Los Angeles Lakers vs. Toronto Raptors
After what the Raptors did last night in Los Angeles I’m not even going to pretend to be objective as I write about this game. Sorry, not sorry.
Although the Toronto Raptors won their game Friday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, I spent Saturday preparing myself for a couple of weeks of disappointing basketball after the Raptors lost Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka to their respective injuries.
Okay, time for me to mentally prepare for the probability of some ugly losses on the road. BUT, if the Raps can get some more wins on this trip without Lowry and Ibaka... now THAT would be a statement!#NBA #NBATwitter #WeTheNorth #Raptors #RTZ #WeTheNorth https://t.co/7IDaGadBSN
— Jade ''Auxiliary Things'' Johnson (@auxiliarythings) November 9, 2019
Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of belief in this Raptors team, but I’m also a realistic fan. Being without Kyle and Surge and going up against the Lakers and the Clippers on a back to back? It was just smart to be prepared for the worst. But not in my wildest dreams could I have predicted what would go down in Los Angeles. It was unlikely, incredible, and dare I say epic?
There have been huge question marks to start the season with regards to the Raptors bench depth. Coach Nick nurse had not seen the defensive effort, among other things presumably, that would lead him to go past a tight eight-man rotation in anything other than garbage time. And even during garbage time, there were more reasons for criticism than there were for cheering.
Against the Lakers though, everything changed. Chris Boucher, Terence Davis, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson combined off the bench for 38 points. Davis’ performance wasn’t a surprise for me. I already saw him as a player that would absolutely be ready to step up when his turn came. But in the case of Chris Boucher and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, this was a very pleasant development.
Boucher had three blocks and two steals to go along with his 15 points. And not blocks against just any LA Laker. He had one block on LeBron James and one against Anthony Davis, thank you very much!
.@chrisboucher: Human Highlight Machine pic.twitter.com/K1BAUGzqD5
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) November 11, 2019
Even if the Raptors had lost this game, the way that the bench finally showed up bodes very well for the rest of the Raptors’ season. The fact they also came away with such a convincing win is the icing on the cake. This will be one of those games that Raptors fans talk about for years to come.