The Toronto Raptors fall to the Los Angeles Clippers 126-118 this evening. Toronto got 51 points from Terrence Ross, tying Vince Carter's franchise high mark, but the club couldn't outlast the Clips' offensive in the end.
Things started off well for Toronto as the Raps played an impressive first quarter being patient and getting max energy from their starters. Terrence Ross let it rain as he had an amazing first quarter with 15 points, shooting 5/6 from beyond the arc.
Jonas Valanciunas also had a strong start to the game. His pump fake to the rim was working well, as he racked up 8 points with strong takes to the hoop. The Clippers Jamal Crawford came off the bench and made a significant contribution as well though. Alongside Ross, Crawford was shooting 50% from the three and kept Los Angeles in the game.
The Clippers Hedo Turkoglu, a former Raptor was booed from the fans each time the ball was in his hands. Obviously the fans did not forget his lack of respect for the team when he played back in 2010.
In the second quarter, DeMar Derozan went down hard on his left ankle, after landing on the evil villain Hedo's foot. DeRozan walked off the court and quickly returned to play. However, his ankle must have been a little worse than he anticipated seeing as how he left the game and never returned. Ross continued to keep the Raptors in the game as he shot the lights out from the 3 and showed his ability to get into the key and finish around the rim.
The Clippers had a strong start to the third as they capitalized on the Raptors turnovers. After a 6-0 run from Los Angeles, Toronto responded with a nine point run of their own to come within 3 points. Ross finished the third quarter with a ridiculously long 3 in the final seconds making his total 36 points to close the quarter. He also threw down a few beautiful dunks that had the ACC crowd going nuts.
As much as Ross kept the Dinos in the game with his offense, the Raptors defense failed to get the job done against the likes of J.J Redick and Jamal Crawford who, couldn't seem to miss a bucket in the fourth. The Clippers pulled away with five minutes left in the Q and maintained their lead to eventually finish with a 126-118 victory. Crawford finished the game with 37 points, 11 assists and 3 rebounds.
For many Raptors fans out there, this loss will be overshadowed by the Terrence Ross’ franchise record tying 51-points. What a remarkable feat! It was a shame that the Raptors couldn’t pull out a win for the stand out sophomore tonight. Overall, I hope fans are very happy for Terrence Ross, and hope that this is a sign of more great things to come from him.
Sidenotes:
Amir Johnson had a great two-handed dunk in the first few minutes of the game which was assisted from DeRozan.
It is hard to win a basketball game when you allow the opponent to score more than 125 points. The Raptors will need to play a more consistent defensive game going forward.
Patrick Patterson got hit in the nose by Blake Griffin and missed most of the second half. The verdict was "broken nose" after the game. Funny, Patterson got called for the foul on the play.
Sarah’ Eye:
It was great to see Dwane Casey's sideline passion on full display tonight!