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Game Rap: Raptors 99 Rockets 96

Holly MacKenzie - Raptors.com

It Was Over When… Trevor Ariza missed two three-pointers in the final 18.1 seconds allowing the Toronto Raptors to hold on for a 99-96 victory behind a career-high 42 points from DeMar DeRozan.

Turning Point: Terrence Ross came up with the jump ball with 41.8 seconds remaining. The Raptors called timeout and DeRozan knocked down an 18-foot jumper over James Harden with 18.8 seconds remaining to give Toronto a three-point advantage.

Lowry Out: Kyle Lowry missed his fifth game in six contests with back spasms. Head coach Dwane Casey said before the game that there isn’t a timeline for his return and the decision would be made by Lowry and the training staff. For those wondering about the state Lowry is in, Casey was asked if he thought Lowry would suit up if the team was playing a postseason game. He said he didn’t think so.

“I would say no because he has trouble cutting, going either way,” Casey said. “He’s hurt. It’s not just something where he’s sore. He’s hurt where he can’t go laterally so he probably couldn’t go if it were a playoff game.”

Raptors Player of the Game: DeRozan scored a career-high 42 points on 14-for-27 field goals, including 2-for-4 from three and 12-for-17 from the free throw line. DeRozan also matched a career-high with 11 rebounds and added an assist and a steal in 41 minutes of action. 

"He was hitting tough shots and got to the basket very easily," said Rockets swingman Trevor Ariza post-game. "He was just being very aggressive. From when he came into [the league] until now he is a totally different player. He is somebody you have to pay a lot of attention to because he can score in a variety of ways."

The Underrated Raptor: Amir Johnson was huge on the glass, tying a season-high with 16 boards, including six on the offensive end. Johnson also added eight points, three assists and a blocked shot.

"I thought Amir did a great job and one theme we had going in was we knew they were going to switch a lot," said Casey post-game. "The one thing we wanted to do was make sure we punish them on the boards for switching and Amir did that. He did a heck of a job going in and punishing them on the offensive boards, especially down the stretch when they were switching a lot."

That’s A Rap

“I just want to go out there and win. The crowd was into it and the last time we played these guys they got us pretty good. We are really trying to go out there and be ourselves and understand that we can use the next few games to get ready for the playoffs.” - DeRozan after scoring a career-high 42 points

By The Numbers

48 - Rebounds for Toronto, compared to 41 for the Rockets. 

5 - Blocked shots from Jonas Valanciunas, tying a career-high.

31 - Points for James Harden, but the Raptors put various bodies on him and forced him into a 9-for-22 night from the floor. Harden also got to the free throw line 12 times, making 10 of his attempts.

13 - lead changes and 10 ties in the game.

6 - All six of Amir Johnson’s offensive rebounds came in the fourth quarter.

They Said It

“I thought DeMar did a magnificent job defensively against Harden and I thought the way he played defence set the tone for everyone else. He had 42 points so he had an all-around big-time game offensively and defensively with a career-high 11 rebounds.” - Casey on DeRozan’s night 

“It’s definitely cool because we have been playing against each other since we were kids. He’s one of my close friends in the league to this day. I’m close with his family and he’s close with my family, so it’s always cool, knowing we can cherish this in 20 years, 30 years from now.” - DeRozan on matching up with childhood friend Harden 

“He came up big and he stepped up. He’s one of our leaders on the team and it was a career game from him.” - Amir Johnson on DeRozan’s night 

Up Next: The Raptors begin a two-game road trip in Minnesota against the Timberwolves on Wednesday night at 8 PM ET.