Holly MacKenzie – Raptors.com
DeMar DeRozan sealed the game with a pair of free throws to put the Raptors ahead by nine with 24.3 seconds remaining. Despite allowing the Miami Heat to close the gap in the third and go into the fourth trailing by just three points, Toronto took care of business in the final quarter to collect a 96-87 victory.
DeMar DeRozan had his fifth straight game of 30+ points to start the season, marking the first time a player has started a season with five consecutive games with at least 30 points since Michael Jordan did it in 1986. Jordan’s streak reached six games. To put this into perspective, DeRozan was born in 1989.
In a repeat of Toronto’s previous game in Washington, the Raptors came out sluggish against the Heat on Friday. Miami led by 12 points before the Raptors — benefitting from reserves Patrick Patterson and Terrence Ross checking into the game — woke up. Ross scored seven points in the opening quarter, making all of his field goal attempts, as DeMar DeRozan lead the way with 10 points, to help Toronto cut the Heat lead to three after one.
After extending a six-point halftime lead to 16 with four minutes remaining in the third, the Raptors fell apart to close the quarter. Miami reeled off a 10-0 run to go into the fourth trailing by just three points. Of course, the Raptors then opened the fourth with a 7-0 run of their own to extend the lead back into double digits. Although the Heat kept it competitive in the fourth, they wouldn’t get closer than five points after Toronto’s initial seven-point flurry.
DeMar DeRozan played in his 526th game on Friday, passing Jose Calderon (525) for second on Toronto’s all-time list. The lone player standing between DeRozan and the top spot is fan favourite Morris Peterson who appeared in 542 games.
DeMar DeRozan has owned this spot since the season started and he isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. DeRozan scored 34 points, making it the fifth consecutive time he has topped 30 points this season. He shot 14-for-26 from the floor and 6-for-6 from the line in 37 minutes. He added four rebounds and four assists and moved himself into the record books alongside Michael Jordan for most consecutive games scoring 30+ to start a season. Not a bad way to kick off a new season.
Terrence Ross had a brilliant game off the bench, scoring 20 points in 21 minutes. Ross came into the game in the first quarter when the Raptors were in desperate need of scoring and provided a nice boost. He shot 8-for-15 from the floor, 3-for-7 from beyond the arc and 1-for-1 at the line.
“DeMar is little Kobe. He plays just like Kobe. We joke about it all the time. I’m just proud of all the work that he put in to be there, being a great vet leader for me, taking me under his wing, talking to me, helping me out. He’s been balling crazy right now. Hopefully he can keep it going. That’s what we need him to do. He’s just a great superstar. He’s not cocky about it. He goes to work like he has something to prove and he still does. He still wants to bring home a championship to Toronto and you can see that in his game and his hunger to get better.”- Norman Powell on teammate DeMar DeRozan
50…Rebounds for the Raptors, 43 for the Heat. 16…An uncharacteristically sloppy game from Toronto, turning the ball over 16 times, leading to 24 Heat points. Miami had 13 miscues, leading to 11 Raptors points. 3…Blocked shots for point guard Kyle Lowry who also had 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. 44…Percent shooting for the Raptors, 39 percent shooting for the Heat.
“DeMar DeRozan? He’s mine. He’s ours. He belongs to the Raptors. He’s been great, he’s been a great leader, his approach has been very professional. I thought he came out – and I didn’t think I’d ever say this – but he over-passed it. He tried to make some plays that weren’t there instead of vaulting up and doing what he does and let the game dictate some of those shots. But he’s been superb, and we just gotta make sure we continue with a defensive focus.” – Dwane Casey on another big night from DeMar DeRozan.
“It’s just good to see our guys, everyone playing well. Norm . Everyone stepping up and playing well is always great for our team. We always go 15 deep nd we really have a full team. One day it’s one guy’s time, and the next day it might be another guy’s.” – Kyle Lowry on the win being a team effort.
“I’m just focused on staying ready for whenever he calls my name. Going in the gym, getting extra shots up ,watching film, just trying to prepare myself for the team we’re playing, whatever the situation is, watching the game seeing how the game is flowing, seeing what we’re trying to get, where we’re lacking, and if I get in there, be that spark.” – Norman Powell on being ready when his name is called.
“I thought it was superb tonight. I thought it was the way we’ve gotta play. To hold this team, with the firepower that they have, to 15 points in the fourth, other than that little three-minute stretch in the third quarter, I thought our defence was pretty solid. It kinda got away from us a little bit, we got out of kilter a little bit there at the end of the third. But in the fourth we turned it back on, got stops, did what we were supposed to do. I thought our pick-and-roll defence was much, much better. Protecting the paint, I don’t know how many points they had in the paint, but we did a much better job of handling the pick-and-roll.” – Dwane Casey pleased with his team’s defensive efforts
The Sacramento Kings will take on the Raptors at the Air Canada Centre on Sunday at 6 P.M. ET.
