Time management and the worst first quarter in the Dwayne Casey era of Toronto Raptors Basketball cost the Raptors a win against the not that good on the road Lakers (5 and 10 this season) as Rajai Butler was asked one thing in the whole 48 minute game that was to inbound the ball within 5 seconds as the Raps were down 93-92 with 4.2 seconds and was not able to get in in time. The Raptors were not able to have a final shot for the win but instead after Kobe Bryant hit 1 of 2 free throws the Raptors with 3.7 seconds remaining in the game had a chance to win it as DeRozan put up a buzzer beater three that did not go down.
The Raptors decided to allow Pau Gasol to run the game in the first quarter as he had 8 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds in the quarter as the Lakers shoot 70% from the floor which I do not remember the Raptors ever allowing before and they put up 34 points in the quarter which is the most a Raptors team under Dwayne Casey has ever given up in the opening quarter. Andrew Bynum had 8 points and 3 rounds as well for the Lakers while Jose Calderon was 5 of 6 from the floor in the quarter and had 11 of his 30 points in the quarter while the rest of the Raptors were 2 of 17 from the floor and the Raptors were down 34-19 after one quarter.
Then Jamaal Magloire came in and in 9 minutes of the second quarter had 5 boards and 4 points as he just shutdown Andrew Bynum as he had 10 points before Magloire came in and then no points the rest of the quarter while Gasol had 4 points in the quarter as the Raptors went on a 23-14 run after he came into the game to cut what was a 18 point lead all the way down to 8 by halftime.
In the second half Kobe Bryant put up 9 points in each quarter after having 9 points in the first half but the Raptors cut the lead down to 3 in the third quarter and in the fourth quarter they had a 7-0 to take the lead 88-84 with 2:11 remaining in the game and it could of been a 7 point lead with 69 seconds left but Kleiza's three that was three quarters of the way down popped out. Kobe had 7 of his 9 points in the last minute of the game to lead the Lake show to a 94-92 victory over the Raptors to pick up their 5 road victory of the season as Gasol had only 4 points in the second half even though he had 17 boards in the game while Bynum had only 2 to go with his 9 boards in the game.
Besides Calderon the rest of the starters were 7 of 26 from the floor and only had 19 points in the game while Kleiza was good on the boards late it was Magloire with 7 and Davis with 8 who put the Raps into the game with the boards. Kleiza had 15 points off the bench and Barbosa had 12 off the bench and DeRozan was 2 of 13 from the floor still got to the line 5 times (made 4) and passed the ball as he had 7 assists which was even more than Calderon's 6 in the game.
I wish this team could play the first quarter like they play the rest of the game
Tom Mehegan
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