Derrick White and Patty Mills carry the scoring load in Spurs’ loss to the Raptors

Oh Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Canada anymore. The Spurs didn’t bless the rains in Africa as they fell to the Raptors despite high scoring efforts from Derrick White and Patty Mills. White and Mills poured in 25 points and 23 points, respectively. Additionally, the two combined for 11 three pointers in the game. DeMar DeRozan notched a double-double with 19 points and 11 assists in the losing effort. Overall, the good guys shot 42.5% from downtown, but a 70.4 free throw percentage also did not help their cause.

I almost finished this highlight article without realizing DeMar DeRozan was playing his former team. I mean this is the last time the Spurs play the Raptors this season (they previously played on December 26 where the Spurs won 119-114), and DeRozan has spent the last three years in San Antonio, but that doesn’t mean I cannot blame Tampa Bay for at least one thing—and I chose blaming TB on my bad memory.

I have mixed feelings on this floor-level, off-kilter camera angle, but the slow motion clip of Lonnie Walker IV gathering himself for a layup showed off his ball control and poise in the lane after gliding coast-to-coast:

Keldon Johnson parted the red sea of Raptors and took flight for the power slam:

Here, Drew Eubanks is drawing from the book of Tim Duncan to keep the ball in play by blocking it to himself so that he can wisely get it to a teammate instead of swatting it out of bounds into one of those ads promoting Toronto stuff while the game is in Florida. That being said, it’s not the weirdest thing for the NBA to have the Raptors play their games in Tampa Bay (due to border restrictions regarding COVID-19 in Canada), but would it kill them to run some games up in Seattle for old time’s sake?

You can’t stop Drew Eubanks. You can only hope to stop Drew Eubanks. And hope is a river in Egypt. If that didn’t make sense, it’s because I’m delusional and in denial about the Spurs’ playoff chances.

And last but never least, the full game highlights:

Next up, the Spurs head back home to take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, April 16, 2021.