TORONTO - It is April, and it was tough to pay attention to a Toronto Raptors home game. There is nothing new about that. The reason for Wednesday's distractions, however, was vastly different from years past.
The Raptors missed the post-season the last five years, and played meaningful games in April in just one of those seasons. The last few weeks of the season represented the merciful end to a slog of a campaign.
On Wednesday, the problem was the Raptors' opponent, the Philadelphia 76ers: They are awful, having recently lost 26 games in a row. So, Raptors fans could have been excused if they let their thoughts wander to meaningful games happening in Washington, Orlando and Minnesota concerning some of the teams close to Toronto in the standings. This one looked like a win.
The Raptors themselves did not have that luxury, however. For the second straight game against one of the worst defensive teams in the league, the Raptors played almost no defence themselves in the first half. For the second straight game, the Raptors won because they were playing one of the worst teams in the league. It was hardly comforting, but the 125-114 win beat the ugly alternative.
It was tempting to say that in the wake of his impaired driving charge on Monday morning, Jonas Valanciunas played as if he had to earn back the fans' admiration. Valanciunas scored a career-best 26 points, doing unkind things to the rim and poor Jarvis Vernado, the Sixers' overmatched reserve big man.
Alas, no: That is just the state of Philadelphia's interior defence. The Raptors' perimeter defence has melted away over the last little while, and not having Amir Johnson to recover for the guards certainly hurts. Philadelphia, the worst offensive team in the league on a points-per-possession basis, shot 23% from the floor. With no games remaining against likely playoff teams, however, it will be up to the Raptors to find their level against some bottom-feeders. If not, it will not matter whom the Raptors play in the first round.
Point guard Kyle Lowry returned to the lineup for the first time since last Monday, when he suffered a bruised kneecap in a collision with LeBron James in Miami. The Raptors won all three games that Lowry missed, and the point guard got to rest his multitude of ailments. In hindsight, it was a win-win scenario. Lowry scored 29 points.
Lowry came into the game cautiously, not taking his first shot until more than nine minutes of game time had ticked off of the clock. Soon enough, he was back into it, with his usual blend of paint forays and three-pointers. He was massive for the Raptors down the stretch, as usual.
'He's not going to be the same Kyle,' Casey said before the game. 'He'll probably have a little rust like Pat [Patterson] did when he was out. We'll have to monitor it. But there are no restrictions.'
The Raptors were not fully healthy, though. Johnson missed his third straight game with a sore right ankle after leaving Wednesday's game against Houston after just three minutes of play. This is unusual for Johnson, who missed just two games because of injury in the previous two years combined, despite constant injuries - usually to his ankles.
Casey said it was important for the Raptors to get their full lineup on the floor before the season ended. It just is not more important that the Raptors get as healthy as possible before next weekend.
'He's pretty close. He's still not 100%,' Casey said of Johnson. 'But he's pretty close. If he had to go tonight, he probably could go. We're trying to make sure ... he's ready for the next couple of weeks.'
Post By http://sports.nationalpost.com/2014/04/09/jonas-valanciunas-guides-toronto-raptors-to-win-over-lowly-philadelphia-76ers/
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