NBA
Trade Deadline Motivation
Wanna know if NBA players read social media rumors?
Ask Kyle Lowry.
Hours after being the subject of trade rumors, Lowry went and had his best game in recent memory. He led the Raptors to a convincing 72-55 lead at halftime. This tied the highest point total the Raptors had scored in the first half all season.
The Raptors had firm control of the Philadelphia 76ers (as they have all season), and the three most expensive Raptors earned their money in the first two quarters of this game — with Lowry leading the way with 17 points (and 6 assists), Serge Ibaka with 16 points and Kawhi Leonard with 12.
Perhaps the team wanted to send a message to GM Masai Ujiri that it was not a time to panic.
Game Over in the Third Quarter?
For the second game in a row, the Raptors continued their first half domination into the third quarter. By the time the third quarter had ended, the Raptors had already scored 100 points! The Raptors led 100-82, while I thought about how many different ways to write the words “garbage time”.
The game certainly appeared over, and the Raptors agreed with me.
We were both wrong.
Joel Embiid Leads Comeback
At the start of the fourth quarter, with every single starter on the bench for the Raptors, the 76ers sensed their final chance to mount any sort of comeback.
With nothing to lose, Philadelphia kept all three of their stars on the floor against the Raptors’ second unit. Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Jimmy Butler were focused on attempting a comeback with an 18-point deficit staring them in the face.
Shockingly, mostly on the back of an absolutely brilliant Embiid, Philly scraped & clawed their way to within seven points with about five minutes to go in the game.
My Kingdom For a Gatorade
At the 5:01 mark, Nick Nurse’s strategy paid off.
As Embiid was gasping for air — still on the court after playing so many minutes — the Raptors calmly put the game away with well-rested stars Lowry, Leonard, Ibaka and Pascal Siakam back in the game against the overworked 76ers stars.
The Raptors got seemingly every offensive rebound in sight, and the game ended with a convincing 119-107 Raptors victory.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
The four-headed Raptors snake: 80 points total were scored by only four Raptors players Lowry, Ibaka, Leonard and Siakam.
Joel Embiid: 37 points, 14/15 FT, 3 3PM, 13 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 3 BLK
Next game:
Raptors play the Atlanta Hawks at 7:30 pm on Thursday, February 7th in Atlanta.
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Photo Credit
James Anderson via Flickr
