Friday was a treat for the Toronto Raptors fans' who saw their team break Houston Rockets' 17-straight wins record. Rockets had stayed unbeaten since January 26 and this was the first time in 42 days that the unassailable-looking streak came to an end. Houston traveled to Toronto for Friday's matchup and both teams were considered even with the Rockets holding the record for the best team on the road while the Raptors having proved their mettle on their home court.
Raptors turn up the heat on Rockets
In the season so far, Raptors have always been the best team in their backyard and they did not disappoint on Friday either. The home team quickly took a double-digit lead and pushed the visitors on the backfoot from the outset of the game. The Rockets looked rusty shooting just 40 percent from the field as opposed to the Raptors 55 percent. The home team quickly utilized it to their benefit and took a huge 19-point lead over Rockets pushing them towards the wall.
The Raptors defense was at it's absolute best in the first half and did not allow Houston easy three's restricting them to just one three-point shot in the first half and making Rockets work hard to get points from inside the paint.
The visitors only managed to bring down the home team's lead to 15 at the stroke of halftime and it looked that their 17-game Winning Streak looked to be in danger.
Harden strikes back but it's too little too late
The Rockets finally got going in the second half, with James Harden at the helm of their attacks. Harden who is most likely going to be this season's MVP took it upon himself to battle for a win against the Raptors. The 28-year old Houston point-guard cut down the deficit to a mere eight points with over three minutes remaining in the match. Harden leveled the playing field with a brilliant three at 120 each with 2:10 on the clock.
However, Harden's valiant efforts seemed to go in vain when the Rockets found themselves in the midst of a two-minute dry patch which helped Raptors capitalize and eventually led to their victory.
Harden was at his extraordinary best scoring 40 points for the visitors. On the other hand, it was Kyle Lowry, the former Rockets player who had been instrumental in breaking the 17-game winning streak scoring a team-high of 30 points with seven of the nine attempted triples to his name.
What does the game indicate?
Raptors surely lived up to the hype this season dismantling a strong Rockets unit but what is to be noted is that they did not manage it easily even after taking a 15-point lead in the first half. This indicates that Rockets are strong contenders for the title this season and it would take some skill to beat the Rockets in the finals that they are almost certain to reach.
The Rockets will be next seen in action on Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks in the latter's home court while Raptors will take on the New York Knicks on Saturday.