The Canadian Press
Lori Ewing
TORONTO–After perhaps the poorest effort this season, the Toronto Raptors held a long and surely impassioned post-game meeting.
And when coach Dwane Casey finally emerged, his first words were an apology.
“That exhibition of basketball was unacceptable,” a seething Casey said.
“I want to apologize to our fans, everybody, for the way we played tonight,” he remarked. “The effort, the competitive spirit, wasn’t there.
“That team came out and played like it was a championship game and we played like it was a middle of the season game,” Casey noted.
“So I apologize.”
The Raptors were virtual spectators for the Russell Westbrook show last night in falling 123-102 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
While Casey normally addresses the media 10-15 minutes after the final buzzer, the coach didn’t emerge until a full 38 minutes post-game.
“A lot of people talked a lot,” P.J. Tucker said of the meeting.
“It was a good conversation but enough talking,” he stressed. “We’ve got 14 games left–it’s time to put it into action; it’s time guys go out and show that we care about each other and we want to do something special here.
“We have the team to do it.”
Westbrook had 24 points, 16 assists, and 10 rebounds for his 34th triple-double of the season.
He took less than three quarters to achieve it, and now needs just seven more triple-doubles to beat Oscar Robertson’s single-season record.
DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points to lead the Raptors (39-29), who have won just once in their last four games.
The three-time all-star said the loss was all about effort.
“No excuse for it,” DeRozan stressed. “It’s something where we have to go out there and play hard, simple as that.
“No matter if we make or miss shots, we’ve got to go out there and play hard.
“We’ve got to play with pride and whatever you want to call it, a sense of urgency,” he noted.
Norman Powell had 13 points while Joseph added 11 and Delon Wright chipped in with 10 for Toronto, which shot a woeful 5-for-20 from three-point range.
The Raptors, who played their 11th game without Kyle Lowry, are trying to claw their way back up the Eastern Conference standings.
They’re in fourth place, 2.5 games back of third-place Washington.
The Raptors are in Detroit tonight, then host Indiana on Sunday and Chicago on Tuesday.
