Short-handed Raptors pull within one game of first-place Cavaliers

Orlando coach Scott Skiles might have taken a quick pre-game look at Toronto’s depleted bench and thought his Magic could have the edge. Patrick Patterson was out with an injured left ankle. Jonas Valanciunas would miss his fourth consecutive game as he continues to nurse an injured left hand. And Cory Joseph never took off the sweats, surprising everyone as a last-minute scratch.

The Raptors entered Sunday’s game with a whopping five DNP – CDs, and that number didn’t even include Patterson. In total, coach Dwane Casey had as many as eight players at his disposal, but unfortunately for Skiles, DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry were two of them.

“He (DeRozan) and Lowry both, I mean, they’re just on the attack right now,” Skiles said before the game. “They’re a game and a half back of Cleveland and it seems that they’re trying to go for it.”

Make that one game back of Cleveland.

With a 105-100 win on Sunday, Toronto inched closer to LeBron James and crew for first place in the Eastern conference. Led by DeRozan and Lowry – who scored 25 and 18 points respectively – the Raptors improved to 48-21, just one win shy of the franchise single-season record of 49 wins established last season.

Bismack Biyombo, who has blocked two or more shots in eight straight games, chipped in with an impressive line – 12 points and 11 rebounds with six blocks to boot. Luis Scola contributed 20 points with eight rebounds, and Jason Thompson stepped up as well, scoring eight points and grabbing 10 rebounds, including five off the offensive glass.

If there ever was a time for the Raptors’ B-listers to step up, this was it. Toronto found itself drastically undermanned at a time when first place is well within reach, a time when a coach might pull out all the stops in a race for the top.

Yet there were Valanciunas and Joseph, sitting in sweats at the end of the bench. Valanciunas reportedly could have played – if it were a playoff game, Casey adds – but ultimately watched from the sidelines. Joseph was told that he would dress but wouldn’t play – the first game he has missed all season – via a 2 a.m. text message from coach Casey.

The decision to rest the two was a calculated risk, but one that Casey is willing to take from time to time.

“It is [big – catching Cleveland], but still our overall health, I’d rather have health than anything else,” said Casey after the game. “I think that’s so important. Believe me, nobody wants to win more than me, but the overall health of your players and the mileage and the minutes on your player’s bodies is something that we’ve got to watch, go to be smart with. It’s a double-edge sword.”

The other edge of that sword would be coughing up a chance to climb within one game of first place. Sure, resting players in anticipation of a strong playoff run is certainly prudent but with a conference title on the line, there’s no time to take your foot off the gas.

In a perfect world Toronto can rest its players while still racking up the wins, just as it had done on Sunday, but the gamble hasn’t always paid off. The Raptors fell to the Detroit Pistons three weeks ago when Casey decided to give Lowry a rest – though Scola and James Johnson hardly stepped up with six measly points combined. Two weeks later, Casey would ask DeRozan to sit against the Milwaukee Bucks, a game in which the Raptors won 107-89.

Yet despite the inherent risks, it’s not difficult to understand Casey’s desire to manage the health of his players. The Raptors may have had a couple of early playoff exits in recent years, but this year’s team is expected to accomplish much, much more. Resting a player here and there is something Raptors fans can probably get used to as the playoffs grow nigh, with or without an Eastern conference championship within reach.