After a confidence & team building 2013-14 season, featuring a tough First Round, Game 7, playoff exit at the hands of their Atlantic Division rival, Brooklyn Nets, the Toronto Raptors were eager to get back on the court to tip off of the regular season.
The Air Canada Centre crowd inside and outside, in Maple Leaf Square aka ‘Jurassic Park’, was electric and ready to show that ‘We The North’ continues to stand strong! First on the schedule for Toronto, were the visiting Atlanta Hawks.
Atlanta is happy to have the services of power forward, Al Horford, back in their employ. Horford tore a pectoral muscle in December 2013 and missed the rest of the 2013-14 season. The Hawks were the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference last season, earning them a playoff berth, and they are eager to start building on that to start the campaign.
The game was tightly contested early on, with the Raptors holding a slim 24-22 lead after the first quarter. After half time the Raptors were leading 60-52, and stretched the lead to 86-71 after three quarters. The Hawks wouldn’t go down without a fight, scoring a team high 31 points in the quarter, but that wasn’t enough to overcome the 15 point deficit they faced heading into the 4th. Despite some close moments in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, the Raptors held on for the 109-102 home victory.
Toronto’s scoring was extremely balanced, with 7 of the 10 players who saw minutes in the season and home opener scoring double digits, led by third year centre, Jonas Valanciunas with 17 points, who also pulled down 8 rebounds. Floor general Kyle Lowry didn’t shoot well from the floor, 3-11 from the field & 0-3 from three point range, but still scored 11 points, dished out 10 assists, and came up with 3 steals. Terrence Ross had a steady hand from distance, making three of his five 3-point attempts, helping him post 13 points on the night. That kind of effort will be instrumental and necessary for him to continue to grow as a player and to provide the Raptors with an additional consistent scoring threat. Patrick Patterson & Greivis Vasquez had a strong games off the bench. Patterson provided 10 points (including two 3-point field goals), but also 5 boards, 2 assists, and a steal, while Vasquez added 12 points, including two made 3 point field goals, and also handed out 3 assists.
2013-14 NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan was aggressive on both ends of the floor in the Raptors’ home opener. Although he had a poor shooting night, 4-16 from the field, and five turnovers, he was especially effective on the defensive end, pulling down 10 rebounds, and collecting 6 steals.
Amir Johnson worked with trainers in the off-season to help reduce reoccurring issues he had with his ankles last season, which limited him from being the fearless & heady defender he thrives on. He, like his fellow big man Jonas Valanciunas, also worked with Basketball Hall Of Famer and NBA Legend (and former Toronto Raptor) Hakeem Olajuwon in the summertime working on post moves, building a larger arsenal to unleash on opponents in the post this season.
Amir’s preparation showed in a major way, collecting a double-double in 31 minutes of play, posting 16 points (on 7-15 shooting), 10 rebounds, blocking 4 shots, and dishing out 2 assists for good measure.
Atlanta’s Kyle Korver was red hot from beyond the arc, making six of his seven 3-point attempts, helping him post a team high 20 points on the night, tying his teammates, Jeff Teague and Mike Scott, who also scored 20 points in the game for the Hawks.
Up next for the 1-0 Toronto Raptors is a road trip to Florida. They travel to Orlando to face the Magic on Saturday, November 1st, and the next night they face the new look, ‘post-LeBron’, Miami Heat and the former Toronto Raptors franchise player, Chris Bosh.
Postgame Reactions:
Head coach Dwane Casey addresses media following the Raptors 109-102 season opening win over the Hawks on Wednesday night.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySUc6x83axY]DeMar DeRozan speaks with media following the Raptors 109-102 season opening win over the Hawks on Wednesday night.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2KPLzntvyo]Kyle Lowry speaks with media following the Raptors 109-102 season opening win over the Hawks on Wednesday night.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vomny74WpJ4]Greivis Vasquez speaks with media following the Raptors 109-102 season opening win over the Hawks on Wednesday night.
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