Raptors rookie Jonas Valanciunas (centre) fights for the ball against the Hornets' Anthony Davis (left) and Robin Lopez during the first half at the Air Canada Centre last night. Valanciunas notched a double-double in the Raptors win. (Jon Blacker, Reuters)
Having watched his team build up a nice double-digit lead in the first quarter with some pretty crisp basketball, he had to endure a second quarter when the backup unit pretty much gave it all back.
Halftime basically was a conversation, or as he more correctly phrased it, ‘a challenge’ from the coach to his bench.
“He just called us out point blank and that’s what we needed, a wakeup call,” backup point guard John Lucas said.
“We all talked in the locker room and said when we got back out there we were going to come with as much energy as we had, and win or lose, we were going to leave everything we had and leave it on the court because our first unit gave it everything they had in the first.”
