Photo Credit: Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
10 things I saw from Raptors-Warriors (Oct. 25) – The Defeated
Context matters: The Raptors were not beating the Warriors with ball movement. They struggled with the Warriors’ length all night and could barely run plays at times. They didn’t just suddenly stop passing. They led because they had a ridiculous 17–6 advantage in offensive rebounds thanks to a superhuman effort from Jakob Poeltl. Otherwise the offense was blah and mostly limited to transition opportunities.
And when it mattered most, the Raptors’ stars did not come through. Even more damning, they did not follow the prescribed medicine for their late-game problems from recent years. There was one possession, midway through the fourth quarter with the score tied, that DeMar DeRozan got two cracks at giving the Raptors the lead. The shots he chose: a 22-footer contested by Kevin Durant and, after a rebound from Jakob Poeltl, an out-of-control eight-footer off of no passes.
Kyle Lowry cannot escape free from criticism, either. After a 1-for-8 night from deep, Lowry is now 8-for-34 from three-point territory to start the season. Additionally, he, along with DeRozan, both missed crucial shots down the stretch off of very little ball movement.
This is not to condemn their play as a whole. Lowry was a huge part of the Raptors getting back into the game in the third quarter, drawing charges and picking up a bushel full of his nine assists for the night. DeRozan added six assists, and continues to show admirable patience more often than not.
When it mattered most, though, the Raptors reverted to old habits. It played a big part in costing them an upset win.
Blog: Raptors revert to bad habits vs. Warriors | Toronto Sun
It was close, but not quite, yet again in Oakland for the Raptors. Oracle is one of the toughest buildings in the entire NBA to play in, but the Raptors were right there. In fact, Toronto had a late lead and a real shot … before Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Co. lowered the boom.
It was truly unfortunate that Jakob Poeltl, who is having a heck of a run in Season 2, couldn’t finish a great feed from DeMar DeRozan late. It was a huge momentum swing of a play, with the Warriors rallying to seize control. Poeltl was fantastic, he dominated the boards, covered tons of ground on defence and generally was again one of the best players on the floor (he even got a shoutout from Kevin Durant post-game).
The pass from DeRozan was one of the good decisions made by DeRozan and Kyle Lowry in the latter half of the fourth quarter. However, too often, they reverted to what they know and do best isolation ball. Weaning themselves off of that style is going to be a season-long process. They don’t need to go away from it entirely, DeRozan made a great shot over Curry and drew a foul on Green at key points, they just need to mix things up. Want to ISO? Sure, go for it, but make sure you run some plays in the preceding possessions to at least create some doubt in the minds of your opponents. Otherwise, it’s back to what doesn’t work against the highest caliber of opponents.
Raptors crack in final moments, lose to Warriors 117-112 – Raptors HQ
The young guys are fine, even against good teams. Jakob Poetl had his best game in a Raptors uniform, his 12 points and 14 rebounds belying energy from end-to-end. Poetl has a knack for finding pockets to get passes, something that no other Raptors big really has. On Wednesday, he repeatedly got in deep on the Warriors’ undersized lineups, finding easy baskets.
It was so much damn fun, but then those last two minutes came.
The last four Raptors possessions were pure isolation. Three play calls for DeMar DeRozan started at the top of the key, without a pass, and ended in a contested shot. One for Kyle Lowry went without a screen, as Lowry forced a difficult turnaround jumper over noted Kyrie-stopper Klay Thompson.
It was a frustrating conclusion, and an eye-opener after three games that didn’t come down to clutch possessions. Toronto deviated from the team they’re hoping to become, and went back to those ugly possessions that dogged them in previous post-seasons. Needless to say: that will have to change.
Of course, it’s hard to be too upset. This is the Golden State Warriors the Raptors were up against. Steph Curry finished with 30 points, five assists and four rebounds. Kevin Durant made two clutch shots during his team’s closing 10-0 run, finishing with 29 points of his own. Klay Thompson had 22. That the Raptors were in it showed just how well they played, despite a serious deficit in household names.
Raptors fall short in Golden State: 3 takeaways – FanSided
Toronto’s second unit is going to be a problem for opponents
The famed “Lowry plus bench” lineups of years past are still going strong, this time with a slightly different supporting cast. Patrick Patterson and Cory Joseph, two key cogs in those units, are gone. Norman Powell now starts. The revamped bench crew of Delon Wright, C.J. Miles and Jakob Poeltl wreaked havoc and nearly turned this game in Toronto’s favor.
Poeltl was particularly sharp, netting 12 points and grabbing 14 boards in 27 minutes off the bench. Miles kept the Raptors in it in the first half, though he was quiet in the second. Wright played the lion’s share of the backup guard minutes while Anunoby, who looks like a real player, was plus-eight in 18 minutes.
It was encouraging to see a young group show some fight against the defending champions. The Raptors’ depth is going to win them games in the regular season, and Dwane Casey will be able to configure some fascinating combinations within his rotation. What began as one of Toronto’s biggest question marks now looks like one of its major strengths, both now and for the future.
Raptors had the shots, but fall short in loss to Warriors | Toronto Star
“We had two good looks with DeMar and Kyle down the stretch, I’ll go to war with that any day,” Casey said after Toronto dropped a 117-112 decision to the Golden State Warriors in a wonderful early season game at the Oracle Arena.
“We knew those sets, the small-small pick and roll to get the switch we wanted, vault and take those. We’ve got to live with those, it’s a make-or-miss league and tonight we missed ‘em.”
And while the Raptors two best offensive players were coming up short, Golden State’s top two did what they usually do.
Kevin Durant hit a long three-pointers to pull the Warriors into a 112-112 tie with 62 seconds left and Stephen Curry made a step-back three with 32 seconds to go for the winning shot.
“We put ourselves in a great position and we made some key mental mistakes,” DeRozan said. “Granted if Kyle knocks down that shot he took, I knock down a free throw shot I took and we get one stop there’s a possibility we win that game, but it happens. Nothing went our way, everything went their way in that last minute.”
Raptors can’t break that Oracle curse, lose 117-112 to Warriors | Toronto Sun
If there was a failing in this one for the Raptors it was those open shots late in the game not falling, and perhaps more costly, their inability to guard the three-point line in transition against these Warriors. Both Durant’s game-tying three and Curry’s go-ahead three came in transition.
“We understand in transition, that’s where they’re most dangerous and you’ve got to get back and guard the three-point line. That’s something we didn’t do a good job of tonight in transition, guarding the three-point line,” Casey said.
“But I loved the fight, I loved the fight of these guys and it’s unfortunate we have an opportunity against the top two teams in the league (and come up just short both times),” he said referencing Wednesday’s loss and the one Monday in San Antonio.
“We’ve got to learn from this, keep getting better because there was a lot of mistakes we made,” Casey said. “But we still fought through those and put ourselves in a position to win.”
All around this one was a sloppy one with both teams turning the ball over in droves. The Raptors committed 18 for 17 points while the Warriors turned it over 16 times leading to 17 points.
But down the stretch it was the battle-hardened Warriors who got the job done.
Raptors can’t quite escape inevitable Hurricane Warriors – Sportsnet.ca
The Raptors kept fighting back in their 117-112 heartbreaker to the defending NBA champs. They gave themselves a chance. A really good chance. It looked like the hurricane might not ever quite make shore. Missing big men Jonas Valanciunas and Lucas Nogueira, both with ankle injuries, and missing in copious amounts from the three-point line – a disturbing emerging pattern – Toronto kept at it.
Missing bodies, missing threes? Turn to second-year forward Pascal Siakam who go the start at power forward alongside Serge Ibaka at centre and watch him go off for 20 points – he matched his career-high 14 in the third quarter alone – to help keep the Warriors in view. How about a double-double from second-year big man Jakob Poeltl, who battled and scrapped his way to 12 points and 14 rebounds– including 11 offensive rebounds, a career-high that might stand for a while. How about key contributions form rookie OG Anunoby and emerging third-year guard Delon Wright?
It all added up and when DeRozan scored eight of his 24 points down the stretch – his last a jumper that gave the Raptors a 112-107 lead with 2:13 to play – it looked the Raptors were going to get their first win at Oracle in DeRozan’s eight-year NBA career.
But then the storm finally hit: A triple by Kevin Durant to tie, a game-winner with 32 seconds left by Steph Curry, the lid covering the basket for the Raptors. They ended up getting sucked into iso-ball down the stretch and what was so close ended up being out of reach. The Warriors won it on a 10-0 run the Raptors couldn’t find shelter from.
Golden State Warriors shake off late Toronto Raptors challenge – Golden State Warriors Blog- ESPN
Down three with a minute left in the game, Durant had a Game 3 NBA Finals flashback moment. He dribbled the ball up court and nailed a triple at the very same spot from which he hit one against LeBron James in June.
“Nah, don’t go there,” Durant said when asked about the comparison to the shot over James. “It’s a new year. It felt good leaving my hands. [Raptors forward] Serge [Ibaka] already knows. He was behind the 3-point line. I seen some space, so I felt it was a great shot.”
With the game tied, DeMar DeRozan missed a contested jumper. Momentum was clearly on the Warriors’ side. Durant received the ball on the left wing, penetrated and found an open Curry, who drained a huge 3-pointer with 32 seconds on the clock.
Toronto had one last chance. Kyle Lowry drove to the basket and looked to have an easy layup, but Thompson came from the weak side to swat the shot, essentially sealing the victory.
That final trey by Curry was his seventh go-ahead 3-point field goal in the final minute of a game over the past four seasons, tops in the NBA over that span.
The Warriors still seem to be on cruise control. Opponents are winning the hustle plays, but Golden State’s talent is deep enough to withstand that for the time being. The Warriors coughed the ball up 17 times, and mental mishaps were rampant on the defensive end.
Warriors escape with win over Toronto – SFGate
Golden State’s most formidable opponent has been its inattention. Facing big leads, it tends to get sloppy.
Such was the case again Wednesday. Within the first seven minutes of the second half, the Warriors piled up six giveaways. Toronto forward Pascal Siakam, who entered the night averaging two points per game, had 20 by the midpoint of the third quarter. Taking advantage of offensive rebounds, the Raptors went up 104-103 midway through the fourth — their first lead since the second quarter.
“It took us a while to figure out that we needed to box out,” said Kerr, whose team gave up 11 offensive rebounds to Toronto center Jakob Poeltl. “Literally, a shot would go up and our guys would (stare at the ball). That’s effort.”
Added Durant: “A 4-year-old in the stands probably could have seen that we should have been boxing out.”
Though the sample size is small, Golden State looks shockingly flawed a little more than a week into the season.
The biggest championship favorite in NBA history is making the same mistakes again and again. After leading the league in defensive efficiency last season, the Warriors are giving up far too many open looks during pivotal stretches. A training camp spent focusing on more accurate passing has given way to numerous ugly turnovers.
How to Read Small Sample Sizes – Raptors Republic
Delon Wright has thus far offered the Raptors that boost off the bench. He’s even garnered praise from Zach Lowe: a sure sign of success in the NBA. Even though Wright has played few minutes in this young season, his success is no mirage. He is ready to contribute.
Jakob Poeltl and OG Anunoby are the real deal, too. They both have advanced senses of timing on both sides of the ball. Expect their positive numbers in the early season to continue, though likely not lead the NBA. But be careful with some of Poeltl’s numbers; he’s averaging 2.0 blocks per game, after only 0.4 last season. Those will come down (although his highlight, at-the-rim rejections are fun).
However, some weaknesses can be gleaned from the early season as well. Rebounding is an issue. Even though Lucas Nogueira has a +13.5 net rating on the young season, that means little. He was exposed against the Spurs, who outrebounded the Raptors by 21. Neither Bebe nor Serge Ibaka could contain LaMarcus Aldridge on the block, and the Spurs’ physicality dominated the Raptors in the paint.
Per NBA.com advanced stats, Bebe corralled more than 30% of rebounds on the defensive end against San Antonio: incredible numbers. On the season, he even leads the team in defensive rebounding percentage! This misses how poorly his team rebounds when he plays. The Raps grabbed fewer than a third of the available rebounds when Nogueira was on the floor against San Antonio. This means Bebe either doesn’t block out, or he had no help from his teammates, or both. It’s likely both. Either way, he was helpless against the supersized Spurs. Point guard Dejounte Murray racked up 15 rebounds against the Raptors, and those extra possessions overcame a massive turnover advantage for the Raps to help give the Spurs the win.
Five thoughts on Olynyk, Wright and more – Article – TSN
DELON WRIGHT (Raptors): I like his game. Wright is going to be a good one. The young guard is off to a sound start, averaging 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists while leading Toronto’s second unit. Obviously his big challenge right now is his three-point shooting (just 1-for-10 from beyond the arc). If he can improve his shot, he’ll be a real keeper. Wright’s a good two-way player.
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