Valanciunas: Starting lineup change not to blame for poor Raptors outing

Stuck in a three-game losing skid, the Toronto Raptors shook things up on Friday. It failed miserably.

The Raptors inserted Patrick Patterson into the starting lineup in the hopes of providing additional spacing for the unit, in the process moving Amir Johnson to the bench for the first time in a year. The logic made sense, as common sense and lineup data both suggest Patterson is a better fit alongside starting small forward James Johnson than Amir Johnson is.

It didn't work out by any stretch, with the Raptors getting embarrassed 113-89 on their home court by the Golden State Warriors, a final score that doesn't remotely do the thrashing justice. The new starting lineup was somehow outscored by 22 points in 11 minutes together, while Amir and deposed starter Terrence Ross were the team's best players on the night.

It would be tough to blame the shake-up for the performance, but starting center Jonas Valanciunas, at least, wasn't willing to use it as an excuse.

"It doesn't matter who starts," Valanciunas said. "You've got to keep (everything) together. Amir or maybe tomorrow somebody else, every day you don't know who is going to start. It's not an excuse to be down the way we were down."

It's unclear if the Raptors will reverse course against the New York Knicks on Saturday, returning Amir, or maybe even Ross, to the starting unit to find some sort of spark.

The far bigger issue is that the team's five most prolific shooters - Kyle Lowry, Lou Williams, DeMar DeRozan, Ross and Greivis Vasquez - are shooting a combined 40.4 percent, with Lowry, DeRozan and Williams at a combined 37.6 percent since Jan. 1.