Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry is angry. He’s angry about going 2-for-10 shooting from the field in a huge Game 3 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. But more than that, Lowry — a conscientious teammate — is angry that he’s letting down his best teammate. That means Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors superstar off-season acquisition who has been playing like an MVP only to find his team down 2 games to 1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“I was literally saying it during the game,” Lowry said. “We have to help [Kawhi]. He’s doing everything he can possibly do offensively and defensively to f—ing win games, and myself, I’m not helping him enough. I’m not putting it on nobody but me.”
Lowry doesn’t have to put the Raptors’ recent futility on his back alone. After blistering the 76ers in their home opener of the series, Toronto has received scant production from other needed contributors too — not least center Marc Gasol, who hasn’t risen to the occasion, yet.
Lowry took a tough elbow during the game from Sixers wunderkind Ben Simmons, but afterwards he put that play in perspective, not wanting to harp on it. “We got our ass kicked after. It didn’t matter,” he said. Lowry is clearly in “no excuses” mode for Game 4, which will be played on Sunday in Philly. “I’ve got to play better,” said Lowry. Leonard will be there doing everything possible to win. The question is will he have enough help from Gasol, Lowry, Danny Green, Pascal Siakam and the other Raptors.
