Kyle Lowry's Game 1 made NBA headlines all weekend after his Toronto Raptors dropped their first game of the series to the Orlando Magic.
MORE: Takeaways from Raptors' Game 2 win over Magic
Through all of the noise, Lowry knew he had to bounce back with a big Game 2 to get the series back on track.
His first shot attempt, a free throw, didn't fall. The Scotiabank Arena crowd was on the edge of their seats waiting to give Lowry their support should he sink the second free throw.
Once that second free throw went through, the crowd erupted and Lowry was back on the board. His next shot attempt, a 3-pointer, was nothing but net and Lowry had officially shaken off the Game 1 woes.
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 17, 2019
Lowry went on to have a stellar half, where he was the best player on the floor aside from his teammate Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors' captain and longest tenured player went for 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, surpassing his number of shot attempts from Game 1 in just two quarters.
Lowry stuffed the stat sheet with 22 points, seven assists, four rebounds, two steals and a block while going plus-30, responding the best way possible to help lead his team to victory.
"He made shots, led us in intensity and did a great job of bouncing back," Leonard told the media on the topic of Lowry's Game 2 performance. "He's a pro and that's what pro's do, they know it's just one game and they come back ready to play."
It's no secret that Lowry is the engine that keeps the Raptors going. They're a better team when he attacks on the offensive end and his teammates notice that.
"What I liked is that he was aggressive and was looking to drive," Raptors' forward Pascal Siakam stated, per TSN's Josh Lewenberg. "I feel like the first game he was more passive, but this game from the jump he had that fire in his eyes... That's the Kyle we know."
Lowry recognized he could have been more aggressive on offence in Game 1 and put that to use in Game 2.
"I think just me being more aggressive, getting downhill and getting to my spots a lot easier," he told the media on his success in the contest.
"Going back and watching the film, I wasn't as aggressive as I could've been and tonight was a little bit different – being more aggressive and more assertive."
Following tonight's performance, the Raptors are 13-3 this season in games where Lowry scores 20 or more points, proving just how important it is that their star point guard is persistent in shooting the basketball.
And when he's overly efficient, shooting 50.0 percent from the field or better, the Raptors are 19-3 this season after their Game 2 win.
Lowry seems to have overcome his issues from Game 1 and that's great news for Raptors fans – they're set to travel to Orlando with the series tied 1-1 and Game 3 slated for Saturday.
