Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry and forward Kawhi Leonard celebrate a basket against the Philadelphia 76ers, at Scotiabank Arena, in Toronto, on Oct. 30, 2018.John E. Sokolowski/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters
Delon Wright has not flown under the radar this season as much as he has stumbled, his start to the 2018-19 NBA campaign slowed by a nagging groin injury.
But he looked healthy enough about midway through the second quarter of Tuesday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers when he smartly stepped into a successful three-point shot.
And he looked downright sprightly moments later when he accepted a pass in full flight from Serge Ibaka, cutting in from the left side for an easy driving slam-dunk that increased the home side’s lead to 13 points.
“We just got to him back to Delon – a little more aggressive, a little more pace, a little more confidence,” Toronto coach Nick Nurse was saying before the game about his angular backcourt role player.
Playing in his third game of the season, Wright did not put up the gaudiest offensive numbers on the night, leaving that to some of his more celebrated teammates (take another bow, Kawhi Leonard).
But Wright’s solid contribution – seven points, four rebounds in a season-high 14 minutes of playing time – is a good sign his game is rounding into form, providing an already deep Toronto bench with another weapon for Nurse to deploy.
Led by another solid two-way effort by Leonard, the Raptors (7-1) dismantled the 76ers (4-4) 129-112 before an appreciative sold-out gathering at Scotiabank Arena, rebounding nicely from their first loss of the season some 24 hours earlier.
It was Toronto’s 12th straight home victory over the 76ers, the second-longest home winning streak against any opponent in franchise history.
“He had a great stint there, very good,” Nurse said about Wright’s contribution. “I let him run I think almost 10 straight minutes because he was playing so good and that was good to see.”
Leonard, whose game is growing by leaps and bounds with each outing after being sidelined most of last season with an injury, was tremendous once again, finishing with 33 points and seven rebounds.
Leonard also had four of Toronto’s 13 steals, a season high for the ball-hawking outfit.
“It’s pretty valuable, right?” Nurse said when Leonard’s defensive versatility was brought up after the game. “I mean, again, it’s similar to his offence. He can score with the ball, he can score without it, he can score in or out, and he can kind of do the same on defence. He can guard the ball, he can guard people coming off pin-downs, he can guard guys on the post.
“But mostly, I think it’s just his natural instinct for getting his hands on stuff … The ball’s popping around and, boom, he comes out of there with it any variety of ways. Post feeds, cross-court passes, pocket passes.”
The Toronto offence was almost unstoppable as the team surged into the fourth quarter enjoying a 105-86 advantage.
The 76ers made their anticipated run, cropping the Toronto lead down to six points at 117-111 with about three minutes, 30 seconds left to play.
But Toronto closed the door after that with a jumper by Serge Ibaka followed by a daring drive through the lane by Pascal Siakam for another hoop that restored Toronto’s lead to 121-111.
Siakam also finished with 15 points and a career high 15 rebounds.
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia’s stud 7-foot centre, finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds but it was not enough.
After reeling off six wins in a row to start the season, the Raptors lost for the first time on Monday night in Milwaukee when the Bucks spanked them 124-107.
The Raptors played that game without the services Leonard, who was given the game off by Nurse, part of his early-season workload management program.
While Leonard has commanded the lion’s share of the limelight for the quick start the Raptors have enjoyed, Kyle Lowry’s contribution cannot be understated.
The point guard has played like his normal dynamo on the defensive end, while on offence he entered Tuesday’s contest averaging a league-high 11 assists per game, almost twice the average he posted last season.
Lowry was at it again against the 76ers, scoring 20 points to go with 12 assists, the sixth straight contest he has recorded 10-plus assists, one shy of the franchise record held by Damon Stoudamire.
Nurse said his interchangeable use of Serge Ibaka, who got the start on Tuesday, and Jonas Valanciunas at centre has likely helped Lowry distribute the ball more freely this year.
The Raptors were slow to the boil in this contest, needing a three-pointer by C.J. Miles to boost their lead to 35-26 by the end of the first quarter.
Toronto flexed its offensive muscle in the second quarter, led by a team-high seven-point effort off the bench by Wright. With the team hitting on 52.4 per cent (11-21) from the field, the Raptors skipped off the court by the half with a cozy 67-53 advantage.
Philadelphia wilted under continued Toronto defensive scrutiny, coughing up 15 first-half turnovers, including seven by starting forward Ben Simmons.
The third quarter was all Toronto. Leonard led the offensive scoring brigade with a dazzling array of fancy footwork and the Toronto lead surged as high as 26 points.
On one occasion, Leonard ducked under the outstretched arms of the hulking Mike Muscala, darted along the baseline and executed a reverse layup as he sprawled onto his back.
Minutes later, Leonard artfully spun around Markelle Fultz for another emphatic dunk.
The Toronto offence was in full throttle when Norman Powell then connected on a corner three to push the Raptors over the century barrier at 101-78 with two minutes left until the fourth.