Nov 1 Quick Hits: Raptors Reaction

Instant reaction following the Raptors’ 90-88 loss to the Indiana Pacers:

Kyle Lowry looked great in his Raptors debut

• Taking a playoff-calibre team like the Pacers to the wire is an encouraging start for the Raps. But keep in mind Indiana was playing without their best scorer in Danny Granger. The game was still a nice showing, but it also suggests the Raptors won’t be able to compete with top talent in the NBA yet
• Kyle Lowry exceeded expectations. He looked fantastic all night, other than when he was blown by for the game-winning basket. No need to face-guard that far out, Kyle
• Rookie Jonas Valanciunas also had a good Raptors debut. His time was limited due to foul trouble, but he still managed 12 points and 10 rebounds. That’s a promising start
• The best thing about the Lowry acquisition is that Calderon is now the backup point guard. As a starter, Calderon was too slow to match up with top-tier point guards. Running the second unit (and being one of their main scoring options) seems like a perfect fit for Jose
• I thought Andrea Bargnani had improved his aggressiveness and rebounding last year. One game into this season, and it looks like he’s reverted back to his old ways. He was awful on the boards, and settled for too many jumpers
• The main thing I took away from the game was the Raptors’ need of a closer. They fell apart down the stretch, and completely blew a late 4^th quarter lead—all because they don’t have a guy who can put the team on his shoulders, and get some late buckets. Bargnani isn’t a closer (his attempted game-tying shot was horrible), and the Raptors need to find “the guy” quickly

Up next: Saturday Nov. 3 @ Brooklyn Nets

Some thoughts from around the league:

• Kyrie Irving looks like he’s ready to make the leap to superstardom. I know it was the John Wall-less Wizards he played against, but he still did work on Tuesday night (29 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists)
• That Celtics-Heat game was feisty throughout. I get the feeling every time these two teams meet this year will be a brawl
• Last night was an example of why the Clippers signed Jamal Crawford. With the starters struggling to score, Crawford came off the bench and went nuts, shooting 10-for-14 from the floor and scoring 29 points in just 30 minutes. Crawford will probably shoot the Clippers out of a couple games this year, but he saved them last night
• Second-year small forward Kawhi Leonard looked great last night for the Spurs. Old-man power forward Tim Duncan looked even better
• Good night for high-profile rookies last night: Anthony Davis had 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting (and looked good on defense) in a losing effort, while Damian Lillard had 23 points and 11 dimes in a win over the Lakers. Lillard took a couple ill-advised shots, but looked like a natural running the pick-and-roll
• James Harden had a huge night in his Rockets-debut. Can't slight him after last night’s performance. But the fact that he had more than double the shot attempts of any other Rocket is troubling for the team. What happens when the opposition starts game-planning for Harden? Do they have any other offensive threats?
• It's only been 2 games, but I'm sure the Lakers thought it would be easier than this