-While it didn't result in a win, there was another very good defensive effort present in the Toronto Raptors 90 to 85 loss to the Indiana Pacers tonight. The Raps held the visiting Pacers to just under 40 per cent shooting from the field, but just couldn't muster enough offense of their own down the stretch, dropping their home opener, and tying their record at 1 and 1 in this young season.
-DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points to lead all players, and after the game, Toronto coach Dwane Casey said that DD kept the Dinos in this game all by himself at times. Andrea Bargnani also broke the 20 point mark with 21, while Jerryd Bayless had 13 as the third Raptor in double figures. Unfortunately it was a rough shooting night for some of Toronto's other regulars like Jose Calderon, and the team's inability to get to the line and hold onto the ball (19 turnovers) proved too much to overcome in the end.
-Danny Granger led Indiana with 21 points but all five Pacers' starters hit double figures in scoring in this one. Indiana won the majority of the statistical categories in fact, outrebounding Toronto, turning the ball over less, and as noted, doing a much better job not only in getting to the free throw line, but also in making them. The Raps hit only 7 of 13 shots from the charity stripe.
-This was a great test for Toronto, and as a fan, you have to be pretty pleased with the outcome. It wasn't a win, but again the club fought tooth and nail on D, and was a few stops and some better execution on O from perhaps stealing a win from a more talented club. The Raps get back at it on Friday now, taking a trip to Dallas hoping to perform similar lockdown work on their coach's former club, the defending NBA Champion, Dallas Mavericks.