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Raptors 905 can’t cool hot hands, collapse late

Raptors 905 collapse late, fall to 2-5 on the season.

The most encouraging quarter to date for Raptors 905 was followed up by three that felt more familiar, including the team’s second second-half collapse in as many games. The late struggles built to a fourth-quarter crescendo, with the Delaware 87ers ultimately pulling away with a lopsided 125-109 victory that should have finished much closer.

The 905 came out strong with another new starting lineup, one that saw Sim Bhullar start, bumping Ronald Roberts to the four and Axel Toupane to the bench. The move makes sense on several fronts, as Bhullar’s utility declines later in games as a function of his conditioning, and it’s probably easiest to manage his minutes as a starter. Starting Roberts at the four also gives the 905 a huge look to start games without sacrificing athleticism one-through-four, and it keeps Bruno Caboclo from checking power forwards from the outset. The second unit could also use the secondary shot-creating Toupane can provide.

Early returns were encouraging, and the 905 built to a 37-23 lead after a quarter. Delon Wright initiated the offense well, Roberts cleaned up around both rims, and the team’s defense looked more similar to the parent club’s than it has yet. The size and athleticism of the 905 was causing panic for the Sevens, who had little to go to on offense beyond Jordan McRae getting the edge on Caboclo around screens, sets that worked well until the 905 went away from that look as they shifted smaller.

More encouraging than anything else from the opening quarter was that the 905 turned the ball over three times. That’s been a major weakness for the team so far, and it’s put undue pressure on a defense that rarely gets the chance to set. Protecting the ball not only made for higher-percentage looks, but more looks in total, and it allowed the defense to thrive and help push the offense in turn. The first quarter was likely what general manager Dan Tolzman, who was on hand Sunday, had in mind when he constructed the hyper-athletic, positionally amorphous roster.

As it has often through seven games, inexperience set in, and the 905 slowly lost the handle on things. A bench unit that gained Toupane too often asked him to take late-clock jumpers when ball movement stalled, and head coach Jesse Murmuys was forced into quick substitutions to try to find the right mix of starters and reserves. The Sevens took advantage and chipped eight points off of the lead, with McRae and Sean Kilpatrick, two talented players on the fringes of the NBA, finding a real groove entering the break.

The third quarter saw the 905 settle some, though it was more a case of the offense flowing with a smaller look (Bhullar played sparingly, creating room for Toupane and Jay Harris to play alongside starters) than the defense getting a grip. McRae continued to put the 905 on their heels with north-south drives to the rim and the resultant kick-outs, and Murmuys called on reserve center Keanau Post to try to aid the communication and defensive specialist Ashton Smith to try to deny McRae the ball and make life more difficult for him.

Around the seven-minute mark of the fourth, the Sevens pulled ahead and Murmuys went back to his key starters, because of course he did. They played well in the first and early in the third, and the offense wasn’t going to be able to keep up without them. The earlier defensive execution didn’t accompany that group this time around, and the team began to make key mistakes trying to help on McRae’s aggressive forays to the rim. What had been a huge edge in points in the paint earlier dissipated, Kilpatrick made the 905 pay for every inch of over-help, and the offense began rushing things in transition trying to keep up.

The 87ers eventually pulled away, closing the game on a 19-6 run in the final 4:23.

It has to stand as a disappointing outcome for a game that saw the 905 take some encouraging strides. They finished with just 13 turnovers, a major improvement, but the timing of their turnovers – far too often in transition, turning a sure two into two the other way – were killer.

“At this point, I would like a shot on the rim,” Murmuys said about the type of transition looks the team is aiming for. “I don’t care where it comes from.”

The defense played on a string together early but eventually unraveled. Wright (20 points, eight rebounds, eight assists) and Toupane (17 points, six rebounds) had fine individual performances on offense but were guilty of defensive lapses and turnovers. Caboclo (17 points, three rebounds, three assists, three steals) continued to take his lumps learning, with his shot selection occasionally found wanting (he was 6-of-20) and his help from the weak-side occasionally ill-advised, if effective (he had three blocks and did well to help alter drives).

Roberts was the only player who really had a strong game at both ends, scoring 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting and adding nine rebounds and three blocks. He tried to provide more vocal leadership from the back end, but he’s adjusting to playing more at the pivot and the changes in rebounding approach that come with that, and the 905 need to find a way to help Roberts on the defensive glass when he’s the primary help rim protector.

Murmuys spoke after the game about how letting McRae get going was an issue, and it was plain to see: Once he started finding success driving, eager 905 defenders wanted to help more, but they sometimes did so outside of the system. Wright helped out of the strong-side corner, as did a few others, and over-help on baseline drives left shooters open up top. The 87ers regressing from a cold shooting start hurt, too, as they hit 13-of-25 from long range.

“We let him get a head of steam and were unable to execute keeping him in front, trying to force mid-range jumpers and not giving him layups and free throws, which was the focus,” Murmuys said. “We did a better job of keeping the ball on the side, and now the second piece is trying to force tough twos out of them.”

McRae finished with an obscene 31-8-9 line on 11-of-19 shooting, and Kilpatrick hit 6-of-11 from outside en route to 37 points in part due to McRae’s willingness to pass and the attention he was drawing.

The 905 don’t have the guns right now to keep up in a shootout, with an 11-of-31 mark on triples dropping their season mark to 30.6 percent.

“We took care of the ball better than we have in previous game,” Murmuys said. “We had really great possessions of extra passes and ball movement where we broke the defense down and got great shots. We didn’t make a lot of those open threes tonight.”

Like with the other four losses (the 905 are now 2-5), the important thing to note Sunday is that there was tangible progress being made. It warrants consistent reminders that this is an expansion team that had a short training camp, added players late, is incorporating NBA assignees, and has two players that haven’t traveled with the team. Shannon Scott, their top defensive guard, was also sidelined with an injury for a second consecutive game.

The 905 are going to struggle at times,but the ball movement is improving, turnovers were down, and several players had strong one-way performances. Patience is paramount for Murmuys, staff, and fans, as it may take some time before the positives last for 48 minutes. The team has plenty of time to regroup and continue to iron out the finer wrinkles, as they’re off until a home game Saturday.

The Raptors recalled Wright and Caboclo following the game, by the way.

Photo Courtesy: IG Raptors905