Sunday, March 29, 2009

Four Straight! - 134-129 Raptors, OT

In a game in which defence was non-existent, the Raptors' firepower - mostly consisting of Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani and Jose Calderon - was too much, overcoming the Bulls backcourt of Ben Gordon and Derrick Rose, who combined for 60 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals. The Bulls made some scary runs and had two excellent chances to win the game in regulation, including a missed layup by Rose, but the Raptors took over in the extra frame to win their fourth straight game for the first time since December of 2007.

NBA.com recap

Player of the Game:
Jose keyed the Raptors' offense brilliantly. He tied a Raps franchise record with 19 assists, poured in an efficient 22 points on 8-11 field goals, 2-3 threes, and (surprise!) a perfect 4-4 from the line, and also contributed 3 steals. Jose was the consummate playmaker and led the Raptors to victory the only way he knows how.

Notables:
Chris Bosh - 31 points (10-21 FG, 0-1 3FG, 11-11 FT), 15 rebounds, 2 assists. CB was dominant down low, pounding the ball into the lane and drawing foul after foul. He also returned to the CB we know and love on the glass, picking up 4 offensive boards.

Andrea Bargnani - 28 points (10-20 FG, 3-6 3FG, 5-6 FT), 6 rebounds, 2 assists. Bargs seems to be taking lessons from Chris, as he's become more adept at getting to the line, where he converts an excellent 83% of his attempts. Il Mago's season numbers are up to 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds a game.

Pops Mensah-Bonsu - 13 points (5-8 FG, 3-5 FT), 4 rebounds, 1 block. Matt Devlin calls him "Big Daddy," but Raptors fans should herald the arrival of "Possum's Phone Ban" - the Raps' energizer. He had two thunderous dunks that helped give the Raptors some crucial momentum - one off an offensive rebound and one after a block, running the floor and throwing it down as the trailer for an and-1. This man is here to stay.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
Every Raptor recorded at least one rebound, helping the Raps outrebound the Bulls 42-32, including 13-9 on the offensive end.

One last note: It's great to be back, Raptors fans (whoever is left, that is...).