The Raptors lost to another good team. I broke it down:

Here is something that might work moving forward for the Raptors, according to Louis Zatzman:

Some numbers: Since joining the Raptors, Quickley’s shot 42.0 percent from deep with Poeltl on the floor and 36.3 percent with Poeltl off. He has shot 52.4 percent on 2s with Poeltl on and 46.6 percent with Poeltl off. 

It’s important not to get carried away. Quickley doesn’t become Steph Curry when he’s alongside Poeltl. He becomes far better, but still not among the league’s elite point guards. He still doesn’t take many shots at the rim even with Poeltl playing alongside him, for example. And Poeltl doesn’t become Nikola Jokic or even Rudy Gobert. He doesn’t necessarily improve as much as his skills find purchase with Quickley around to leverage them. And the team’s net rating with the two on the court is good, but not contender-level good. Significantly: that roughly plus-4 net rating with the two on the court has been identical this season, with Toronto trying to win, as it was over the last two, with Toronto trying to lose. 

Quickley and Poeltl may set Toronto’s floor, but they don’t lift its ceiling into the sky. Regardless, they do represent an answer to some questions. The Raptors know from where they can find drives and 3-pointers. 

Are the Raptors able to beat good teams with the duo on the floor together? That’s unclear. They came pretty darn close against the New York Knicks in a game that saw the Raptors collapse in a crunch time that decidedly did not feature Quickley and Poeltl together. 

But there are answers on the roster. Ball-park estimates, Quickley might be somewhere in the range of top 25-35 point guard in the league, and Poeltl (when healthy) may be somewhere in a comparable range for centers, or perhaps slightly lower. Again, don’t quote me on those numbers. But together, they perform far better than a top-25 point guard-center combo. The point is that they are more than the sum of their parts. And they do so on a team that desperately needs the exact skills they create seemingly out of thin air when they work their magic together. 

Poeltl and Quickley represent a salve for the Raptors. One that has been too rarely applied this season, both due to injury but also due to deprioritization even with the two on the court. It would behoove Darko Rajakovic to shift some offensive burden to Quickley-Poeltl pick and rolls with both available. But a salve is no long-term solution. The Raptors likely want to upgrade at the point guard and center spots in the long term. With best players on the court, a net rating closer to plus-10 is the mark of a contender. Toronto’s not there. 

But in the short term, the Raptors have solutions to the questions staring right in their faces. Quickley and Poeltl individually may pose questions. But together, they have been answers.

The post Raptors film room: the one thing holding them back first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Toronto Raptors

107 – 115

Minnesota Timberwolves

D	B. Ingram 29 MIN, 14 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST, 5-16 FG, 0-1 3FG, 4-7 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -27 +/- Woof. With the offence deprioritizing him, he didn’t find his way into the flow of things and still took very difficult shots. Which he missed. He tried to challenge Gobert and got blocked. Committed an eight-second violation because he couldn’t get the ball over the line against pressure. He did push in transition, which was a positive. And defensively, he was loose. When he switched onto Edwards, the Wolves star was able to create for more space than he was against Barnes. He played too deep in the lane when helping off of DiVincenzo, giving up an open catch-and-shoot triple.
B+	S. Barnes 36 MIN, 16 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST, 7-12 FG, 2-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 3 +/- For most of the game, as long as Barnes was on the floor, the Raptors were a completely competitive team. When he sat, the wheels fell off. This has been something of a pattern against the league’s elite in recent weeks. He was looking to facilitate for the team offence early, which led to little, so he just splashed a triple on his first shot, for funsies. Then another from the corner when Toronto desperately needed any points. Defensively, his work on Anthony Edwards was — as has become standard fare — immaculate. His help around the rim when he wasn’t on Edwards forced a number of misses. He was more aggressive offensively in the second half, hitting a post fade, then driving and finding Poeltl on a bullet pass for a layup. Faded in the fourth like everyone else.
C+	J. Poeltl 29 MIN, 9 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 4-5 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-2 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, -23 +/- Early on, his (healthy) presence helped the starters fit together very cleanly. He was creating for teammates with screens, finishing off Barrett passes, and really cleaning the glass when Barnes chased blocks. Excellent stuff. He was even diving for loose balls! But defensively, he really struggled to stay in front of Randle — yet was successful in basically any other matchup. And Randle was his matchup. Later on, he started getting bullied by Gobert on the glass and failed to find his way to the ball against an increasingly aggressive Minnesota defence. He lost that connectivity and didn't see much of the ball.
B+	R. Barrett 30 MIN, 25 PTS, 6 REB, 0 AST, 9-14 FG, 4-5 3FG, 3-4 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 3 +/- He’s looked much healthier in the last few games. He hasn’t been turning to pivots and slow-downs on his drives, which are not his strength. He needs that last step to be bursty in order for his finishing to be strong, and it was tonight. His push shots are starting to get back to their traditional excellence, too. And defensively, he was much improved from his last contest. Was present as a helper deterring shots, and he had fewer moments of inattention. The Raptors had him battling Gobert at times, and he fought well there. Got dunked on. That’s life.
B+	I. Quickley 30 MIN, 18 PTS, 3 REB, 7 AST, 6-10 FG, 2-4 3FG, 4-5 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 8 +/- A really miserable first half, but he ended up with an okay game. Lots of actions with Poeltl early (which I called for in my most recent feature!), which led nowhere. A fumbled pass, then a missed triple. Later he threw a telegraphed turnover. Picked up his dribble in no-man’s land and got bailed out on a Minnesota foul on his pass. Forced a number of shots afterwards. But in the second, he stepped into a pull-up triple to open things. He stepped in front of an Edwards drive and forced hesitation, letting Poeltl strip him from behind. Drove for a push shot. In the fourth, he drove for some half-court points, too. Toronto’s problems in that half started when he hit the bench.
D-	J. Shead 17 MIN, 2 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1-7 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, -19 +/- Some nights he is able to survive inefficient shooting. Not tonight. He tried: after missing some looks, he drew an offensive foul on an inbounds play to win a possession. But Toronto got shelled in his minutes because the Raptors just couldn’t score with him at the helm. Winning a possession here or there can’t outweigh an inability to score in the half court. Some of his passes were far too wild and led to needless turnovers. He ended up scoring in garbage time, but this was close to his worst game of the season.
C+	S. Mamukelashvili 23 MIN, 11 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 5-8 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-1 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, -8 +/- Mamukelashvili did a lot when guarded by not Gobert. He drove for an and-1, hit a triple, just found his way to points. In the third, he crashed for a putback that Toronto desperately needed. But he couldn't sustain it, much like the rest of the team.
C	J. Walter 17 MIN, 2 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0-2 FG, 0-1 3FG, 2-3 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -4 +/- Started slow, but found his way into things by tying up McDaniels on a drive, ripping Naz Reid above the break, and drawing a foul on a corner triple. Toronto’s bench struggled as a unit, but Walter certainly had his moments. He tried to force those moments in the second half, driving for a floater that wasn’t even close, getting beat back door when he was too aggressive. In that second half, he was pressing too hard to make things happen rather than letting the game come to him.
D+	J. Mogbo 09 MIN, 0 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 4 +/- Saw his first real minutes in weeks, and on his first defensive possession he moved his feet on a switch, blocked a shot, and forced a shot-clock violation. The defensive juice remains potent. But offensively, he remains unable to offer enough to justify those minutes. Toronto lost his minutes by a wide margin, largely because of offensive inability in the half court. Everything was non-threatening. That’s not all Mogbo’s fault, but he just doesn’t threaten a team without the ball or do much of anything with it.
Inc	J. Battle 09 MIN, 2 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST, 1-3 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 7 +/- Rajakovic used him as a closer again, and the Raptors actually made a small run in his minutes. He wasn’t particularly involved, as it was mostly Quickley finding his own shots.
Inc	G. Dick 03 MIN, 6 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 2-4 FG, 0-1 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 8 +/- Garbage Time.
Inc	T. Jackson-Davis 03 MIN, 2 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 1-1 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 8 +/- Garbage Time.
C+	Darko Rajakovic Coach He was searching in ways that I haven’t seen from him in weeks. He tried Mogbo early, which wasn’t survivable offensively. He tried some zone defence. He tried cross-matching and guarding Gobert with RJ Barrett. Ultimately, when Toronto is out-talented, and Ingram can’t find his way into the game? That’s a recipe for disaster. That’s not on Rajakovic, though, who was trying to tilt the balance in a number of creative ways. The fourth quarter, though, was disappointing that the team didn't bother showing up.

The post Quick Reaction: Raptors 107, Wolves 115 first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Raptors Outlook

Record: 35-26 | 5th in Eastern Conference
Offensive Rating: 113.7 (17th) | Defensive Rating: 112.1 (8th) | Net Rating: +1.7 (12th)

Minnesota’s defense is anchored by one of the best rim protectors in the NBA in Rudy Gobert, and for a team that is not good at shooting as a whole, his presence will make things feel even tighter than they already do. A constant theme for Toronto this season has been that they come up short against the top teams in the league, and it is usually their offense that holds them back. Minnesota has the defensive personnel to make Toronto struggle on offense like we have seen previously this season.

Against Minnesota, Toronto has to keep Edwards in check by sending multiple defenders at him. Edwards is a remarkable shooter and scorer, but his passing remains one of the weaker parts of his game. Edwards is averaging 29.7 points per game this season but only averages 3.7 assists. Toronto has to pressure him on the ball, make him uncomfortable and trust that their back line rotations will hold up. If Edwards has an explosive scoring night, then Toronto’s chances of winning dwindle immensely. 

If Ingram winds up being sidelined with his thumb injury, then it will be Scottie Barnes who will need to try and fill that gap in Toronto’s scoring. He has shown that he can attack bigs in drop with his soft mid-range shots, or he can use that space to build up a head of steam and finish at the cup. 

Timberwolves Outlook

Record: 39-23 | 4th in Western Conference
Offensive Rating: 116.5 (9th) | Defensive Rating: 112.2 (9th) | Net Rating: +4.3 (9th) 

Minnesota can lean on their defense in this game, led by Gobert who is averaging 1.6 blocks per game this season. Jaden McDaniels is also a premier wing defender and even if Ingram were to play, this would be a tough matchup for him given that McDaniels has the length to really bother him on the ball. 

Toronto does not have the individual perimeter defenders to contain Edwards one on one, so whenever Edwards has a chance to go at a defender in isolation, the odds will be in his favor. Minnesota has shooting all over the court, so if Edwards can make the passing reads that will be there, then Toronto will be in for a long night.

Game Info

Tip-Off: 8:00 p.m. ET

Television: Sportsnet

Venue: Scotiabank Arena

Starting Lineups (Projected)

Minnesota Timberwolves 

PG: Donte DiVencenzo 

SG: Anthony Edwards 

SF:Jaden McDaniels 

PF: Julius Randle 

C: Rudy Gobert

Toronto Raptors

PG: Immanuel Quickley

SG: RJ Barrett

SF: Brandon Ingram

PF: Scottie Barnes

C: Jakob Poeltl

Injury Report

Toronto Raptors

Brandon Ingram (Thumb) – Questionable

Minnesota Timberwolves

Odds as of Mar.5th, 12:00 a.m. ET

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The Toronto Raptors might be in a similar, albeit less gory, situation. They have been searching for answers to a number of questions of their own. They miss shooting of all varieties, both pull-up and catch-and-shoot. They miss driving, really off-the-dribble creation of all kinds. Ultimately, their offence just isn’t a cohesive, modern unit. It’s no wonder they’ve been searching. 

But perhaps the answer to Toronto’s manifold questions has been staring the team in the face this entire time. (At least, a partial answer, for now, until better ones come along. More on that later.)

Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl could be Toronto’s solution to what ails them. Not separately. Separately they are unable to cure Toronto’s ills. But together? Perhaps.

Quickley is a point guard who needs a big to unlock his skills. Similarly, Poeltl is a big whose skills are wasted without a point guard. Neither can be his best self without the other. But together they ameliorate their own and one another’s weaknesses. They multiply one another’s strengths, and they altogether smooth out the rough edges of the entire team. 

Since Quickley joined the Raptors, the two have played only 1429 minutes together. That’s low, largely due to injury: Quickley’s 58 games this season is already his single-season high with the Raptors, and Poeltl’s high over that stretch in any season is just 57. They’ve played much more separately — between 3500 and 4000 minutes apiece — largely because their injuries have mostly been asynchronous. But in those 1429 minutes together, Toronto has had a healthy net rating of plus-3.95. (Keep in mind, two of those three seasons have been tanking years.) The Raptors have been negative with one or the other playing over that stretch and very negative with neither. This hasn’t been carried by Toronto’s star; Quickley-Poeltl units have had a slightly better net rating (plus-4.08) with Scottie Barnes off the floor over the last three seasons. 

Quickley’s not a fantastic driver or scorer out of isolation. He can’t usually beat his primary defender and the help defender and reach the rim. He usually settles for floaters when he gets there, or he picks up his dribble entirely and resets the play. His pull-up jumper is hard to access against a set defence because he takes an extra beat to load up and doesn’t like to shoot when heavily contested. For a point guard, he’s generally been poor at passing off the dribble, especially in traffic. As a result, he’s scoring 0.82 points per possession out of isolation, which is below average, but especially for a jitterbug point guard. 

But with Poeltl, those driving lanes are wider. Those pull-up shots are more available. And because Poeltl is such a master at keeping passing lanes available, Quickley has more and better off-the-bounce passes available to him with Poeltl as his screening partner. His points per possession in more dynamic, two-man actions are far superior: 1.24 points per possession in handoffs and 0.99 points per possession as a pick-and-roll ball handler. (When you include passes, his pick-and-roll efficiency actually skyrockets to the 82nd percentile at 1.076 points per possession.) 

And Poeltl is no self-creator or shooter whatsoever. He doesn’t have much of a post game. But he sets cast-iron screens; he’s fifth in the league in screen assists per game. And few of Toronto’s players are able to utilize them, largely because of the team’s dearth of pull-up shooting, dribbling, or driving. But Quickley can. Poeltl is a great finisher when someone creates for him, and Quickley is terrific at creating for bigs in the way Poeltl likes — with pocket passes while Poeltl has momentum heading towards the rim. Most of Poeltl’s looks from Quickley end up in the short mid-range there, and he’s a brilliant finisher with those little push shots and floaters.

Even in a down year riddled with injury, Poeltl is scoring 1.33 points per possession as a pick-and-roll screener, which is an elite number right near the tippy top of the league. Poeltl is strong at carving out space in the paint when his teammates drive towards him, at occupying the help. And due to his own limitations, Quickley needs that. 

All told, a pick and roll between Quickley and Poeltl averages 1.306 points per possession. A truly monster number. They have only run 61 together on the season that have ended in a shot, assist, or turnover due to low minute totals, but that’s a number that you can take to the bank. 

Quickley is not a league-best point guard. But he is much closer to one when he’s playing alongside Poeltl. And Poeltl has offensive limitations, but they are far lessened when he’s alongside Quickley. 

Some numbers: Since joining the Raptors, Quickley’s shot 42.0 percent from deep with Poeltl on the floor and 36.3 percent with Poeltl off. He has shot 52.4 percent on 2s with Poeltl on and 46.6 percent with Poeltl off. 

It’s important not to get carried away. Quickley doesn’t become Steph Curry when he’s alongside Poeltl. He becomes far better, but still not among the league’s elite point guards. He still doesn’t take many shots at the rim even with Poeltl playing alongside him, for example. And Poeltl doesn’t become Nikola Jokic or even Rudy Gobert. He doesn’t necessarily improve as much as his skills find purchase with Quickley around to leverage them. And the team’s net rating with the two on the court is good, but not contender-level good. Significantly: that roughly plus-4 net rating with the two on the court has been identical this season, with Toronto trying to win, as it was over the last two, with Toronto trying to lose. 

Quickley and Poeltl may set Toronto’s floor, but they don’t lift its ceiling into the sky. Regardless, they do represent an answer to some questions. The Raptors know from where they can find drives and 3-pointers. 

Are the Raptors able to beat good teams with the duo on the floor together? That’s unclear. They came pretty darn close against the New York Knicks in a game that saw the Raptors collapse in a crunch time that decidedly did not feature Quickley and Poeltl together. 

But there are answers on the roster. Ball-park estimates, Quickley might be somewhere in the range of top 25-35 point guard in the league, and Poeltl (when healthy) may be somewhere in a comparable range for centers, or perhaps slightly lower. Again, don’t quote me on those numbers. But together, they perform far better than a top-25 point guard-center combo. The point is that they are more than the sum of their parts. And they do so on a team that desperately needs the exact skills they create seemingly out of thin air when they work their magic together. 

Poeltl and Quickley represent a salve for the Raptors. One that has been too rarely applied this season, both due to injury but also due to deprioritization even with the two on the court. It would behoove Darko Rajakovic to shift some offensive burden to Quickley-Poeltl pick and rolls with both available. But a salve is no long-term solution. The Raptors likely want to upgrade at the point guard and center spots in the long term. With best players on the court, a net rating closer to plus-10 is the mark of a contender. Toronto’s not there. 

But in the short term, the Raptors have solutions to the questions staring right in their faces. Quickley and Poeltl individually may pose questions. But together, they have been answers.

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ESPN’s Shams Charania announced Wednesday afternoon that the Denver Nuggets have signed Raptors 905 forward David Roddy to a two-way contract. This is the third player from the Raptors 905 to be called up over the past week, alongside Julian Reese (Washington Wizards) and Olivier Sarr (Cleveland Cavaliers).

In 34 games for the 905, the 6-foot-5 wing has posted averages of 12.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while shooting 47.5% from the field and 39.2% from three. Roddy — fresh off his international assignment with Team USA — returned to the 905 for their game today against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, leading the team with 27 points and 6 assists.

The former Colorado State Ram now returns to the centennial state as a member of the Denver Nuggets, his sixth NBA team since being drafted 23rd overall in the 2022 draft. Over three seasons Roddy has played 168 games for the Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Houston Rockets, averaging 6.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in 16.9 minutes per game.

Roddy was a critical piece for the 905, providing stability amongst a whirlwind of injuries and two-way players often joining the big club for stretches throughout the season. With less than a month until the G-League playoffs, the 905 and head coach Drew Jones are tasked with the difficult assignment of reformulating on the fly, trying to right the ship for a strong finish.

With three players being nabbed from the team over the past week, it speaks to the 905’s development program. That’s a great recruiting pitch for prospective players when the season is over, but right now? It presents a real challenge and explains why the team traded a first round pick for Tyrese Samuel yesterday.

The club has just nine games remaining in the regular season, and currently sit at the five seed in the Eastern Conference. They’ll be looking to get back in the win column without Roddy on Friday night, in a rematch with the Vipers set for 7:30pm at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ontario.

The post Raptors 905 forward David Roddy signs two-way contract with Denver Nuggets first appeared on Raptors Republic.

After sitting out with a left Achilles tendon rupture last season, this Raptors 905 season was Olivier Sarr’s comeback season. The injury didn’t seem to impact him as he continued to prove that he is a lob threat, shot blocker, and a mobile big on both ends of the floor. He recorded six double-doubles with the 905.

Against the Grand Rapids Gold recently, he aggressively took the ball to the hoop, rather than resorting to a dribble hand-off.  He told me, “Mentally, there’s no block or anything” when it comes to the fear of re-injury, and that play epitomized his no-fear approach.

Most importantly, he shot 40% (54-136) from downtown, on 3.5 attempts per game, with the 905 this season. In his NBA career, he has shot 37% on less than one attempt per game. But 3-point success in the G League doesn’t always translate to the NBA with faster closeouts, so whether he’ll get 3-point reps in Cleveland remains to be seen. 

Lastly, Sarr has been a part of winning organizations – he helped his OKC Blue team win the G League title and spent his comeback season with an excellent 905 organization under Drew Jones. 

He is the second 905 player to be called up after Julian Reese.

The post Cleveland Cavaliers sign Olivier Sarr to two-way contract first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Over the last eight games coming into Wednesday’s contest against the Rio Grand Valley Vipers, the 905’s 124.9 defensive rating is the worst in the G League. Yet they’re still holding onto the best D-rating across all competition – Tip-Off Tournament and regular season – at 106.9.  It’s been a staggering about-face, and it seems that a mix of weakened rim protection and a looser handle at the point of attack is at the root of the issue.

Taking a surface-level look, those issues could stand to get worse as their entire centre rotation has been pilfered by NBA teams in need of two-way bigs. Julian Reese signed a two-way contract with his hometown Washington Wizards on Saturday and Olivier Sarr inked a two-way deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.

They nearly overcame a poor start and their size deficit with a spirited second-half comeback, but the 905 ultimately dropped a 123-121 thriller to the sound of a screaming school-day crowd of 5,041 at Paramount Fine Foods Centre.

With the loss they fall to 16-11 on the season and drop to fifth in the Eastern Conference after losing four of their last five games.

David Roddy appeared to be the most confident and in control of any 905er on the floor in his first game back from international assignment with Team USA for the February FIBA qualifying window. He anticipated a dive off a rip screen, making a leaping front and intercepted the lob pass. Drove a closeout and lobbed Jonathan Mogbo Popped off a zoom action and canned a step-back 3. Rammed downhill and finished. He had a game-high 20 at half on 6-of-9 shooting and 4-of-6 from three, plus a pair of assists and stocks (steals+blocks).

Roddy finished with 27 points on 12 shots and six dimes. Tyreke Key also had a hyper-efficient 23 on 12 shots. AJ Lawson had 18 on 7-of-11 shooting and 4-of-8 from 3. But Alijah Martin had an uncharacteristic off game, scoring only seven on 3-of-14 shooting and struggling to keep his man in check on defence.

Shortly after Wednesday’s game ended, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that Roddy has signed a two-way deal with the Denver Nuggets. Make that three call ups in one week. Both great for the 905 as a development program and a big loss for the team over the end of the regular season as they move towards the playoffs.

Daishen Nix was a problem for the 905. The Vipers’ lead guard is built like a truck – listed at six-foot-four, 238 pounds – and used his imposing frame to bulldoze to the rim at will, netting a team-high nine points in the first, all on drives to the rim. Regardless of who took the assignment, Alijah Martin, AJ Lawson, Nix was giving them the work. Alternatively, Lawson led the 905 with nine points on a trio of assisted triples, the first off a nice drive and spray-out pass from Jarkel Joiner.

Nix ultimately finished with 27 points on 10-of-17 from two – he missed all seven of his 3s.

The Vipers were striking true to their name, with tremendously active hands and physical play in the gaps. Quincy Guerrier was immediately picked after receiving a post-entry pass. Roddy attempted to find a rolling Tyrese Samuel over the top and the pass was batted for points the other way. The 905 defence was far too porous in contrast between getting bullied at the point-of-attack by Nix and Tyson Degenhart giving up a cut straight down the lane and a blowby.

The 905 were only able to hang in by pouncing on every transition opportunity they got – making hail mary hit-ahead passes and flying ahead at full speed – and by creating extra ones. AJ Hoggard ran the length of the floor off a made Viper 3 and beat the defence to the rim for a layup.

In the third quarter, the 905 cranked it up a notch. The Vipers were still steadily marching to the rim at first, but the Mississauga boys started to find other means of deterrence. Mogbo soft doubled and tipped the ball away for free throws going the other way. Joiner took a charge. Then he rejected the ball screen off an elbow set and swooped to the rim. Mogbo’s ever active mitts got on another ball – his third steal of the game – and Martin hammered it down on the ensuing break. Tyreke Key cut the Vipers’ lead to single digits with a corner 3.

It was a 19-5 run for the home side as they battened down the hatches on defence, finally finding the right assignments and balance of help. Key took the Nix assignment and was able to limit his drives with a mix quick feet, strength and a little deny defence.

Key was the recipient of two touchdown passes and turned them into paydirt. Jonathan Mogbo started attacking the rim more intentionally. Lawson canned a spot-up 3 in transition to tie the game and the school-day crowd broke the sound barrier. The 905 won the quarter 36-17 and were up four going into the final frame.

They struggled to hang on as the energy sucked out of the ball, out of the 905s legs, and standstill, rote, offence was unable to wrestle it’s way to results. A deep, late-clock grenade 3 from Martin and free throws were the only source of scoring. The Vipers’ runouts bit going the other way.  

Hoggard gave the 905 a jolt. He banged a 3 from the top of the floor, swiped down and knocked the ball away from the Vipers in the paint and later rejected a screen and touched the paint before hitting Key in the corner for another triple. It was an electric stretch from the backup guard that put the 905 back ahead by two possessions. He made a measured drive downhill and floated in a soft turnaround tear drop to give the 905 the lead once again, 117-116 with 2:27 remaining.

Hoggard handled much of the, um, ball-handling duties down the stretch as he was most successful getting downhill. He finished with 15 points and 14 assists.

Lawson isolated out of the corner and threaded his way to the rim for a tough layup. The Vipers sandwiched a pair of shooting fouls around it to take a one-point lead. Martin and Hoggard manipulated the defence with their dribble and took advantage. But Tristan Newton hit a tough turnaround and Lawson was called for a charge. More free throws and the 905 were down two. After a wild onslaught of turnovers each way, Roddy and Martin each had a shot to win the game from deep. One went long, one short. The 905’s woes continue.

The post Raptors 905 slide continues as they drop thriller to Rio Grand Valley first appeared on Raptors Republic.

After a strong third quarter to erase a poor stretch in the second quarter, the Raptors had a chance – a real chance! – against an Eastern Conference powerhouse who they have been 0-3 against this season.

It seemed like the tides were turning as the Raptors’ sixth man – the Scotiabank crowd roaring and chanting “Defense!” in unison – infused palpable energy into the game. 

Barnes and BI subbed back on, but the Raptors’ clutch offense was anything but that. It turned into Kmart chucklefuckery, only scoring two points in the final 5:50.   

Jalen Brunson who hit back-to-back buckets earlier in the fourth stomped on all of Toronto’s hopes. He hit a 3 to make it a seven-point game. 

After BI hucked up a tough mid-range jumper and missed the Raptors’ fourth consecutive shot, KAT hit a BI-esque mid-range jumper on the other end as if to mock him. That came right after the Knicks became an offensive rebounding machine on their offensive possession. But BI kept the Raptors on life support, especially after a poor second quarter stretch as he scored 26 points in the first half.

It got even uglier as Barnes had a live turnover and continued to argue at the ref mid-play right alongside Darko. Jamal Shead, who had subbed off for IQ, had to escort Psycho Darko away from the sidelines. Brunson finished through a Scottie contact, had some choice words, and completed the and-one. 

All hope was dashed, but there were a lot of positives in this game, especially in the third quarter, the only quarter that this team won (24-19).

The IQ in the Wizards game, the IQ we had hoped for emerged in the third frame. Early in the second half, IQ found Scottie in the perimeter, who attacked baseline by taking a dribble inside the arc. Scottie swung the ball out to a trailing BI who hit IQ as he relocated and clapped for the ball – he got the ball back and splashed it. BI made the second of the team’s back-to-back 3s. Then, BI attacked the paint, sprayed the ball out to IQ in the corner as he pump faked, slid over, and banged the 3. Smoooth operator.

Towards the end of the third, BI took advantage of a pissed-off Mohamed Diawara during a Raptors’ 8-0 run. Diawara was furious, thinking he was fouled by BI on an offensive possession, so the latter stole the ball and scored easily. Then, Ja’Kobe Walter forced a turnover on an inbound play and Scottie layed it up in transition. Diawara had two consecutive turnovers. 

In the third, there was a lot done right even from a process point of view. Scottie kept playing solid defence on Brunson, even when he made the shot early in the third. The Raptors asserted themselves defensively – Poeltl fouling OG as the latter tried to crown him and Scottie attempting a block on KAT (and being called for defensive goaltending). Offensively, the play that preceded Poeltl blowing an lay-up down low was the right process, and Mamu’s big offensive board were all positive signs.

The hope of a comeback justifiably lingered as RJ hit a nice mid-range jumper to make it a three-point game. Then, he hit a triple to inch within four points, forcing a Knicks timeout. 

But it doesn’t take long for great teams to establish their dominance in short windows. That’s exactly what they did. Brunson killed the Raptors in the clutch and his Knicks have now swept the Raptors 4-0 so far this season.

The post Hope was justified in Raptors’ fake comeback first appeared on Raptors Republic.

Samson Folk & Trevon Heath talk about the Raptors lack of punch against winning teams.

From Samson’s piece:

“I feel awesome about it. I think that’s a great opportunity for us. I think that we as an organization have made significant strides this season and for us the next big step is that.” Coach Darko told me of the Raptors poor record vs. the best teams in the league. “Playing a high level against the best teams in the league. We’ve had games where we were very competitive, some of those games went our way some of them did not, but all of those games are just amazing for us. I’m so excited to play against the best teams in the league because I think there is always learning for us, and there is always that competitive spirit that we want to bring and we want to find a way to win those games.”

“To this point, it was all about the starters. 5:26 left in the game and the bench had provided 8 points on 13 shots. Ingram & Barnes both entered the game. Winning time, or losing time – as it were.

If the Raptors were going to win, they’d need to be juggernauts on defense (which they often are) considering their 25th ranked clutch time offense. Things didn’t start well. 2 minutes dripped off the clock and while the Knicks didn’t score the leather off the ball (5 points, 2 shots made) they had no baskets from the Raptors to contend with. Even worse, the very next possession the Knicks used knocked nearly a minute off the clock as the Raptors allowed 2 offensive rebounds and a made shot to Towns. It took the Raptors over 3 minutes to score their first bucket of clutch time and by then the Knicks had already run away with the damn thing. The Raptors are the slowest clutch team in the NBA, slowing the game to a crawl with little reward.

There was over a minute left when the Raptors’ fans started filtering hastily out of the arena. Lower bowl was nearly empty by the time the final whistle blew. Coach Darko, the team, the coaching staff hopefully learned something from this game. Fans, however, continue to learn that this offense sputters and dies when things get tough late. Even the lineups that crush early, falter late. They scored 2 points.”

Have a blessed day.

The post Why can’t the Raptors beat good teams? first appeared on Raptors Republic.

The Raptors are 4-16 versus the top 10 teams in the NBA this season. Why can’t they beat them?

I break down why here:

Similar to games of the past, Coach Darko made what is often an unpopular decision: he tried to steal some fourth quarter minutes without either of Ingram or Barnes on the floor.

Enter: Barrett, who was carrying the Raptors scoring in that stretch. It was a desperately needed burst from the Raptors scoring guard and one that was built off of a significant amount of guile. Inchworm slithers down the lane for layups around masses of bodies, a couple jumpers, just a guy trying to manufacture buckets. Stuck 2 (93-95) and rapidly approaching clutch time.

To this point, it was all about the starters. 5:26 left in the game and the bench had provided 8 points on 13 shots. Ingram & Barnes both entered the game. Winning time, or losing time – as it were.

If the Raptors were going to win, they’d need to be juggernauts on defense (which they often are) considering their 25th ranked clutch time offense. Things didn’t start well. 2 minutes dripped off the clock and while the Knicks didn’t score the leather off the ball (5 points, 2 shots made) they had no baskets from the Raptors to contend with. Even worse, the very next possession the Knicks used knocked nearly a minute off the clock as the Raptors allowed 2 offensive rebounds and a made shot to Towns. It took the Raptors over 3 minutes to score their first bucket of clutch time and by then the Knicks had already run away with the damn thing. The Raptors are the slowest clutch team in the NBA, slowing the game to a crawl with little reward.

There was over a minute left when the Raptors’ fans started filtering hastily out of the arena. Lower bowl was nearly empty by the time the final whistle blew. Coach Darko, the team, the coaching staff hopefully learned something from this game. Fans, however, continue to learn that this offense sputters and dies when things get tough late. Even the lineups that crush early, falter late. They scored 2 points.

The post Raptors film room: Why can’t they beat good teams? first appeared on Raptors Republic.

New York Knicks

111

Final

95

Toronto Raptors

B-	J. Poeltl30 MIN, 9 PTS, 7 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 4-6 FG, 0-0 3FG, 1-1 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, -10 +/- His numbers were understated, but he was okay when he was on the court, at least in some areas. Really strong hands defending in the pick and roll, forcing a few awkward gathers as he got his hands on the ball during drives. And he did it without fouling in the first half, too. He cleaned the glass in the first half but got beaten by Mitchell Robinson repeatedly in the second. And elsewhere defensively he was a letdown. With Barnes away from the rim guarding Brunson, Poeltl wasn’t able to lock down the paint.
B+	S. Barnes36 MIN, 14 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 3 STL, 5-9 FG, 1-3 3FG, 3-3 FT, 1 BLK, 3 TO, -2 +/- He was strong, if quiet, early on. He defended Jalen Brunson very well in his time on the speedy guard, and the Raptors used him as Brunson’s primary. (I thought he gave up switches a little too easily, but that’s nit-picking, and much more about scheme than Barnes himself.) He forced tons of turnovers, especially during Toronto’s comeback in the third quarter. He attacked the glass and even found his way to an and-1 drive out of pick and roll with Poeltl. But the scoring really was limited in such a physical contest.
B+	I. Quickley33 MIN, 13 PTS, 3 REB, 12 AST, 2 STL, 4-14 FG, 3-10 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -9 +/- Even when the shots weren’t falling in the first half, I didn’t hate his choices in the game. He ran some smooth pick and rolls with Poeltl, and the assist total moved me. He was solid on defence and broke up some plays to lead to steals. He was generally where he was supposed to be on that end, which wasn’t true of all his teammates. When his triples started falling in the third quarter, the Raptors immediately closed the gap and found themselves in a very close game.
A	B. Ingram37 MIN, 31 PTS, 2 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 11-20 FG, 3-5 3FG, 6-7 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, -7 +/- An unbelievable first half. Opened with some triples. Got to the rim. Then he started cooking in the mid-range, drawing plenty of fouls with his work there, too. It wasn’t perfect; committed a completely unforced eight-second violation walking the ball up the floor late in the third. And the scoring tailed off in the second half. Still, he was one of the only reasons Toronto stayed in this game so long.
C+	R. Barrett37 MIN, 20 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 9-13 FG, 1-3 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -16 +/- A real tale of the two sides of the ball. He looked much, much burstier on the drive. Took over in the fourth for a stretch with some mid-range and rim points, using screens very well. In the second quarter, he had a fantastic spin move through the Knicks’ entire defence. And yet defensively he was getting torched, giving up blowbys and putting Toronto’s help defence in very difficult positions. Gave up easy blowbys when closing out, too. The scoring was nice, but the defence was more impactful (to the negative), in my eyes.
C	S. Mamukelashvili16 MIN, 4 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 1-6 FG, 0-1 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -2 +/- One of his worst games, though he did redeem himself slightly with some second-half defence. Was not himself offensively in the first half, and he was getting beat for rebounds and in space defensively. The Knicks are a physical team, and Mamukelashvili usually meets those challenges. He didn’t in the first half. In the second half, he was much better. Fought with more resilience on the glass. Moved his feet defensively on a switch and blocked a pull-up jumper from Jose Alvarado. He wasn’t drawing fouls in the second half on his rim attempts and couldn’t finish through contact.
Inc	T. Jackson-Davis1 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- Garbage time.
Inc	G. Dick1 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- Garbage time.
C+	J. Shead24 MIN, 4 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 1-4 FG, 0-2 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -9 +/- Was hounding Brunson when he was in the game, or at least trying to. The Raptors had one of Shead or Barnes on the court at all times to make sure one was guarding Brunson. He picked up a cheap foul early, but he also forced a turnover and generally made Brunson’s life painful and difficult. He also drove for a layup in the half court, which is notable. He had some sloppy turnovers. In the third, he drove, juked, stepped through, and lobbed to Barnes for a dunk. But in the fourth, Brunson scored with relative ease with Shead guarding him. Tough.
D-	J. Walter18 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 2 STL, 0-3 FG, 0-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -14 +/- Toronto got absolutely shelled in his time in the first half, losing his seven minutes by 20 points. It’s not entirely Walter’s fault, but the numbers did show his inability to compete, at the very least. He defended poorly by his standards, and he was basically a zilch on offence. The Knicks are beatable when they’re playing defence, but everyone needs to be a threat, and Walter wasn’t. In the third quarter, he forced a turnover on an inbounds with a heads-up defensive play.
Inc	J. Battle5 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -11 +/- Just wasn’t doing much in his few minutes in the first half, and didn’t get run in the second. Rajakovic used a tight, playoff-style rotation in this one, and Battle saw his role slashed as a result. .
Inc	A. Martin1 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- Garbage time.
Inc	A. Lawson1 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- Garbage time.
Inc	J. Mogbo1 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- Garbage time.
B-	Darko Rajakovic With Barnes and Poeltl both guarding shooters, who was supposed to protect the rim? Barnes did a great job defending Brunson, yet the Knicks scored with ease when they weren’t turning over the ball. I thought Rajakovic’s matchup choices played into that. And the clutch offence was terrible, but that’s not really on the coach very much. Toronto did work its way back into the game, which is solid.

Things We Saw

1. A sloppy stretch in the second quarter really doomed the Raptors. Needless turnovers, not getting back in transition, getting back cut for no reason. Ugly stuff. Tough to climb out of a hole like that against a team like the Knicks.
2. The bench-bench matchup was when Toronto lost the game. Toronto continued losing Landry Shamet from deep. Its bench players were unable to provide nearly as much punch. Getting a versatile scorer off the bench would be a meaningful add for the Raptors.
3. As a passer, Shead does something smart: find the hot hand, even if it’s not the obvious pass. He was always looking for Ingram when he was driving, in space, or in transition. Smart point guardery.
4. The Raptors absolutely shredded the Knicks with their top two on the court tonight. When Ingram and Barnes were both playing, it was clear who was the better team. Sure, the Raptors lacked depth, and made severe mental errors. But there was a lot of positivity to take away from the game regardless. And then … closing time. Wild how the Raptors can dominate starter-starter matchups all night and then get annihilated when it counts.

Your next read: Samson Folk detailed the game.

The front half of the second quarter was a disaster. Summed up best, maybe, by a sequence where the Raptors got caught on a 5-second violation after a timeout, and immediately gave up a layup off an outlet pass after that. Disorganized and out of it. The Knicks upped their physicality on defense and started stringing together stronger backline help, and it allowed them to get stops and run outs. Not only was their shot making better than the Raptors in the halfcourt, but they were more active in the full court as well. A terrible mix, and one that fuelled the Knicks run to a double-digit lead. 

The post Quick Reaction: Knicks 111, Raptors 95 first appeared on Raptors Republic.

It took about .5 seconds for Scottie Barnes to make his mark defensively. A brash deny possession against his check, Jalen Brunson, that resulted in an off ball foul. The foul wasn’t a win, but the physicality was. Barnes was aggressive and present every time Brunson was looking for a touch. A unique approach to the defensive side of the floor and no doubt an assignment that Barnes himself wanted badly. Barnes was quick to peel off if he allowed a driving lane to Brunson and used his length in recovery. It was, largely, a successful defensive wrinkle that put the Knicks offense out of sorts to start things off. A unique wrinkle against a top tier team in the league. It was only once Jamal Shead checked in and the assignments changed, that Brunson scored his first bucket of the game.

“I feel awesome about it. I think that’s a great opportunity for us. I think that we as an organization have made significant strides this season and for us the next big step is that.” Coach Darko told me of the Raptors poor record vs. the best teams in the league. “Playing a high level against the best teams in the league. We’ve had games where we were very competitive, some of those games went our way some of them did not, but all of those games are just amazing for us. I’m so excited to play against the best teams in the league because I think there is always learning for us, and there is always that competitive spirit that we want to bring and we want to find a way to win those games.”

On the offensive side the Raptors started out with a good burst of shooting from downtown. Brandon Ingram & RJ Barrett were both eager to get downhill and get the defense in motion, but Jakob Poeltl’s rolling was just as valuable in that regard. They got the ball middle, then got the ball to shooters, and actually hit some shots. Ingram took it to the next level once the transitional bench lineups got started. A bunch of possessions shifted towards him and he made good on a great many of them. Big sweeping crosses, pull-up jumpers, up and unders – he made the Knicks defense look wholly incapable of keeping up with him. The transitional lineup that gave up the lead was one that couldn’t contain Brunson well enough, and one that really struggled to create good looks on offense. The Knicks slowly found their groove offensively and crept into the lead by the end of the first quarter.

The front half of the second quarter was a disaster. Summed up best, maybe, by a sequence where the Raptors got caught on a 5-second violation after a timeout, and immediately gave up a layup off an outlet pass after that. Disorganized and out of it. The Knicks upped their physicality on defense and started stringing together stronger backline help, and it allowed them to get stops and run outs. Not only was their shot making better than the Raptors in the halfcourt, but they were more active in the full court as well. A terrible mix, and one that fuelled the Knicks run to a double-digit lead. The only way the Raptors could muster up to stop the Knicks from gaining ground, however slowly, was to continuously hand the ball off to Ingram who was in the midst of a magical run of shot making and had already vaulted himself up to 26 points – the third highest scoring first half of his career.

While it’s true that the Raptors did a good job of moving a lot of possessions away from Brunson, Josh Hart did a pretty good job of stepping in as a facilitator in the in between, and the rotating cast of shot makers did their thing. It also doesn’t help that the Raptors were hiding defenders on Hart, rather than being able to put a defensive playmaker on him to help disrupt other actions the Knicks wanted to run through.

“Josh Hart is a player who can definitely knock down a shot, but he’s also an elite driver. He’s somebody that does a really good job of getting to the rim, the paint, and the free throw line as well.” Coach Darko said of the common defensive strategy of helping off of Hart. “So, I think he’s a complete player. I don’t think Josh Hart is getting enough recognition in this league for how good a player he is and how much he means to their team.”

Stuck 10 at halftime, kept alive by Ingram, and looking for adjustments to help you steal one against a top team.

The Raptors came out in the third quarter with significant vigor. Still determined to move the ball out of Brunson’s hands, but bringing a similar 1-5 connectedness to the beginning of the game. Offensively, the return of Immanuel Quickley’s jumper (1-6 in the first half) was a huge boon as he knocked down two triples after heavy ball movement. Also of note, Quickley had dished out 9 assists by the 6 minute mark of the third quarter, and while some of that is the result of the simplicity of feeding Ingram off curls and Poeltl off pocket passes, Quickley was displaying a little more resilience in the middle of the floor than usual.

By the end of the third quarter, as the Raptors were looking at a 5-point deficit (87-82) one thing was abundantly clear: the Raptors starters were demolishing their minutes. Running roughshod. It’s been a good bit of time since that unit has been through the clutch time ringer. Could they maintain this dominance through the toughest part of the game? Could their transitional lineups hang in so the starters could finish the job?

I’d like to say the start of the fourth quarter was an exhibit on defense from Barnes, but that would seem to suggest like he wasn’t doing it the rest of the game. It did seem particularly oppressive at the front of the fourth quarter, though. He was taking possessions on primary initiators and still ended up being the stopper on play finishers. He was a suppressant in some sense and an inflammatory in others. Quieting so much of what the Knicks wanted to do, and exploding so much of what the Raptors wanted to do against them.

Similar to games of the past, Coach Darko made what is often an unpopular decision: he tried to steal some fourth quarter minutes without either of Ingram or Barnes on the floor.

Enter: Barrett, who was carrying the Raptors scoring in that stretch. It was a desperately needed burst from the Raptors scoring guard and one that was built off of a significant amount of guile. Inchworm slithers down the lane for layups around masses of bodies, a couple jumpers, just a guy trying to manufacture buckets. Stuck 2 (93-95) and rapidly approaching clutch time.

To this point, it was all about the starters. 5:26 left in the game and the bench had provided 8 points on 13 shots. Ingram & Barnes both entered the game. Winning time, or losing time – as it were.

If the Raptors were going to win, they’d need to be juggernauts on defense (which they often are) considering their 25th ranked clutch time offense. Things didn’t start well. 2 minutes dripped off the clock and while the Knicks didn’t score the leather off the ball (5 points, 2 shots made) they had no baskets from the Raptors to contend with. Even worse, the very next possession the Knicks used knocked nearly a minute off the clock as the Raptors allowed 2 offensive rebounds and a made shot to Towns. It took the Raptors over 3 minutes to score their first bucket of clutch time and by then the Knicks had already run away with the damn thing. The Raptors are the slowest clutch team in the NBA, slowing the game to a crawl with little reward.

There was over a minute left when the Raptors’ fans started filtering hastily out of the arena. Lower bowl was nearly empty by the time the final whistle blew. Coach Darko, the team, the coaching staff hopefully learned something from this game. Fans, however, continue to learn that this offense sputters and dies when things get tough late. Even the lineups that crush early, falter late. They scored 2 points.

Have a blessed day.

The post Raptors’ clutch offense withers and dies against Knicks in loss first appeared on Raptors Republic.