The Rodeo is in town and shootout in the first half and the Spurs reigned in the Raptors in the fourth

The Spurs are in the middle of their 9 game and 17 day rodeo trip as the rodeo is in San Antonio for the next few weeks and the game started with a huge shootout with the Spurs having a 60-56 lead going into the second half and George Hill along with Tony Parker both had 14 points (6 assists) in the first half of the game. The Raptors were lead by Andrea Bargnani had 18 points and DeMar DeRozan had 16 points in the first half and the Spurs had a 72-66 lead and then the Raptors went on a huge run 14-3 to take a 80-75 lead and had a 84-81 lead going into the fourth quarter when the Spurs took control of the game with a massive run to start the quarter as they went on a 15-4 run to make it 96-88 and the game was basically over then as the Raptors could not stop anything that the Spurs sent their way. The Spurs were lead by DeJuan Blair (and I do not know who this guy is either) as he scored 28 points while Parker and Duncan had 16 each while George Hill had 18 points and the Raptors were lead by Bargnani with 29, DeRozan with 25, and Barbosa had 20 points. The Raptors were lead in boards by Amir Johnson who had 13 boards and the Spurs were lead in boards by Blaire with 11 in the games and the Spurs lead in boards 17-11 in the first half while the Raptors lead in boards in the third quarter 15-8 and the Spurs lead in the fourth 16-6.

The Raptors put up a good fight in the first 3 quarters but it really should in the last quarter that the Spurs showed they knew how to finish games in a winning way and that the Raptors have not been in very many close games and have not learned how to close out games in winning time and it really showed as the Spurs outscored the Raptors 30-16 in the final quarter. Really if the Raptors played more of their games with the kind of effort they put in tonight they would be a better team and would have more respect from the other teams in the NBA and be in the playoff picture and like always the Raptors do not need the talent but need the heart to especially to play D.

Bosh is back in town in 7 days and hopefully its not like Lebron back in Cleveland

Tom Mehegan