Raptors D Helps Create A Rare Home Win.

I can't lie there is nothing about this game that I really find all that exciting. You have a bad Western Conference team playing against a worse Eastern Conference team. It did teach me Mark Jackson only played 54 games for the Raptors. I would have guessed he was hear longer than that. Oh well, excited or not we have a game to play. Steph Curry is not in the line-up for Golden State. This is where he started his road to the NBA up in the Raptors practice gym.

Early on this looked sloppy and very Summer League like as both teams looked like they had a nice Saturday night in Toronto. Monta Ellis hit a long 2 in the corner to open the scoring. Warriors were off and running up 6-0 and the Raptors were 0-6 from the field. DeRozan after no free throws vs Memphis got to the line for a pair and made both. After a Johnson and Johnson hook up for to David Lee sticks a jumper. Jose Calderon hits a running jumper and despite a pretty ugly start it was only 8-6 Warriors. Raptors were shooting 2-11 and the Warriors 4/12, a true classic this was not. The Monta basket to start the game was changed to 3 so make it 9-6 Warriors. At this rate this game may need every point it can. This game was not pretty with score 11-10 with 3:40 to play in first. Jose Calderon tried to hook up Bayless for a lay-up at the Raptors decided to go small. Bayless would have a chance to tie this thing at 14 with 2:42 to play. Bayless did just that and this game was tied and I pray it doesn't go to overtime. This game was crawling to life and the Warriors were crawling in front up 20-16 with 1:01 to play in the first. Nice slam by James Johnson might have awoken anyone that was napping. The Quarter ends in terms of scoring on that slam leaving it at 20-18 Warriors heading to the 2nd.

Warriors get the first four points and Linas Kleiza hits a long two on a pass out of the post from Ed Davis. It was an Aaron Gray type game and he made a pair of free throws, but Thompson hit a triple to to double the Warriors lead to 6. A rare DeRozan three his first in 9 game and he has 9 points Raptors again get the game within three points and single possession. Warriors were starting to pull away matching their largest lead of 7 with the score 39-32. David Lee would add two to that with a score in the post. Only good news for the Raptors was Demar DeRozan was looking good he had 11 points on 4-6 shooting after making a nice running jumper. But Warrior despite not being all that spectacular themselves still had a 47-38 halftime lead.

Took over 2 minutes for anyone to score but Amir Johnson finally did on a pass from Derozan. That opened the flood gates on both ends as Monta Ellis had a 3 and 2 and it was 52-42 Warriors. Raptors have played like they are in a comma for most of the game but found themselves down just 54-48. Raptors went back down 10 points and then finally decided to wake up and cut the lead to just 2 on Derozan bucket to make it 56-54. Raptors would even things up at 56 and like the Raptors the ACC crowd had woken up. Demar DeRozan would continue that with a dunk off a steal in transition the Raptors had their first lead since the first quarter. They would take a 60-58 lead to the 4th quarter.

Raptors held the Warriors to 5/22 in that 4th quarter. Raptors found themselves in another close game and the Warrior would get this game back to even at 62 points. But a Amir bucket in the paint followed by a Barbosa 3 gave the Raptors a 67-62 lead their largest of the early evening. DeRozan makes a pair at the line to push that lead to 7. After an Ellis bucket DeRozan answers with a jumper of his own. Raptors had a 71-64 lead with 7:30 to play. Raptors were all of the sudden a different team full of energy after a lethargic first half effort. Barbosa would go down and was shaken up...this will not help trade talks if he is not ok? That to be determined as was this game with 6:08 to play it was looking good for the Raptors. Under 5 to play and Raptors had the ball looking to make their lead double digits. Barbosa remained in the game but missed the shot to push lead to double figures. Raptors would have things go wrong for them in a couple ways. The first is the Warriors would get to within 4 points. Second was Amir Johnson went down and stayed down. Raptors would make a 3 with him lying on the floor to get the lead to 7. He would eventual get up and to his feet checking out on a foul by the Raptors. He appeared to bang knees on the play. No Twist so that is good....Raptors meanwhile looking to hang on with Ed Davis in for Amir up 80-75. Ed was having a good night getting on the glass keeping on his recent roll of decent play. Fitting of how this game started it would end with little drama as the Raptors would hang on to win it. Raptors take it 83-75.

Demar DeRozan had 25 to lead the way. Raptors won the battle of the boards 51-41 and played good defense for most of the night and it helped them hang around to have a chance to win this game after a first half effort that was just not good in terms of the offense.