Toronto Raptors forward James Johnson, seen here guarding Chicago’s Derrick Rose, is making a defensive impact even though the team’s overall D is still lacking.Dennis Wierzbicki
The Toronto Raptors spent the early part of the season efficiently building a cushion in the standings by dusting opponents with subpar win-loss records and enjoying 17 of their first 28 games at home.
Now they're in for the biggest litmus test of the season. Starting Monday, when they lost to the Bulls in Chicago, and continuing Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles, the Eastern Conference-leading Raptors (22-7) are on a six-game holiday road swing against strong, mostly Western Conference opponents in buildings where the Raptors haven't fared well in the past. Here are some questions to ponder as the Raptors road show heads west.
Can they overcome the odds out west?
The Raptors are 27-61 all-time when facing the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns on the road, and those are the five opponents left on this trip.
The Raptors have lost to the Clippers in L.A. for four straight years. They're 5-13 all-time against the Nuggets in Denver, but earned a win there last year and toppled the Nuggets in Toronto already this season. The Raptors haven't won in Portland since 2006, and it's been more than a decade since they knocked off the Warriors in Oakland.
In their first jaunt out West this year, the Raptors beat Sacramento and Utah, and lost to the Lakers.
Can the Raptors resume their defence-first play?
When Toronto made the playoffs last season, ferocious defence was its calling card. While the team's offence has gotten more diverse and prolific since then, its defence has slipped. The Raptors allowed the Chicago Bulls to score a franchise-record 49 points in the fourth quarter on the way to a rare loss on Monday.
James Johnson is making a defensive impact, and Patrick Patterson has shown he can step up on star players, but overall team defence is still lacking.
Before DeMar DeRozan suffered a groin injury 13 games ago, the Raps were ninth overall in NBA defensive efficiency. Following their loss to the Bulls, the Raptors' defensive efficiency rating had slipped to 16th, allowing an average of 104 points per 100 possessions. Upcoming opponents Golden State and Portland, by the way, rank first and third in the league, respectively, in that statistic.
Can they be better on the boards?
The Eastern Conference leaders rank a mere 21st in the league in rebounds a game with 41.3. Coach Dwane Casey has pinpointed it as an area to improve, particularly on the defensive boards.
Toronto's Jonas Valanciunas has steadily improved his rebounding this year. He averaged 9.1 boards a contest in December, up from 8.7 in November. He has averaged 9.3 rebounds in the nine games against Western Conference teams this season.
The Lithuanian seven-footer did well Monday against Chicago big man Pau Gasol and finished with 20 points and nine rebounds. The Raptors are about to tangle with some fiercely efficient rebounders during this trip; up next is DeAndre Jordan in Los Angeles.
Can the team ease Kyle Lowry's workload?
Averaging 34.2 minutes a night, Toronto's star point guard is on the floor more than any other Raptor. For the Raps to win, they need to have the ball in Lowry's hands as much as possible. He leads the team in points (20), assists (7.7) and steals (1.4) a game. When he was at ESPN, analyst John Hollinger developed a complex formula that boils a player's positive and negative per-minute contributions into one number called a Player Efficiency Rating. Lowry's PER of 24.04 ranks in the top 10 in the NBA.
Since DeRozan has been sidelined, Lowry has taken more on his shoulders. He's always been an ice-in-the-veins, fourth-quarter guy, but lately, he has had to be an assassin off the dribble in the final grinding minutes on a nightly basis. Minutes for Greivis Vasquez and Lou Williams have gone up a little in December, but Lowry remains the invaluable double-double machine. He played 37 minutes against Chicago, scoring 34 points. It's in his nature to play hard, but can that be sustainable when the opponents and the travel get tougher to handle?
Rachel Brady