The Toronto Raptors needed a statement game, and that’s exactly what they provided. In front of their delirious fans at the Air Canada Centre, the Raptors once again rolled out their retooled ultra-small lineup featuring Norman Powell at the 3-spot. While Game 4 was impressive for Toronto’s defense, on this night the offense finally showed up.
Toronto split the first four games despite the almost total absence of secondary scoring. That wasn’t the case in Game 5, as Norman Powell took an enormous weight off the shoulders of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.