Raptors-76ers Box Score Boxing: Nov. 17

First, let me take a minute to congratulate the Raptors on another hard-fought win on the road.

The Raptors finished the road trip 2-2 and did better than anyone expected, especially in the win against the Magic.

Second, let me congratulate ‘Young Gun’ Sonny Weems on setting a new career high with 25 points. We are glad to have you wearing a Toronto Raptors uniform, and it is a pleasure to see you develop before our eyes.


Now to Box Score Boxing:

Andrea Bargnani had 30 points and 7 rebounds for the Raptors and seems to, hopefully, be breaking out of his slump. He added 1 block and 1 three and had quite the game on a excellent .670 shooting from the field.

Sonny Weems set a career high with 25 points against the 76ers and is proving to be a consistent scorer for the Raptors. Weems is averaging 18.8 points this season in games where he averages over 24 minutes. He added 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 three to round out his stat line.

Reggie Evans did the Reggie Evans thing and grabbed 14 rebounds and 2 steals and continues to be a consistent force for the Raptors on the glass. He played 30+ minutes last night with Amir Johnson in foul trouble before fouling out.

Jarrett Jack was horrible, going 2-of-13 from the field and committing two turnovers while only netting 6 points and 2 assists and was severely outplayed by Jose Calderon.

Calderon had a very strong night off the bench with 12 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds and it does not matter if he is starting or coming off the bench; when Jose is feeling it on the offensive side of the ball, he can put up impressive numbers.

DeMar DeRozan wondrously only took 3 shots and finished the win with a mere 4 points in 32 minutes. With that said, he racked up a career-high 5 assists, which makes his poor scoring night less important.

Linas Kleiza played 22 minutes off the bench and went only 1 for 7 from the field but managed to haul in 7 rebounds and still provided some value even with him having an off-shooting night.

Amir Johnson fouled out in just 14 minutes but still asserted himself on the defensive end, swatting two shots when he did manage to stay in the game.


How Should Jay Triano Respond?

Sonny Weems seems to have cemented his spot in the starting lineup with his performance last night, and Jay Triano should avoid tinkering with a good thing.

Weems has also earned himself a bigger role in the Raptors offensive game plan going forward.

DeMar DeRozan looked fantastic, setting a new career high in assists and proved that he can be a factor even when he is not scoring.

Triano played with a shorter bench last night, and the Raptors responded with a win. This is something he will no doubt be cognizant of going forward.

Bargnani played wonderfully and exhibited great shot selection and needs to be rewarded for his efficient performance.

As suggested yesterday some sort of reward and punishment system (positive and negative reinforcement) needs to be set up for Bargnani to help encourage him to shoot as well as he did tonight.

Jay Triano should speak to Jarrett Jack about his poor shooting performance, as Jack should have never taken 13 shots if he was not feeling it.


This article can also be found at Raptors Digest.