Bigs Take Down Grizzlies - 103-82 Raptors

Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani combined for a very impressive 53 points and 18 rebounds as the big-man duo of Marc Gasol and Darrell Arthur was simply no match for the talented, powerful combo down low. Our Raps now stand at 16-21 and have won four of their last five games - not coincidentally, Bargnani is averaging 21.1 points over his last six contests; the best scoring run of his career.

NBA.com recap

Player of the Game:
Chris Bosh had his first dominant game of the new year as he just abused Memphis, doing pretty much whatever he wanted both on offense and defense. He shot a blistering 11-13 from the field to go with 10-12 from the line and added 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. While the assessment that Bosh tends to have his best games against mediocre teams seems to have more and more merit, if it means the Raps win the games they're supposed to, it's good for more than a few W's.

Notables:
Andrea Bargnani - 21 points (8-14 FG, 3-4 3FG, 2-4 FT), 8 rebounds, 2 blocks. Bargnani has been consistent and dominant on offense over the last stretch - there's no way around it. If he can keep it up, when Jose Calderon returns (and Jermaine O'Neal, if he can keep it up off the bench) this team will make some noise.
Will Solomon - 10 points (4-8 FG, 2-2 FT), 9 assists, 3 steals. Jose who? King Solomon's wisdom led him to another excellent game starting at the point, and he again showed good shot selection and great distribution, finishing one dime away from his second career double-double.
Jason Kapono - 11 points (5-10 FG, 1-3 3FG), 6 assists, 2 rebounds. Played solid third/fourth fiddle, shooting a nice percentage and distributing the ball well from the wings. When Bosh and Bargnani are rolling, it's important for him and Anthony Parker (3 points, 5 assists) to space the defense from the perimeter.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
Again there was a huge discrepancy between the Raptors' and their opponent's shooting percentages. The Raptors were on fire for much of the game, putting up 55.6% (40-72) from the field, 40% (4-10) from three and 79.2% (19-24) from the free-throw line. The Grizzlies, however, were stifled all night long by solid Raptor defense (particularly in the second half, in which they were outscored 56-38), finishing shooting just 42.5% (31-73) on field goals, 30% (3-10) from three-point distance and 68% (17-25) from the line. The Raptors also held slight advantages in almost every statistical category as well - 13-15 in turnovers, 38-33 in rebounds, 26-15 in assists, and 6-4 in blocks.

Next Game: Sunday, January 11th, 12:30 PM vs. Boston Celtics