Holly MacKenzie – Raptors.com
Jonas Valanciunas calmly sank a pair of free throws with 10 seconds remaining to put Toronto ahead by four. The Raptors were able to hang on for the 99-95 comeback win against the Grizzlies to grab their 51st victory of the season.
With Boston’s loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night, Toronto officially captured the Atlantic Division title. It was the team’s third consecutive division title.
Luis Scola sat for his second consecutive game with a sore knee. Although Dwane Casey said before the game that he would be able to go if needed, the team opted to take the opportunity to get Scola some more rest down the home stretch of the regular season. Jason Thompson started in his place.
Toronto led by four after the first quarter, but came out flat in the second, getting outscored by the Grizzlies 30-18. Despite the Grizzlies playing undermanned due to a never-ending rash of injuries in the second half of the season, the Raptors managed to fall behind by eight at the half. Toronto struggled from the floor in the second quarter, and wasn’t quite able to match Memphis’ energy.
Things picked up for Toronto after the halftime break, as the third quarter was the complete opposite of the second. The Raptors outscored Memphis 29-19, and went into the fourth ahead by two. Toronto’s bench had an extremely slow start on Friday, but the starters were able to pick up the slack.
Terrence Ross shook off the slow start to have a strong finish, scoring all 12 of points in the fourth quarter. Ross made four 3-pointers in the quarter, as he helped Toronto hold off a scrappy Grizzlies team that did not stop fighting.
Jonas Valanciunas was huge on both ends of the floor for Toronto. He finished with 11 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and seven blocked shots without a turnover. Valanciunas played 36 minutes, and while he was only 1-for-5 from the floor, he was nearly perfect at the line, making 9-of-10 free throws, including a pair in crunch time to seal the victory.
DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points and Kyle Lowry added 22, but for the second straight game, it was rookie Norman Powell who proved a boost as he continues to impress with his poise. Powell played 31 minutes against the Grizzlies and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line, including 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. He finished with 14 points, four rebounds, a team-high five assists, two steals and a blocked shot. He also threw down another insane two-handed dunk in traffic.
“It means a lot. This group, like I tell everybody, is going to go down in the record books. That’s big. You can never take that away. We have the opportunity to build on it. That’s honestly the beauty of it. It says a lot, man. We had a tough year last year. We just wanted to come back and be a better team. We’re still working toward that.” – DeMar DeRozan on reaching 50 wins for the first time
12…Made 3-pointers for the Raptors, seven for Memphis. 17…Turnovers for Toronto compared to 14 for the Grizzlies. 7…Players in double-figures for Memphis, compared to five for the Raptors. 52…Points scored by Memphis reserves. Toronto’s bench finished with 19 points, 12 coming from Terrence Ross’ fourth quarter flurry. 93…Percent shooting from the free throw line for the Raptors who made 27 of 29 attempts. The Grizzlies sot 82 percent from the line, making 14 of 17 attempts.
“35, 48, 49, 50 [wins in each of the last four seasons]. Pretty good progression. I think everyone in this organization that’s been here has built it up to be a winning organization. I think we’ve been on the right track and continuing to grow. We’re not just satisfied with 50 wins. It’s a great benchmark to get, but at the end of the day we still want to be playing as long as possible. As close as possible to the end of the whole NBA season.” – Kyle Lowry on finally reaching 50 wins “For our organization, for the program we’re growing, I think it’s a good step for us. I told the team we’re not done yet but it’s an accomplishment they can’t take away from you. We have to continue to grow and get better in different areas to fry the bigger fish.” – Dwane Casey on setting a new franchise-record for wins in a season “Just be aggressive. That’s my style. When I see one person in front of me, I automatically think a bucket. Just be aggressive and go to the rim and try to tear the rim down.” – Norman Powell on what he was thinking in transition before throwing down another dunk “It says a lot. Our leader, our point guard is fighting through it and not making one excuse. Nobody else has any excuse. If you’re out there and have your jersey on, you’ve got to give it all you have. I’m the only person who can pick on him and tell him that there’s nothing wrong with him.” – DeMar DeRozan on Kyle Lowry playing despite a sore elbow
Up next: The Raptors have a quick turnaround, heading to San Antonio to take on the Spurs in a back-to-back on Saturday at 8 P.M. ET. On the season, San Antonio is a perfect 38-0 at home.
