The Toronto Raptors headed south to face the Memphis Grizzlies, looking to build on their newly acquired franchise record 50 regular season wins. The Raptors earned another accolade with the Boston Celtics’ loss to the Portland Trailblazers; they clinched the Atlantic Division title for the third straight season.
With Boston’s loss to Portland, Toronto clinches their third straight Atlantic Division title. #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/mb0SIfZG3q
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 1, 2016
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Toronto got off to a good start against Memphis, and held a 27-23 lead after the first quarter. Memphis got rolling in the second quarter, scoring 30 points while holding Toronto to just 18 points, and took a 53-45 lead into halftime. The Raptors returned the favour after half, scoring 29 points in the third while the Grizzlies scored just 19, and erased the 8 point halftime deficit and turned it into a 2 point Toronto lead after three quarters, 74-72. The two teams continued to battle in the final frame, with clutch free throws being made by both teams down the stretch. In the end, the Raptors held on to grind out a 99-95 win at The Grindhouse.
Notable Raptors stat lines:
Norman Powell – 14 points, five assists, four rebounds, two steals
Jonas Valanciunas – 11 points, 14 rebounds, three steals, seven blocks (a new career high in blocks)
DeMar DeRozan – 27 points, four assists, six rebounds
Kyle Lowry – 22 points, three rebounds, two assists
Terrence Ross – 12 points and three rebounds
Notable Grizzlies stat lines:
Memphis Grizzlies had seven players score in double digits (including four off the bench):
Zach Randolph – 16 points, four rebounds, three assists
Tony Allen – 10 points, five rebounds, three steals
Jordan Farmar – 12 points, two steals
Lance Stephenson – 12 points, three rebounds, four assists
JaMychal Green – 10 points, seven rebounds, two steals, two blocks
Xavier Munford – 12 points, three assists
Vince Carter – 10 points, six rebounds
The Raptors set some additional new team marks with the win:
There's victory # 51 for the Raptors, who match a team record for wins on the road (22-15) and set a new one for wins vs the West (17-12)
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) April 2, 2016
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Postgame Reactions:
Kyle Lowry
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0FSom8KiJw]Dwane Casey
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