  | D. Carroll 22 MIN | 1-8 FG | 0-5 3FG | 2-2 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | +5 +/- I’d say this just wasn’t DeMarre’s night, but it feels like we’ve been saying that a lot to start the season. I know the team’s been saying he’s not 100%, but maybe it’s time to give him a few nights off to get right, because Norm and Ross are balling and Carroll isn’t. Got burned by Rudy Gay repeatedly tonight, and missed his open shots. | |
  | P. Siakam 24 MIN | 4-8 FG | 0-0 3FG | 2-3 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 10 PTS | +9 +/- What can be said about Siakam that hasn’t already? He makes some rookie mistakes, but he plays with such energy and enthusiasm it’s easy to look past the negatives. Had a couple of vicious alley-oop catches from Lowry, and was rewarded for running in transition. He’s so much fun to watch. | |
  | J. Poeltl 18 MIN | 3-4 FG | 0-0 3FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 6 PTS | -7 +/- It’s not really fair to grade Poeltl on this performance. He worked hard and gave a great effort, but for a rookie, 6 games into his career to be tasked with guarding DeMarcus Cousins just isn’t fair. He got abused in the second half, but that shouldn’t surprise anyone. I liked his fight regardless, and he had some nice moments tonight. | |
 | K. Lowry 39 MIN | 5-16 FG | 3-10 3FG | 2-3 FT | 4 REB | 10 AST | 2 STL | 1 BLK | 0 TO | 15 PTS | +9 +/- Lowry did a lot of great things tonight, and even looked for a period in the fourth quarter like we were going to get a KLOE performance, but then he missed some shots and just couldn’t come through. Did a great job keeping the young bigs involved tonight, especially using Bebe and Pascal in transition, but it just feels like the takeover performances of last year haven’t been there so far this season. | |
 | D. DeRozan 38 MIN | 7-20 FG | 1-2 3FG | 8-10 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 23 PTS | -11 +/- His first outing under 30 points this season, and I could pick it apart, but truth be told, almost no one was scoring tonight, and DeMar didn’t do a terrible job on that end. He definitely missed JV’s screen game tonight, and had a rough fourth quarter, with a notable turnover after a timeout followed by two missed free throws with the game still winnable. Hopefully the missed shots are just a 1-game blip, and not a sign that his shooting is coming back to earth. | |
 | P. Patterson 31 MIN | 1-6 FG | 0-2 3FG | 4-5 FT | 9 REB | 2 AST | 1 STL | 2 BLK | 1 TO | 6 PTS | -9 +/- I’m a big Patterson fan, and I think he’s a necessary stabilizing presence for this team, but he has to hit some shots at some point this season. I’m a believer in all 3pt shooters have some variance in their seasons, but just hit a few, please. | |
  | T. Ross 19 MIN | 3-9 FG | 2-7 3FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 8 PTS | -3 +/- A tale of two halves for Ross tonight. Came out in the first half guns blazing, with a quick 8 points on 5 shots and some nice steals, and looked great. Then, in the second half, the shots weren’t falling. Still had some solid defense, but they needed his shooting tonight. In the second half, the Kings threw some double teams at Ross, and he looked completely lost facing them. | |
 | L. Nogueira 21 MIN | 3-3 FG | 0-0 3FG | 1-2 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 1 TO | 7 PTS | -4 +/- Could just copy and paste my Poeltl comments here. Worked hard, had some nice moments in the game, but way out of his element guarding Boogie. Hard to evaluate too much because of that, but he’s definitely a real NBA talent. | |
  | C. Joseph 17 MIN | 2-7 FG | 1-2 3FG | 3-4 FT | 1 REB | 2 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 8 PTS | -7 +/- If this is starting to sound repetitive I apologize, but he’s gotta hit some shots. Joseph has had a rough stretch of games here, and at some point, the Raptors need to find some shooting on the floor, and Joseph’s offense has been lacking so far this season. | |
  | N. Powell 10 MIN | 1-3 FG | 0-2 3FG | 2-2 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | -2 +/- What’s it going to take to get Norm more minutes? He missed his two three-point attempts tonight as well, but otherwise another strong performance. Works so hard on defense, and plays beyond his experience. | |
 | Dwane Casey This loss isn’t all on Casey, without question, but I have to ask why we’re running Patterson for such long stretches of consecutive minutes just to avoid having him in the starting lineup, especially when the team could’ve used his veteran presence in the starting lineup tonight. That and Carroll’s struggles vs. Ross and Norm’s successes prevent me from giving Casey a better grade tonight. | |
Three Things We Saw
- The Raptors didn’t struggle out the gate tonight for once, giving a complete first half performance starting right from the tip-off. Good to see, and hopefully something the team can build off going forward.
- Jonas Valanciunas was sorely missed tonight. Both in terms of his experience dealing with Boogie without fouling out quickly, and on offense, his presence setting screens and creating space for DeMar to work in was missed. Hopefully he’s not out too long.
- Teams get cold, and those nights will certainly happen, but maybe at some point the Raptors need to consider that their problems behind the 3pt line run deeper. Dead last in the league in 3pt shooting, and another rough night tonight. DeMarre Carroll, Patrick Patterson, and Kyle Lowry have struggled mightily behind the line so far this year, and if the team is going to take a step forward, one of those guys has to as well.
