pretty good player and the Raptors would get a pretty good haul if they put him on the trade market. Ed, not so much, even though he’s on a rookie contract and in his second year.

by siggian on Jan 30, 2012 9:28 AM EST up reply actions

Maybe I should not have used upside.

What I do think is that Amir is a nice bench piece on a solid team. He seems to be constantly banged up, probably because he plays hard, plays hurt, and needs to guard bigger players a lot of the time. However, I think it is pretty clear that his future role is the of a 20-30 minute F/C.

I would prefer to keep him healthy and productive on a per minute basis. I would just like to see what Ed can do. Throw him in the fire for a bit, and see how he reacts. This is largely because I think he could be the odd guy out here with Amir capable of backing up Andrea and Val. However, I would like the team to get a real good luck at Ed before they make that call…

Talkinf fantasy bball on twitter http://twitter.com/FinalsFantasy#

by JumpShootersRUS on Jan 30, 2012 11:41 PM EST up reply actions

DeMar eventually as a 3

I mentioned a while back how it might be ideal to run DeMar at the 3 and use Bayless in what has been the Barbosa role when Barbosa leaves as a free agent. Giving Bayless this role where the focus would be for him to score instead of primarily facilitating might maximize his situation and see him finally realize his potential.

DeMar’s handles are no worse than JJs so allowing him to operate out of the 3 spot might be the best way to use him long term and going into the summer, it should be a consideration that if endorsed would dictate his training regimen – i.e. balking up.

Imagine if the team could realize ways to get more out of young players already on the roster by shuffling roles while adding talent through the draft and the arrival of JV? That would be nice and offer some continuity by avoiding a major overhaul as in previous offseasons. The stability would benefit the team record wise. Consider Philadelphia – same roster for the most part but more familiar with each other and the roles each plays in contributing to winning. I wonder if Stefanski, having had a role in building that team carries even more weight in his dealings with BC.

Also, if PG and SG are the focal points going into the offseason, the draft should still reap some rewards even if the team doesn’t land a top 3 pick. So, we can enjoy the winning and still not fall of track of a successful rebuild that will eventually see championship level contention. If this is a blip in a downward spiral of bad losing the rest of the year, so be it, but for a night I will allow the optimism to envelope me.

Happiness is that which gets lost in the details of its pursuit.

by HQ Interloper on Jan 29, 2012 11:25 PM EST reply actions

Of Course...

The game I don’t see is the game they win lol. Looking at the comments, I’m happy to see Demar being aggressive. Derozan has always been my favorite player because of his potential. There has always been a special spot for 6’6 and 6’7 SG players in the league, even though he started SF this game. Hopefully they keep up this play, and maybe we can win SOME games. Keep in mind the ping pong balls though :P

by keepit4real on Jan 29, 2012 11:54 PM EST reply actions