When outside critics try to diminish the Toronto Raptors, they tend to start with DeMar DeRozan — and the word “but”.
He’s a scoring machine, but he relies on an imperfect game. He’s improved every year, but he takes inefficient shots. He’s a regular season gamer, but he disappears in the playoffs.
DeRozan keeps finding answers for those critics, though, and activated something we’ve never seen from him on Thursday night: a consistent three-pointer. DeMar made six of nine three point attempts against the Philadelphia 76ers — four in the first quarter alone — to score a career-high 45 points.