NBA Update: Host Toronto Raptors take down Houston Rockets, 106 - 96
Basket ball court at Air Canada Centre, Toronto presented a great atmosphere, where the Toronto Raptors have won back-to-back games for the first time this season and they have their bench to thank. Host Raptors marked a great victory against Rockets with
ten points lead in the company of 17,369 cohorts, to win consecutive games for the first time this season. Houston lost its third straight and dropped to 3-9.
High up Players
Andrea Bargnani headed Raptors, scored 26 points, 4 assists and 6 rebounds. Linas Kleiza had 17 points. DeMar DeRozan added 15 points, Sonny Weems had 13 and Amir Johnson had 10 points and eight rebounds. Jose Calderon had 10 points and seven assists, Jarrett
Jack had eight assists and Reggie Evans had nine rebounds.
At Rockets end, Kevin Martin matched his season high with 31 points, Luis Scola had 19 and Shane Battier 14 points. Kyle Lowry had 11 points and 12 assists and Brad Miller scored 10 points for the Rockets.
Game Story
Raptors were not perfect at the starting of the game but it was another strong game from Bargnani, played the game with full acceleration and confidence and chopped down Rockets.
Although the first quarter of the game was a sluggish, the Raptors basically rode good defensive efforts in the second and fourth quarters to the win.
The Raptors led 28-27 after the first quarter and held an eight-point lead with 8:45 left in the second session.
The Raptors played the 24 minutes of the game without even a single chance of free throws; the Raptors were much more aggressive after the break and as a result, they availed 30 free throw attempts over the final 24 minutes of the game.
The Raptors had a one-point lead after three quarters and increased that to 10 with just over five minutes to play when Klezia turned into blaze, scoring seven of Toronto's first 16 points in the fourth session of the game.
With 43.9 seconds left, Calderon made a driving lay-up to give Toronto a 100-94 lead and an exclamation point was added by Weems’ dunk.
In the very last few seconds, 2 points by Weems on free throws ended the session for Raptors with 10 points lead.
Turning Point of the Game
The game was tied at 76 with 10:48 remaining in the final session of the game. From there the Raptors went on a 15-5 run to pull ahead by 10 and the Rockets were unable to catch up, despite cutting the lead down to three with fewer than three minutes to
play.
Quotable
Small forward, Shane Battier said on the new-look Raptors, "I think what struck me was their youthful exuberance. With Chris gone, obviously there's a huge void on the offensive end so young guys are emerging. Guys like DeRozan and Weems; they're making
the most of their opportunity. I think Bargnani has really stepped up his game. He's really become a tough cover."
While talking about the aggressive approach of DeMar DeRozan down the stretch, Sonny Weems said,
"A lot of people, he's kind of the innocent kid so they really don't see him get mad too often...he attacked a little harder once they got him a little angry. He's a great player, man. He needs to do that for 48 minutes."
Up Next
Houston Rockets will welcome Phoenix Suns to their home on Monday, November 22, 2010 at Toyota Center, Houston.
With a winning spirit to make 3 consecutive wins, Raptors will play its next match against Boston Celtics on Sunday, November 21, 2010 at Air Canada Centre, Toronto.
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