On Tuesday night, the Toronto Raptors secured a huge win against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center. Following the 123-99 victory, All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry explained his motivation coming into the contest.
The Raptors were without cornerstone star Kawhi Leonard on Wednesday, as the 27-year-old was forced to sit out due to a hip injury. Lowry fully understood the situation as well as exactly what the team needed of him.
“It was just time for me to step up and play,” Lowry said, via ESPN.
Entering the mathcup against the Clippers, Lowry was in the midst of one of the worst slumps of his entire career. He had gone four straight games without scoring in double digits, and this was compounded by his atrocious performance on Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks, wherein he went scoreless in 34 minutes of action.
With their star player out of commission, Lowry knew he had to deliver. And so he did, putting up 21 points (on 8-of-13 shooting), along with one three-pointer, five rebounds, seven assists, one steal, one block, and just two turnovers in 32 minutes against the Clippers.
Lowry's scoring has taken a huge hit since the arrival of Leonard in Toronto (and the departure of former head coach Dwayne Casey), as he is now just averaging 13.9 points per game versus his career average of 17.6 points as a Raptor. However, his assists have shot up to a career-high 9.9 per contest, which ranks first overall in the entire NBA.
More importantly, the Raptors have been surging throughout the season, and they continue to be the number one team in the league with a 22-7 record.
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