TORONTO — Lucas "Bebe" Nogueira suffered some good-natured heckling from his Raptors teammates as he spoke to a gathered crowd of journalists in the post-game locker-room Saturday.
On a night that marked the eighth 30-plus point performance from red-hot DeMar DeRozan, all the buzz was about Bebe.
The big Brazilian came up huge in Toronto’s 118-107 victory over the New York Knicks, with 10 rebounds and five blocks — two of the blocks coming in the game’s final minutes. And in the moments after the game, Nogueira credited his improved play to cleaning up some bad habits.
"I’m gonna be honest like I’m always honest," Nogueira said, after a quick towel wipe over his wild mop of hair. "I stopped a little bit going out, I quit the alcohol. I’m going on eight months clean, don’t drink one glass of alcohol. But I think the biggest change in my life is my (unborn) daughter.
"Every time when I put my feet on the floor, I think about her. I know it’s one more mouth to feed, and I’m ready to help my whole family, down in Brazil and daughter especially now."
DeRozan, who leads the league in scoring, had 33 points, just a night after he dropped 34 points in a 113-111 victory at Charlotte.
"He’s playing at an all-star level, converting, getting bumped, getting hit, still finishing the play," said coach Dwane Casey. "He’s playing an old man’s game. The game is slowing down for him and he’s converting those plays."
Norm Powell added 19 points, while Kyle Lowry finished with 16, Jonas Valanciunas finished with 13, Terrence Ross had 11, and Patrick Patterson chipped in with 10 for Toronto (7-2).
Carmelo Anthony had 31 points for New York (3-6), while Derrick Rose and Kristaps Porzingis had 21 apiece.
The night was a fierce battle featuring a pair of teams playing the second night of back-to-back games — the Knicks arriving on the heels of a 115-87 loss at Boston.
The lead changed hands 27 times, and neither team led by more than six points until the game’s final 30 seconds.
The Raptors took an 87-85 advantage into the fourth quarter, then DeRozan was fouled on a three-point shot from right in front of the Knicks bench. His free throw gave Toronto a 101-97 lead with 5:48 to play.
Rose replied with two consecutive baskets to tie the game, but when Nogueira took flight for a huge putback dunk with just under three minutes to play, it gave the Raptors a four-point cushion. DeRozan iced the win with a three-point play with 27 seconds to play, prompting chants of "M-V-P!"
It seems DeRozan can do little wrong right now, Lowry said.
"So we’re just going to keep riding that coat-tail," he said. "We’re going to keep letting him do him. We’re gonna rally around him and keep helping him be great."
Nogueira, who has been used sparingly in his previous two seasons in Toronto, said former Raptor Bismack Biyombo was a big influence.
"He told me, ‘Lucas, it’s your time to shine, go get it,"’ said Nogueira, who moved into Biyombo’s old apartment in Toronto, when Biyombo signed with Orlando. "I’ve known Biz since I was 15, playing in Spain against each other, so we have mutual respect for each other.
"It’s special… he told me ‘It’s your time,’ and I took it serious, and now things are going well for me."
DeRozan, who said it’s a "great task" to score over Nogueira in practice, had kind words for the Brazilian’s recent play.
"It’s great. Fans don’t get to see how much work guys like Lucas put in," DeRozan said. "Whether it is after practice or before practice, here months before the season starts getting ready for the year. They put in a lot of work for opportunities just like that and he is just doing what he is well prepared for."
The Air Canada Centre crowd, which included Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman and retired Raptor Muggsy Bogues, was awash in blue as the Raptors celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Toronto Huskies. The blue-clad Raptors played on a court rimmed in blue with the old Huskies logo gracing the centre, and grainy black and white video of Huskies game footage was shown during timeouts.
The Huskies hosted the New York Knickerbockers in the inaugural game of the Basketball Association of America (now the NBA) in 1946.
The Knicks’ home arena, meanwhile, was at the other end of history Saturday night, as Madison Square Garden hosted UFC in its New York debut.
Neither team led by more than four points in a first quarter highlighted by an emphatic putback dunk by DeRozan. A floating jumper from Rose gave the Knicks a 28-24 lead heading into the second quarter.
Ross drilled a three to spark a 10-0 run to open the second — part of an 11-point performance for Ross in the quarter. But the Raptors couldn’t sustain the lead, and the Knicks took a 56-53 advantage into the halftime break.
DeRozan poured in 13 points in a third quarter that saw neither team lead by more than four.
The Raptors next face last season’s NBA finalists in back to back games. The Raptors visit Cleveland on Tuesday, then return home to host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
