  | P. Patterson 25 MIN | 3-3 FG | 2-2 3FG | 2-2 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 4 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 10 PTS | -19 +/-Was a little surprised to see him play basically his full role. Was active in passing and driving lanes, helping lead to some of the two-way chaos, and while he passed up a good look or two to put the ball on the floor, he also looked comfortable letting it fly. Of course, he was active on defense in part because Griffin was making life tough on him and he was left to scramble to make up for it a lot. | |
  | D. Carroll 15 MIN | 0-3 FG | 0-0 3FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | -15 +/-Didn’t look nearly as strong as in the Saturday opener, and that inconsistency is, I suppose, to be expected as he works his way back to health. He’s moving well enough off the ball but seems a little hesitant in the paint, and I’m unsure if he has the post game to exploit guard switches regularly. Still, he’s playing, which is important. | |
 | J. Valanciunas 21 MIN | 2-7 FG | 0-0 3FG | 2-4 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 2 BLK | 1 TO | 6 PTS | -16 +/-Not exactly his best night all around, but he definitely had some encouraging moments. He found a cutting Patterson while working in the mid-post, guarded Griffin in a face-up situation capably, and turned away a couple of shots. The mid-range jumper wasn’t there today, which was unfortunate because he did really well to create space for himself, and he nearly got lobbed to death. It’s always fun when he and Jordan match up. | |
 | F. VanVleet 21 MIN | 1-5 FG | 1-3 3FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 3 PTS | -17 +/-Got the nod with Lowry resting, and it’s hard to imagine a tougher audition – he matched up with Chris Paul for the bulk of his time on a night when Paul was masterful carving in the pick-and-roll, as he is most nights. He also shot poorly, but he continues to show he’s a savvy creator for others, and the question about his NBA role falls squarely on his NCAA defense carrying over against second-unit caliber guards. | |
  | D. DeRozan 18 MIN | 8-11 FG | 0-0 3FG | 4-5 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 20 PTS | -8 +/-Must have known he was in for a short night, because he made sure to get his spots in early and often. The Clippers had no answer for his funky forays into the lane or his fades from the mid-block, and while I’d like to see a bit more facilitating from those spots, are we really going to argue with 20 points on 11 shots in 18 minutes? | |
  | B. Caboclo 8 MIN | 2-8 FG | 1-5 3FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 3 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 5 PTS | +9 +/-All of the usual Caboclo caveats apply – grading on a curve, of course – and he didn’t shoot very well, including an errant drive to the rim late. But can we show some respect for the defensive improvement he’s flashed the last two games? He’s making the right decisions in help-and-recover, he tipped a few balls loose, and after falling, he came up with a very tough steal of a lob. Nice to see him contributing at one end, and at the four, no less. | |
 | P. Siakam 15 MIN | 2-4 FG | 0-0 3FG | 3-4 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 7 PTS | +4 +/-Got reps guarding Griffin, Crawford, and even, if I’m recalling correctly, Paul for a possession. His instincts on the defensive end are really strong, and he uses his hands well one-on-one or in help situations. At the other end, he had a big put-back dunk and a near-highlight jam that drew a foul instead, and he got to put the ball on the floor a little bit once again. | |
  | T. Ross 15 MIN | 1-6 FG | 0-2 3FG | 3-5 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 5 PTS | -9 +/-Are you back off the bandwagon after a 1-of-6 night that saw him take some questionable shots? What if I told you Ross got more free-throw attempts in 15 minutes than he has in all but two of his career regular season games, and that it included finishing through a foul in the paint? It wasn’t his first two outings, but the confidence and aggression remain intact, at least. | |
  | E.J. Singler 12 MIN | 0-2 FG | 0-2 3FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 0 PTS | +11 +/-Tough one to grade here given the couple of high-leverage missed buckets and a miscommunication that led to a key turnover, but Singler was definitely trying to deliver the “little things” as he promised, hitting the glass and the deck, and jumping a passing lane for a crucial steal. | |
 | L. Nogueira 16 MIN | 0-0 FG | 0-0 3FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 0 PTS | +11 +/-Not taking a single field goal in 16 minutes may suggest that he’s understanding what’s being asked of him right now. Or that Heslip was going crazy. Still, Nogueira set some pretty great screens for the Canadian, and his dive-and-dish to Caboclo for a corner three attempt was the stuff few big men can do. | |
  | J. Poeltl 10 MIN | 1-3 FG | 0-0 3FG | 1-1 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 3 PTS | -1 +/-Started off a short night with a great run out and finish in transition, but couldn’t follow up, missing a couple of easy looks inside he could have made going up stronger. Got to show a bit of his defensive IQ in helping solidify the back line on defense when Siakam was away from the rim. | |
 | C. Joseph 18 MIN | 5-8 FG | 0-0 3FG | 3-4 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 13 PTS | +1 +/-Probably the most boring player on the team to grade, especially in the preseason. He does what he does, and he did so very efficiently in this one. Most encouraging is that Joseph’s confidence pulling up over screens looks to be very, very high right now. | |
 | D. Crawford 16 MIN | 2-7 FG | 1-1 3FG | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 7 PTS | +11 +/-Would be well-served dialing back the shot attempts a bit, especially when he’s pushing the ball with teammates around him. He’s here for his defense, and any offense is gravy, and in this one the latter detracted from the former a bit. Still, that defensive aggression was a big part of the comeback. | |
  | B. Heslip 9 MIN | 5-6 FG | 1-1 3FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 13 PTS | +10 +/-Umm, wow. 13 points in nine minutes on just six field-goal attempts. I didn’t love Heslip’s chances of making the team because he really only has one NBA skill, but he’s one of the very best shooters in the world, he’s great at getting space for himself to let fly, and he works his way around screens well. The two assists – notable since he’s working as a PG in camp – stood out, too. If he’s going to have a shot at making the team, this was exactly the outing he needed to have. | |
 | N. Powell 20 MIN | 2-4 FG | 0-1 3FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 4 PTS | -2 +/-Another somewhat shaky night, though he put it together a little bit before subbing out. Offensively, that is. Defensively, he remains the team’s best prospect and might wind up their best overall defender at some point this year. His positioning and footwork guarding faced up or in the pick-and-roll are pristine. | |
 | Dwane Casey We gave him credit for having the team ready to execute on the defensive end on Saturday, so it’s only fair that the team’s lack of direction in this one falls on his ledger, too. Then again, he gets dap for the deep bench players making a game of it, too, I guess. With a return to Toronto for a week without a game, expect defense to once again be the focus after back-to-back shaky outings on that end. And I appreciate rotating some rest and playing it conservative with minutes. | |
Five Things We Saw
- That ended up being far more fun than it had any business being. I think at one point the Raptors’ 3rd/4th unit went on a 19-0 run to make a game of it, and the bench was absolutely loving it. It’s been the case for a few years now, but these guys seem to genuinely pull for each other.
- Preseason games are really hard to grade. Small stints on the floor, against bad competition, while trying to control for role/expectations, at 1 a.m. no less. So as always, but especially tonight, grains of salt, everyone. I’m very tired.
- Jared Sullinger sat with foot soreness, Kyle Lowry sat for rest, and Jarrod Uthoff and Yanick Moreira have apparently committed crimes against Dwane Casey. Or, you know, it’s tough to get 20 guys minutes.
- The defense was terrible for the bulk of the game. Paul-Griffin-Jordan are impossible in their different pick-and-roll variations, anyway, but the Raptors looked pretty disorganized and at times a little disinterested. That’s two shaky outings at that end and one solid one. Still a few weeks to find it…
- The Raptors don’t play again until next Thursday, giving them a bit of a break to try to regroup on the defensive end.
NOTE: You’ll notice the vote for high/low/right option is gone. That isn’t me playing games – we changed the coding up for better mobile viewing and need to add that function back in still. Apologies, but please just tell me they’re all fine for the night. I’m very tired.
