Raptors Win Home Finale 111-104 Over Philadelphia 76ers
Posted April 12, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
On the heels of a horrible season and out of the playoffs for the first time in three years, all the Toronto Raptors could hope for Sunday was to win their final game at the Air Canada Centre and walk out of their home arena on a high note.
They did just that.
Chris Bosh scored 22 points as the Raptors snapped a four-game losing skid with a 111-104 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in their home finale.
“We wanted to win it for ourselves as well as the fans and everybody who watches Raptors basketball,” Bosh said. “Despite the season, we want to put ourselves in position to win every game. We want to finish off strong, we don’t want to go out getting smashed every day, and we’ve got to keep that in mind when we go on the court.”
Anthony Parker added 18 points, while Andrea Bargnani finished with 17 points and six blocked shots for the Raptors (31-49), who finish their season Wednesday in Chicago. Shawn Marion had 14 points, Jose Calderon finished with 11 points and 11 assists, and Patrick O’Bryant had 10 points for the Raptors (31-49), who still have two road games left of the season.
Louis Williams topped the Sixers (40-40) with 23 points, while Andre Iguodala added 21 and Samuel Dalembert of Montreal had 18 points and 12 rebounds, as Philadelphia dropped its fifth straight game – a season high.
“Every loss hurts,” Iguodala said. “We are struggling for whatever reason, defensively we haven’t been able to step up.”
In a game between a Raptors team with nothing to lose and a Sixers squad with plenty on the line – Philly is battling to avoid falling to the eighth seed heading into the playoffs – Toronto didn’t gain control until the fourth quarter on a night that saw the lead change hands 21 times over the first three quarters.
The Raptors held an 81-80 advantage going into the fourth, and opened the final frame with an 8-0 run. They stretched their lead to 13 points on a three-pointer by newcomer Quincy Douby with 5:47 to go that brought the Air Canada Centre crowd of 18,018 to its feet. Iguodala responded with a pair of threes and a layup that pulled the Sixers within four points with 1:56 to go, but free throws by Calderon and Bosh sealed the victory for Toronto as the fans ushered the team off the court with a standing ovation.
“We beat a Philly team that’s getting ready for the post-season, and that’s what it’s about – give the fans something to cheer about, and something for us to go off and believe a little bit,” Marion said. “The fans have been great, that’s one thing you can honestly say and really truly know about Toronto is that the fans here are unbelievable, they’re very loyal. You’ve got to love that about the city.”
Marion is one of several players whose status with the Raptors is up in the air once the season ends.
“I can’t sit here and say what I’m going to do, what I’m not going to do,” Marion said. “I’ve got to weigh my options and just see what happens.”
No surprise, Bosh, who has one more season on his contract before becoming a free agent, was asked once again about his thoughts on his future.
“If rumours get started, I can’t get into all that, right now this is who I work for, this is who I play for,” Bosh said. “I’ve been doing the same thing that I’ve done since I’ve been here, Day 1, since I signed the contract, since I signed my rookie deal – I go about it as a Raptor.”
Toronto finishes its season with two games on the road, but regardless of those outcomes, Sunday’s performance in the team’s home finale was key.
“It’s tough, but it’s a good feeling finishing the last (home) game like that, winning against a good team like Philly,” Calderon said. “I think for the fans, it’s better to go out like that, but we’ve got two more games, so let’s try to win those two games and finish the best we can.”
The Raptors will finish with their worst record since 2005-06, when they went 27-55 – also the last time Toronto missed the playoffs. Despite the rocky season, the Raptors enjoyed their second highest attendance totals since the 2002-03 season, and Bosh took centre-court prior to tipoff to thank the fans for their support through the tumultuous last few months.
Coming off a 100-98 loss to conference-worst Washington on Friday, the Raptors got off to a strong start, shooting 55 per cent in the first quarter to take a six-point lead. They went into the second up 27-22.
The Sixers opened the second with a 22-9 run to take a seven-point lead. But the Raptors responded with a run of their own and went into the locker-room at halftime tied 53-53.
Dalembert scored 10 points in a back-and-forth third quarter that saw the lead change hands 10 times. Joey Graham scored on a tip shot with 20 seconds left to give the Raptors an 81-80 advantage with one quarter left to play.
