The Raptors left nothing in reserve with the bench losing the 100-point record to the Nets

A nice old fashioned butt kick. Totally predictable, completely predictable and the Raptors start off with ease in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

There is consternation, of course, as Kyle Lowry ended the evening with an MRI on the arch of his left foot. The injury occurred less than 10 minutes into the game and will be a distressing story for a few days at least.

But since no one knows anything for sure – and he won’t be until Monday afternoon at the earliest – it’s a story for another day.

Sunday was all about the bench – a franchise record with 100 points from subs in a 150-122 defeat by the Brooklyn Nets – and an upcoming date with the Boston Celtics.

It was the first time any team bench players had scored 100 points in a playoff match. The previous high was 86 from the Dallas Mavericks on May 8, 2011.

“Wow,” said Norm Powell, who led the way with 29 points. “I mean, I think it’s cool, it’s nice to have your name in the record books.”

The Toronto-Boston series won’t start until at least Thursday, according to a couple of people in the bubble.

With all due respect to the Nets – and they played hard until about the middle of the third quarter despite being 3-0 down in the series – the roster they finished in Game 4 would have been tough for the playoffs over the course of a regular 82 season. matches.

And the way the Raptors trampled them, winning Game 1 for 24 and Game 3 for 28 with a five-point win in Game 2 the outlier, speaks to Toronto’s professional approach to the series and an overwhelming advantage in talent. .

THREE POINTERS

He made an offensive offensive move – a lightning fast move for a two-handed dunk – which was like little he had ever shown. If he can punish the smaller players on the block this is a whole new dimension added to his game that will be a big boost.

He also had a couple of very successful blocked shots, a triple and at times seemed decisive and dominant.

Knowing that Boston will focus on VanVleet, Lowry and Siakam, there will be all kinds of opportunities for Anunoby to contribute up front.

“I’m just excited about it,” Anunoby said of the Celtics series. “Just an opportunity to try and protect a lot of good players. So follow the game plans, the principles. Listen to my great men behind me. And just try to help the team win.”

Even before Lowry’s injury, he had gone to the “jumbo” formation with Lowry, Norm Powell, Pascal Siakam, Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol for the first time in the series, if the score and memory are correct.

“I think we play a system or a style that a lot of kids are involved in,” Nurse said. “We’re going to miss all those great, great things that Kyle does if he doesn’t play, but someone else has to take shots and play defense, play hard and do the things he does to make up for it.

“Or we do it in committee, it’s probably a better way.”

Ibaka was an important part of the committee on Sunday, he had 19 points out of 9 out of 10 in the first half alone.

Given that the Raptors are basically playing a seven-man rotation, or were until Lowry came out, having a few different combinations to come up with isn’t bad.

Boston, with Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Daniel Theis, may not feature great pairings for Siakam, Ibaka, and Gasol, but the trio may not be the best match for Brown, Tatum and Theis.

But he was out there when the Raptors sidelined the game in the first six minutes of the second half and still managed to finish with nine points, five assists and an individual rating plus 21.

“If I may sum it up, he brings it,” was as VanVleet’s Brooklyn manager Jacque Vaughn said before the game. “He has a calm but also an aggression about him. He is obviously not afraid of the moment. I am really impressed with his game. “