DeMar DeRozan scored ten of his game high twenty-eight points in the fourth period to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 103-98 win over the OKC Thunder.But it wasn’t just DeRozan making clutch plays. It was a team effort of different players making just the right plays when it mattered most. Toronto improves to an Eastern Conference best 5-0 with the road win.
Kyle Lowery had 17 points. Jonas Valanciunas a 17-12 double double and two clutch free throws down the stretch. Demare Carroll had 13 points and made two clutch free throws at the 16.8 second mark to give the Raptors a four point lead. Cory Joseph, Bismarck Biyombo and Patrick Patterson each made significant contributions. Especially Joseph—who melded beautifully in Dwane Casey’s small ball sets which gave the Thunder fits.
As was the case in Houston on Monday night, OKC fizzled and went away quietly into the night in the game’s final four minutes. OKC shot 5-20 in the fourth period and scored but 17 points in the fourth period. But even more alarming, OKC scored only seven points in the game’s final six minutes. Most notable… Durant missing a nice mid range baseline jumper. Westbrook missing a layup. Durant missing a big free throw. Serge Ibaka losing a critical offensive zone jump ball. And Billy Donovan finding himself with nary a twenty second timeout when his team could have used one in the last twenty seconds. It was contagious- a team epidemic of no one making clutch plays.
Long story short, at the midway point of the fourth period–OKC led 91-83, only to lose the last six minutes 20-7.
OKC’s bench was hideous save the 15 points from Enes Kanter. Kyle Singler, Anthony Morrow and DJ Augustin combined to score zero points on the night. On a positive vein–I thought Steven Adams did some nice things early in the game.
OKC drops to 3-2 with its second consecutive loss in which Durant and Westbrook struggled completing plays coming down the stretch in a close game against a playoff caliber team.
DeMar DeRozan wins the OKCThunderGround No. 1 Star of the Night. OKC had no answer for him. Period.
You can analyze this till the proverbial cow jumps over the moon, but when your two stars don’t make plays in the last four minutes it’s tough to win against good teams, and Toronto is a good team which understands its skill sets and roles to a man. OKC presently does not.
Tomorrow night second night of a back to back against the Bulls in Chicago.
MJ