Raptors Proving They're for Real and Other Takeaways from Wednesday's NBA Action
Forget "We the North."
In notching a thrilling 96-92 win over the West-leading Memphis Grizzlies, the Toronto Raptors improved to 9-2, legitimized their status as contenders and struck a blow for their much-derided conference.
More like "We the East."
This game featured layers of emotion, as Toronto kicked things off with a video tribute to the visiting Vince Carter, who, in the years since his messy departure from the team, had become persona non grata in Raptorland.
All was forgiven, and it got a little dusty for the man formerly known as Air Canada.
Memphis got out to a six-point halftime lead, riding a physical second quarter from Zach Randolph. Toronto trailed by six heading into the fourth, but that's when Terrence Ross caught fire. The third-year forward poured in 14 points in the period, and Kyle Lowry drilled a tough step-back to ice the game with eight ticks remaining.
Though Memphis was missing several players (including Tony Allen and Courtney Lee) because of a bug making its way through the team, this was a major statement win for the Raps. Marc Gasol piled up 22 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, and Randolph contributed 18 points and 18 boards.
The Grizzlies didn't give this one away by any stretch. Toronto took it.
In big-picture terms, the Raptors' win should eliminate any lingering concerns about their staying power. There was a sense that Toronto hadn't done enough over the summer to improve its prospects, and with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers getting stronger, there was reason to believe Toronto would fall short of the franchise-best 48 wins it amassed in 2013-14.
Thanks to organic growth, Lowry's continued leadership and returns to form for role players like Louis Williams (who had 13 points to lead Toronto's second unit), it now appears the Raptors belong among the East's elite.
What's more, they've gone 3-0 against the West to start the season. The first two out-of-conference victories came against the injury-stricken Oklahoma City Thunder and still-not-ready Utah Jazz, though, so knocking off a fearsome Grizzlies team stands out.
Going forward, Toronto will concern itself primarily with taking care of business in its own conference. A back-to-back set on Nov. 21 and 22 against the dangerous Milwaukee Bucks and the star-laden Cavaliers will present another major test in short order.
But it's still significant that the Raptors know they can compete (and win) against the best either conference has to offer.
Perhaps most encouraging, the Raptors remain unsatisfied. Chuck Hayes said, per Eric Koreen of the National Post:
Onward and upward, eh?
Around the Association
King Solomon
King for a day, anyway. Solomon Hill spoiled Lance Stephenson's return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Wednesday, retrieving a Rodney Stuckey air ball and flipping it in (all in one motion, mind you) as the buzzer sounded to give the Indiana Pacers an 88-86 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
The final sequence was quintessential Pacers. After playing hard-nosed, scrambling D to force a desperate, highly contested miss from Marvin Williams, Indy milked clock, only to get a go-nowhere isolation attack from Stuckey. The low-percentage pull-up fell short, and Hill was there (thanks to a nonexistent box-out from Gerald Henderson) to win the game on a pure effort play.
Kidd Takes Brooklyn...Eventually
Some things happened before the final minute of regulation between the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks. Occurrences transpired. Events took place.
Blah, blah, blah. Let's get to the good stuff.
O.J. Mayo sent the contest to its first overtime with a coast-to-coast layup that tied things at 95. Then, after stealing an errant pass from Joe Johnson, Brandon Knight sprinted the length of the floor and botched an uncontested layup that would have ended the game in OT.
It was rough to watch.
But then: redemption! Knight buried a three to tie the game at 112 with 19 ticks remaining in the second overtime period. Milwaukee would go on to take the contest by a final of 122-118 in triple OT, giving Jason Kidd a satisfying win against his former team and a very hostile crowd.
Extra points to Giannis Antetokounmpo for fighting through an ugly ankle sprain and forcing tough shot after tough shot from Johnson down the stretch.
Tight Games All over the Place
Nothing could top the back-and-forth dramatics we saw from Brooklyn and Milwaukee, but there were down-to-the-wire jobs all over the league on Wednesday.
The Washington Wizards' John Wall couldn't hit a corner three to tie the game with 26 seconds left, and Bradley Beal's return to action was spoiled by a 105-102 Dallas Mavericks win.
In another close one, Eric Bledsoe provided a go-ahead layup with 28 seconds left, and the Phoenix Suns rode stout defense to an 88-86 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
That Didn't Go as Planned
LeBron James' new team met with a result that was all too familiar to his old one; the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 92-90.
The defeat was made worse by James' turnover on what appeared to be a promising last-second transition chance for the Cavs. Inexplicably, LBJ lost control of the ball as he brought it up the floor on the run, at which point Manu Ginobili scooped up the rock and dribbled out the final four seconds.
James was just 6-of-17 on the night and only attempted one foul shot.
The result (and the finish) probably wasn't what James was planning on in his first tilt with an old nemesis. Also probably unforeseen by LBJ: Cleveland is now a .500 team at 5-5.
Maybe There's a Triangle Defense
The prevailing narrative about the New York Knicks this has season centered on the team's (in)ability to implement Phil Jackson's triangle offense. After the Minnesota Timberwolves hung a zillion points on the Knicks, maybe it's time to shift the focus to defensive innovation instead.
New York lost 115-99, dropping its record to 3-10 and its defensive rating to No. 28 in the league, per NBA.com.
Things aren't looking great in New York these days.
Good news, though: The 0-11 Philadelphia 76ers come to Madison Square Garden on Saturday, bringing with them a reminder that things could always be worse.
This Settles It: Nick Young Matters
The Lakers improved to 2-0 with Nick Young in the lineup on Wednesday, downing the Houston Rockets 98-92. Dwight Howard sat out with a bad knee, which probably had something to do with the result as well; Houston is 0-2 when D12 has been sidelined this season.
Kobe Bryant, who had 29 points against the Rockets, has played a total of 77 minutes in a 24-hour span. Byron Scott might want to keep an eye on that.
James Harden's Sweater Game Was Golden
Thank you for being a friend, James.
