The Toronto Raptors (7-3) took care of business on Friday night as they defeated the struggling New Orleans Pelicans (1-8) by a score of 100-81.
New Orleans had a quick start and jumped ahead in the first quarter but the Raptors out scored them 83-60 the rest of the way.
The Pelicans were missing their star Anthony Davis for the second game in a row and simply could not stay consistent leading to another blowout loss. Eric Gordon did his best to step up, scoring 30 points on 11-22 shooting. Jrue Holiday contributed 19 points, three assists and two steals and was looking good, shooting 8-14 from the field. Alexis Ajinca played well off the bench, with 10 points and nine rebounds. Rookie Ish Smith put up some decent numbers across the board with six points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. No one else scored more than five points for the Pelicans, who are in need of some major help.
The Toronto Raptors turned it up after an ugly first quarter and took control of the game resulting in a 19 point win. The Raptors were led by their young big-man Jonas Valanciunas, who scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in only 27 minutes. Valanciunas also had two blocks. DeMar DeRozan also tallied a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists, along with six rebounds. Kyle Lowry played a very well rounded game, finishing with 20 points, six rebounds, five assists, four steals and one block. Lowry shot 4-8 from deep. DeMarre Carroll did not shoot well at 5-14 from the field, but still managed to contribute in many ways with 11 points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block.
Next up for the Raptors is a trip to see former teammate Rudy Gay in Sacramento on Sunday. Sacrament has been somewhat dysfunctional as of late but that is no reason to expect an easy win. As for the Pelicans, they will be visiting New York to play the Knicks on Monday. If Anthony Davis is back, it will be a great match up to watch as he would take on firey rookie Kristaps Porzingis.
