Houston Rockets vs. Toronto Raptors: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The plummeting Toronto Raptors hosted the Houston Rockets on Monday in what became a battle of star shooting guards, and DeMar DeRozan bested James Harden in the Raptors' gritty 99-96 win.
Harden notched 31 points, but DeRozan exploded for a career-high 42.
The Raptors refused to yield numerous times. They trailed by nine points in the first quarter but finished the first 12 minutes tied at 27. Then they trailed by 11 in the second quarter before pulling to within four at the break.
They never had a comfortable lead on the visitors but kept grinding throughout the second half and earned a narrow victory.
With Dwight Howard resting in the second game of a back-to-back set and Kyle Lowry (back) also sitting out, each team played without one of its two best players. The Rockets also missed their starting point guard after the team announced Monday that Patrick Beverley needs season-ending surgery on his wrist.
Here are grades for all key players from the Raptors' first win over an above-.500 opponent in nearly six weeks, according to NBA.com's John Schuhmann.
| Greivis Vasquez | C- |
| DeMar DeRozan | A |
| Terrence Ross | C- |
| Amir Johnson | B |
| Jonas Valanciunas | B+ |
| Rest of Team | B- |
| Jason Terry | C+ |
| James Harden | A- |
| Trevor Ariza | B |
| Josh Smith | D+ |
| Joey Dorsey | C+ |
| Rest of Team | C+ |
Toronto Raptors
DeMar DeRozan, Shooting Guard
In a preemptive heat check that showcased classic DeMar DeRozan, he hit a jump shot for his first field goal after dribbling, dribbling and dribbling against solid defense and then launching an 18-foot step-back jumper at the death of the shot clock—which he swished.
That was a first sign that DeRozan had his sights locked in on Monday.
By the time his evening was through, he had a new career high with 42 points on 14-of-27 shooting. In a way, DeRozan out-Hardened Harden, getting to the line 17 times on the evening.
He also kicked around six turnovers, but that's probably just because he wanted to lead the team in as many categories as possible.
DeRozan even crashed the boards and notched a double-double on a banner evening.
Grade: A
Jonas Valanciunas, Center
Not only did Jonas Valanciunas have 11 points and six boards by the half, he had also swatted three shots. He finished with a new season high after tying his career high with five blocks.
The big Lithuanian scored 15 points and finished one rebound shy of a double-double, but his assignment was eased by not facing Howard.
Valanciunas also dished one assist on the evening, and it was a thing of beauty, zipping a pass to Terrence Ross for an unguarded three-pointer.
Grade: B+
Amir Johnson, Power Forward
Amir Johnson had only one first-half field goal and finished with eight points, but his presence on the glass was even more important.
Johnson owned the boards, pulling down 16 in total, which was seven more than any Rockets player. His six offensive boards accounted for half of his team's total. He was the main reason Toronto posted a plus-seven advantage on the glass.
Grade: B
Greivis Vasquez, Point Guard
Greivis Vasquez failed to score in the first half, missing all three shots he tried. He just kept shooting and eventually got a three-pointer to fall in the third quarter, but he ended up missing nine of his 10 shots, which is an atrocious evening for a point guard.
He did hand out seven assists and came up with a pair of steals, but this performance just underscores the central importance of a healthy Lowry to the Raptors.
Grade: C-
Terrence Ross, Small Forward
Terrence Ross attempted four shots, committed three fouls and had just two points at halftime. That's not what you want from a starting swingman.
Ross did manage to tally more points (five) than fouls (four), but it was a forgettable 23 minutes for Ross, who ceded chunks of time to the more effective Lou Williams and Patrick Patterson.
Grade: C-
Rest of Team
Lou Williams had a 10-point first half off the bench, but he only added three more to that total with DeRozan putting in so much work. He also came through with five dimes.
Patterson drained his customary three-pointer and ended with seven points and four boards.
James Johnson notched six points on six shots, and the reserve forward also distributed a couple of assists.
Grade: B-
Houston Rockets
James Harden, Shooting Guard
Harden only made three of his 10 shots in the first half, but guess how he scored 13 points? If you said "at the free-throw line," you win a cookie, as Harden made six of his seven first-half foul shots.
However, Rockets not named Harden only made six out of 14 free-throw attempts in the first half, and the Raptors sank 11 of 12 during that span. Little things like that came back to bite Houston.
Harden came through with a solid line of 31 points on 9-of-22 shooting in addition to five assists, but he didn't get much help. Only one other starter scored in double figures, and the short-handed Rockets sorely lacked depth in the rotation.
Harden also gave up the ball on the final possession with the Rockets trailing by three points, and Amir Johnson's active defense helped ensure Harden never got the ball back.
Instead, Ariza missed a couple of tightly contested three-pointers and the Raptors hung on for the win.
Grade: A-
Jason Terry, Point Guard
Despite uneven playing time this season, veteran guard Jason Terry is always at the ready. He came out and hit the only two shots he attempted in the first half, both from downtown.
"The Jet" finished with eight points in his 25 minutes, but he did not record an assist in his capacity as starting point guard. In short, this team will sorely miss Beverley's defense and athleticism.
Grade: C+
Trevor Ariza, Small Forward
Trevor Ariza came through with a strong all-around effort against a plucky Raptors squad playing with a measure of desperation.
His 15 points gave him the highest total on the team behind Harden, though he needed 15 shots to get there and went just 3-of-8 shooting from two-point range. However, Ariza was active in all areas, grabbing eight rebounds to lead the Rockets starters as well as five assists and two steals.
Grade: B
Josh Smith, Power Forward
With Terrence Jones (lung) and Donatas Motiejunas (back) both out, Josh Smith was in line for huge minutes at forward. And who could have foreseen that turn of events?
The second quarter started so well for Houston that even Josh Smith’s air-balled three-pointer turned into a pass for two points to Corey Brewer. However, Smith drew his third foul after playing just 15 minutes and headed to the bench after missing six of his eight shots in the first half.
And his shooting only got worse from there.
While Smith did not commit another foul, he almost didn't hit another shot, and his inefficiency (eight points on 3-of-14 shooting) doomed Houston. It's nights like these that demonstrate why the Detroit Pistons tossed him on the scrap heap.
Grade: D+
Joey Dorsey, Center
Filling in for Howard, Dorsey turned in a very efficient performance. He made all three shots he tried and ended with seven points and four rebounds.
Dorsey has filled in credibly, but he's far from the impact player that Howard can be when he plays at or near his peak.
Grade: C+
Rest of Team
Josh Smith's foul trouble led to expanded playing time for Clint Capela, whose play sufficiently impressed the NBA TV studio analysts that they made him a halftime highlight package.
Capela made some hay on the pick-and-roll and threw down several rousing dunks. He ended with eight points and a team-high nine boards in just 19 minutes.
With the season-ending wrist injury to Beverley, the acquisition of veteran Argentine point guard Pablo Prigioni proved prescient. He slung seven assists, tying him for the game high, in under 23 minutes.
Corey Brewer dropped 13 points off the bench, but he needed 16 shots to get there. Combined with Ariza and Smith, they went 14-of-45 shooting from the field, which was the primary reason the team only shot 42 percent from the field.
Grade: B
Coming Up Next
The Rockets host the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. However, Thursday begins a tough road swing that will see them visit the Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
The Raptors visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, and Friday starts a back-to-back at the Brooklyn Nets and at home against the Boston Celtics.
