Amir Johnson, Patrick Patterson, and recently named first-time NBA All-Star, DeMar DeRozan, were all back on the court for the Raptors. Each player has been dealing with injuries and were ready to get back to action for the first game on Toronto's five game road trip facing the Denver Nuggets.
The Toronto Raptors got out to a fast start, scoring 60 first half points, and managed to stay ahead of the Denver Nuggets the rest of the way; earning a 100-90 win over Denver.
The Denver Nuggets on the other hand were shorthanded, with the likes of Danillo Gallinari (who's out for the season), JaVale McGee (only played 5 games so far this season), and Ty Lawson (nursing a strained left rotator cuff) missing the game. It was also announced that the Nuggets' 'super sub' Nate Robinson would miss the rest of the NBA season with a left ACL injury.
Right before the second half concluded, Terrence Ross got out on a fast break and threw down an absolute hammer on Kenneth Faried. (Watch it HERE)
Terrence Ross led the Raptors in scoring on the night, putting up 18 points (on 7-10 shooting) and adding 3 blocked shots, 2 steals, and 3 assists. Patrick Patterson returned with 9 points and 6 rebounds, DeMar DeRozan was trying to shake off the rust having missed the last 2 games, and despite only shooting 6-17 from the field, he scored 19 points (including making 7 of his 8 free throw attempts). Jonas Valanciunas had a strong game with 13 points and 8 rebounds. John Salmons had a big impact in the game, scoring 11 points while adding 9 assists – leading the team in that category on the night. Kyle Lowry, who deserved to be named an NBA All-Star this season (despite not being selected), didn't have one of his monster stat lines as of late, but he scored 13 points (albeit on 5-15 shooting, and only 3-11 from 3 point range) and had 6 assists.
The Nuggets' Randy Foye did an excellent job stepping in for the injured Ty Lawson at point guard, dishing out 16 assists and adding 10 points. JJ Hickson had the best game for the Nuggets on this night, with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Evan Fournier had 18 points for Denver, but it cam on only 7-20 shooting, and he committed 7 turnovers in the game, Despite being put on a Terrence Ross poster early in the game, it takes more than that to shake Kenneth Faried's confidence. He ended the game with 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots.
The Raptors did not end the game on a strong note, as they only scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, on 30% shooting, making only 6 of their 20 shot attempts. Coach Casey was happy with the win, but was not pleased with his team's effort to finish the game.
With 4 more road games before their next home on February 10th, the Raptors travel to Portland for the 2nd game of their back-to-back to take on the Trailblazers on Saturday night.
Postgame Interviews:
Terrence Ross
http://youtube.com/watch?v=
082uJASise0[/youtube]
Kyle Lowry
http://youtube.com/watch?v=
zGXwyfHjE20[/youtube]
Dwane Casey
http://youtube.com/watch?v=
iTak_onkiqU[/youtube]
(Photo Credit: NBAE/Getty Images)
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