When the game was close late, that’s something the Raptors couldn’t count on that the Nets definitely could. Even against a team playing eight guys, the Raptors don’t have the talent of a Durant to create high percentage shots in a 1-on-2 or 1-on-3 scenario. The drop-off from Toronto’s starters to lineups with Flynn, Justin Champagnie and Svi Mykhailiuk are just too steep to not notice. I’ll include Watanabe in the good group, even though he struggled shooting, as he put in some great frontcourt minutes with Barnes to help shore up the rebounding in the second half. The fact is, though, changing roles only goes so far when your productive roster goes five deep. Seeing if Barnes can do something in the post on those possessions would at least be interesting to see. With both Siakam and VanVleet well over the 40-minute mark, the two settled for a handful of passive jumpers in the half court. It was also apparent late that Barnes might be able to provide a change of pace for Toronto’s clutch offense. In fact, the Raptors could’ve called his number even more - when Barnes was leading Nick Nurse’s bench unit in the first half, he barely touched the ball, as Malachi Flynn and Yuta Watanabe ran most of the action (Flynn went 1-for-4 and was benched in the second half). Scoring 23 points on just 13 shots, Barnes was cool and confident when asked to create his own shot.
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Still, if you’re a glass half full person, your main takeaway from this game is the continued excellence of Scottie Barnes.
Boucher and Siakam really struggled to secure boards in the face of pressure, and while Barnes picked up the slack (12 rebounds, five on the offensive end), the Nets relentlessly got extra looks thanks to crashing the glass and out-numbering Toronto in the painted area. (I know: whomst?) had six offensive rebounds by simply cutting into open areas and poking the ball into open space.
The Nets won the rebounding battle 60-41 tonight and much of it was inexcusable on the Raptors’ part.
and VanVleet combined for five steals in the game, which was critical for getting the Nets off of their game when Brooklyn was able to play in the half court, the gravity of Durant often meant curtains for the Raptors.īesides the Nets’ superstar, another reason for the half court dominance was Toronto’s defensive glass. This was when the team was at its best, forcing the game’s tempo up with ballhawking defense and keeping the Nets’ top guys in Durant and Patty Mills in a reactionary mode. Siakam was a critical part of Toronto’s best stretch, a third quarter where the Raptors out-scored Brooklyn 44-25 and turned a ten-point halftime deficit into a significant lead. VISIONary /yZBFlfrQXS- Toronto Raptors December 15, 2021 Most impressive, in my mind, were Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes. Those top four guys were uniformly excellent for Toronto - with a few understandable warts as their minutes total creeped up late. combined for 104 of the team’s 129 points on Tuesday, as a lack of energetic contributions elsewhere contributed to a 131-129 loss in overtime.
Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, Scottie Barnes, and Gary Trent Jr. The Raptors, with ten healthy bodies, weren’t much better for wear, but had to deal with their own brand of depth issues all evening. Thanks to Kevin Durant playing through ankle soreness, the Nets were able to field a team of eight players. The moments before tonight’s game definitely had the feel of a fog closing in. Precious Achiuwa is in protocols, Masai Ujiri tested positive earlier this month, and broadcasters Matt Devlin and Jack Armstrong are taking a precautionary week off. The Raptors are obviously not immune either (no pun intended). The signs of a new, less certain pandemic wave are everywhere today, and in the NBA, the question marks hovering over the next two weeks ratcheted up on Tuesday, as the Nets became a new focal point for outbreaks happening across the Association. With the news before tip that the Nets would be putting four more players - for a total of seven - into health and safety protocols, the Raptors had to feel both opportunistic and a bit queasy.