  | D. Carroll 29 MIN | 4-8 FG | 2-5 3FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 10 PTS | — +/-Still doesn’t have his explosiveness back in full, but we are starting to get glimpses of the old Carroll. In the first quarter alone he drove off the dribble for a tough bucket in the paint, drained a three after Siakam earned the group a second possession with a rebound, and made two very heady off-ball cuts to the basket. Wasn’t at his defensive best tonight though. Regularly caught scrambling and leaving open shooters, and jumped on almost every pump fake after recovering. The Nuggets started attacking him regularly in the second quarter, with Will Barton attacking him on straight-line drives with a lot of success. | ||||||||
  | P. Siakam 15 MIN | 1-4 FG | 0-0 3FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | — +/-It’s not an issue yet, but Siakam is eventually going to need to take a few jumpers…or at least pretend the idea has crossed his mind. He got the ball just above the elbow a few times and never even looked anywhere but the next pass. With that said, no other real complaints. A few rookie mistakes, but ones that he will learn from and that you can mostly live with. Fastest big man in tonight’s game, attacked the glass hard, some smart cuts, and generally looked like he already can find a role in the NBA. | ||||||||
  | J. Valanciunas 31 MIN | 6-12 FG | 0-0 3FG | 0-0 FT | 9 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 2 TO | 12 PTS | — +/-Watching Jonas take jumpshots is still surprising, but I no longer get scared by it. My mind has been opened to the possibility and the results look positive when he doesn’t pump fake 3-4 times in a row while no one is within 6+ feet of him. On one occasion he hit a jumper just inside the three point line from the top of the key, and he took it without hesitation. After two dominant performances to start the season, tonight wasn’t the new Jonas that we have come to love. | ||||||||
  | K. Lowry 36 MIN | 10-20 FG | 1-5 3FG | 8-10 FT | 5 REB | 7 AST | 3 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 29 PTS | — +/-The first half was the closest we have seen to KLOE so far this season…at least until the fourth quarter. What a great closing performance by Lowry, who partnered with DeRozan to help carry a lethargic group who collectively struggled for the entirety of the second half. Kyle. Lowry. Over. Everything. | ||||||||
 | D. DeRozan 39 MIN | 13-23 FG | 0-1 3FG | 7-9 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 33 PTS | — +/-What more can be said from him after the first three games? It feels like he can do anything that he wants and believes that no one can stop him. The big difference this year seems to be that he seems to know better where his spots are and how to get to them. Yes, it’s early in the season. But imagine if he can maintain this type of play? | ||||||||
 | P. Patterson 33 MIN | 1-4 FG | 0-1 3FG | 1-2 FT | 7 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 5 BLK | 0 TO | 3 PTS | — +/-Such a smart defender. He rotates into open space and regularly gets to his spot before the ball or his opponent. Huge block in transition at the end of the third quarter helped keep a two possession lead. He still seems a little gun-shy with his shot though, occasionally hesitating and giving up open opportunities. He still helps by being a threat from distance, but the Raptors need him to contribute on the scoreboard as well. | ||||||||
  | T. Ross 15 MIN | 2-5 FG | 1-3 3FG | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 7 PTS | — +/-Against the Cavs we saw Bad Ross. Tonight we got some good stretches of Good Terry. Coming off a screen he there was so little hesitation on the catch-and-shoot. Got beat by Chandler a few times on defense (one of which he physically got turned around the wrong way) and disappeared for stretches. So to sum it up, we saw both Good and Bad Ross tonight. | ||||||||
 | J. Poeltl 17 MIN | 0-3 FG | 0-0 3FG | 1-2 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 2 BLK | 0 TO | 1 PTS | — +/-He destroyed a Nelson lay-up attempt with a powerful block in the second quarter, and did the same to Murray(?) in the fourth quarter. It looked like he had been cleanly beat (and he was) but he’s athletic and long enough to recover. He’s three games into his career and has already stolen the back-up spot from Bebe. His next step defensively is to stop taking obvious 3-second violations. Poeltl also appeared to be developing some on court chemistry/awareness with his teammates. Worked a two-man game with Joseph a few times, one of which led to a one-handed lay-up attempt that just rimmed out. His touch with continue to get stronger as he gets more comfortable, but he has already exceeded early season expectations. | ||||||||
 | C. Joseph 24 MIN | 3-8 FG | 0-1 3FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 4 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 6 PTS | — +/-His new shot looks so smooth, yet he still has the speed to get wherever he wants. Cory Joseph is incredibly underappreciated, and I say that with full knowledge of how beloved he is by Raptors fans. He comes into the game and does his job. He hounds his man relentlessly. He finds the little ways to contribute. He’s mastered Nash-ing the pick-and-roll, where he cuts back to use the same screen a second time. Is there a better back-up point guard in the NBA? I don’t think so. Didn’t have his best game, but great asset off the bench. Also, loved how his eyes got big when guarded by Murray. Took it to him at every opportunity, but got burned once for it with an offensive foul. | ||||||||
  | N. Powell 2 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 3FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 2 PTS | — +/-Comes in near the end of the first half and crosses over Gallo for a step-back jumper. The #FreeNorm movement was heard, if only for a few minutes. I’ve missed him, but what a luxury Powell is to the Raptors. Amazes me that the Raptors are so deep that a talented young guy like Norm needs to fight for the few minutes he gets. | ||||||||
 | Dwane Casey I’ve got no complaints about Casey. Toronto got off to another great start and responded in the fourth after a disappointing third quarter. I don’t blame him for the team collectively crapping the bed in the second half. It’s tough to find an adjustment when no one is doing anything. Like how he balanced the minutes between Poeltl and the somewhat injury troubled Valanciunas. | ||||||||
Three Things We Saw
- Toronto came out lazy in the third quarter and fouled instead of defending. After showing clearly to be the better team in the first half, they simply came out flat to start the second half. Denver simply outworked them for most of the second half, and Toronto was lucky to escape with a victory.
- The Raptors once again held their own on the glass against a strong rebounding team. Not a groundbreaking statement, but nice to see after so many years that this franchise has struggled on the boards.
- Gallo could be all types of fun as a power forward in Toronto. Sure, there could be some defensive issues, but he would certainly provide some different looks.
