Kyle Lowry didn't have his finest performance in Saturday's series-opening loss to the Orlando Magic.
The Toronto Raptors guard was scoreless in 34 minutes played, but head coach Nick Nurse believes he's partly to blame for not putting Lowry in more favorable positions.
"I've gotta take some responsibility for this, too," Nurse told reporters, including The Athletic's Blake Murphy. "I thought we had Kyle in a really good place all the last half of the season ... and obviously he wasn't in a good enough place to impact the scoreboard. I've gotta do everything I can to help him succeed."
The 33-year-old Lowry missed plenty of open looks and was 0-for-7 from the field, including 0-for-6 from downtown. However, Nurse wasn't deterred by those struggles and even considered drawing up a late play for him.
"Kyle’s a great shooter, great release, great mechanics," Nurse added, according to The Athletic's Eric Koreen. "I believe every time he shoots it, it’s going in."
Despite Lowry's lack of scoring, he found ways to positively impact Game 1. The five-time All-Star had eight assists, seven boards, and two steals while posting a team-high plus-11 rating.
For his postseason career, Lowry has averaged 15 points, 5.4 assists, 4.2 boards, and 1.3 steals across 63 appearances.
Game 2 will tip off Tuesday in Toronto.
