Valanciunas outduels Cousins to finally earn 4th-quarter minutes for Raptors

This was the type of effort that Dwane Casey was looking for from Jonas Valanciunas.

The 7-foot Lithuanian played fourth-quarter minutes for the first time in nearly a month on Wednesday as bettered DeMarcus Cousins to help his Toronto Raptors to a 94-87 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

Valanciunas scored nine points in the fourth to finish with 25 total and 13 rebounds on a hyper-efficient 9-of-13 shooting. His production outweighed that of Cousins, who had 25 points and 10 rebounds on 8-of-23 shooting from the field.

"I’m ready every night. I’m waiting for that chance. Give me a chance and I’m going to fight hard," Valanciunas said after the game.

Closing-time minutes have been hard to come by for Valanciunas in the wake of the Raptors' Serge Ibaka acquisition. The former No. 5 pick has still continued to start, but a string of lethargic play and Toronto's newfound chemistry with a small-ball lineup led Casey to close games exclusively with Ibaka at center.

Valanciunas' short leash is nothing new, but Casey's recent fourth-quarter decisions have been strictly sound; the five-man unit of Ibaka, P.J. Tucker, DeMarre Carroll, DeMar DeRozan, and Cory Joseph have finished games to great success, outscoring opponents by 21 points over their last 17 minutes.

Spacing the floor with four 3-point threats around DeRozan as the offensive focal point proved more valuable than Valanciunas' interior presence. More importantly, the ability to switch across every position stabilized a Toronto defense that's been otherwise shaky with the plodding Valanciunas on the floor.

However, Valanciunas was simply too good to ignore on Wednesday and he was the only Raptor who could match Cousins' strength. He carried the offense with 15 points in the first half as DeRozan struggled badly with his jumper. The 24-year-old feasted in the low post and mixed in a steady diet of putbacks and pick-and-pop jumpers to confound the Pelicans' interior defense. His decisive play and sturdy interior defense against Cousins convinced Casey to ride him in the fourth.

Valanciunas rewarded Casey's faith with some stellar play down the stretch. He anchored the Raptors' second unit to start the final quarter, translating post touches into layups and free throws before hitting the bench for a quick blow.

Upon his return in a two-point game, Valanciunas immediately secured a contested defensive rebound, and then pump faked a defender before drilling a 17-foot jumper to double the lead. The ensuing possession saw Valanciunas body up Cousins in the post, allowing Ibaka to record a weak-side block. He secured rebounds on the next two Raptors' stops before finishing a tough pick-and-roll layup off a feed from DeRozan before pushing the lead to 10 with a dunk.

There's no guarantee that Casey will change his rotations based on just one game. But Valanciunas will leave his coach no choice if he continues to play with this type of energy.