The blocked shots were impressive, the celebratory finger wags were a touch out of character but no one was complaining when Jonas Valanciunas gave the Toronto Raptors the kind of defensive quarter they will need more regularly with the NBA playoffs approaching.
A dominant third quarter from the seven-foot Lithuanian — nine points, eight rebounds, three blocked shots and Bismack Biyombo-esque finger wags after two of them — provided the few highlights of an otherwise drab night when the Raptors dropped a 110-106 decision to the Charlotte Hornets at the Air Canada Centre.
The defeat snapped a seven-game Raptors winning streak and dropped them a game and half behind Washington in the race for third overall in the East.