The NBA sure has a knack for timing.
It was a little over a year ago when the Toronto Raptors last visited the Sacramento Kings. Surely, you remember the game. The Raptors got down early, fought back to take a lead, squandered it in the third, and found themselves staging a fourth-quarter comeback. Down three, Terrence Ross appeared to deliver the game-tying shot. Upon review, though, officials determined that the clock had started late, and that Ross’ shot therefore came after the buzzer should have sounded. No basket, and the Republic did not take it particularly well. The Last Two Minute report was delayed, the Raptors protested, and the NBA released an explanation that wasn’t at all satisfying. A loss for the Raptors, and an ugly, albeit mostly inconsequential, mark for the NBA.
Naturally, right as the Raptors visit the Kings again, nearly the exact same thing happened. On Saturday, the Washington Wizards were in a nearly identical situation against the Los Angeles Clippers. Bradley Beal hit what would have been a game-winning jumper, which was waived off because the clock started too soon. Rather than waive off the basket entirely, though, the officials opted to give Washington the ball back and re-do the play, which is exactly how most Raptors fans felt last year’s scenario should have played out (at worst).
Now, other than the timing be exceptionally funny (none of us are mad, it’s funny to us, never been owned, etc), this should be a positive, shouldn’t it? I’ve seen some angry comments and had some angry tweets come my way about it, and I get it. It sucks the Raptors didn’t get the same opportunity to replay a possession in the same scenario. But isn’t this what we want from the NBA, in general? The Raptors got jobbed, everybody agreed the logic was backwards, and so the league corrected their approach next time around. It doesn’t put the 2.5 seconds and overtime back on the clock last year, obviously. It does show an acknowledgement that the Raptors got a raw deal, and it shows the league’s improved their handling of such situations.
Really, though, I won’t feel better unless at 3:20 today, Terrence Ross puts on a Raptors jersey and fires up a three from on crutches to send last year’s game into overtime, retroactively making the Raptors 52-30 last year.
The game tips off at 3:30 on Sportsnet One and Sportsnet 590. You can check out the full game preview here.
Raptors updates
Delon Wright and Lucas Nogueira remain sidelined for the Raptors, who are otherwise healthy. Lorenzo Brown and Malcolm Miller are both with the team and active, though the latter is yet to make his NBA debut. You know what to expect from the rotation at this point, at least until someone plays poorly and falls out or one of the injured pieces returns.
Wright has progressed to playing 3-on-3, per Ryan Wolstat, by the way. He’s still without a timetable, but usually the steps after 3-on-3 are 5-on-5 half-court, then an approval for contact. Nogueira has also started shooting (after biking earlier in the week) and is likewise without a timeline.
PG: Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Lorenzo Brown
SG: DeMar DeRozan, Norman Powell
SF: OG Anunoby, C.J. Miles, Alfonzo McKinnie
PF: Serge Ibaka, Pascal Siakam, Malcolm Miller
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Jakob Poeltl
OUT: Delon Wright, Lucas Nogueira
TBD: None
905: Bruno Caboclo
Kings updates
Despite being armed with a million centers, the Kings have been playing smaller of late. Zach Randolph got the starting nod at the five in a victory against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday (bullies get bullied), and two-way piece JaKarr Sampson was starting alongside him at the four. They’ve also used a lot of Vince Carter as a small-ball four, particularly with Willie Cauley-Stein out. Things could change Sunday with three players recalled from the G League, including intriguing long-term forward/center prospect Skal Labissiere.
However the Kings line up off the bench, they present some challenges despite an 8-17 record and a bottom-five ranking at both ends of the floor. Namely, they force a lot of turnovers, and since transition defense has been Toronto’s biggest weakness to date, that’s a little concerning. Mitigating that some is that the Kings shoot threes fewer than any team in the NBA, though with a team-wide 38.1-percent clip and the potential for some smaller, faster lineups, getting back to shooters after miscues should be a point of emphasis. And don’t sleep on De’Aaron Fox despite modest rookie numbers – he has some real skill and is a monster in semi-transition.
Complicating matters for Sacramento on Sunday is that George Hill will miss the game for personal reasons, per Sean Cunningham. No word on who starts yet, but Buddy Hield would be a reasonable guess, unless the Kings opt to slide Garrett Temple up and add some size to the unit.
UPDATE: Bogdan Bogdanovic starts for Hill, while Skal Labissiere starts in place of JaKarr Sampson. That makes for a pretty interesting fivesome for the Raptors to match up with.
PG: De’Aaron Fox, Frank Mason
SG: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Buddy Hield, Malachi Richardson
SF: Garrett Temple, Vince Carter, Justin Jackson
PF: Skal Labissiere, JaKarr Sampson
C: Zach Randolph, Kosta Koufos, Georgios Papagiannis
OUT: Willie Cauley-Stein, George Hill, Harry Giles
TBD: None
Reno: Jack Cooley
Assorted
- Shout out to Toronto FC on their championship victory yesterday. That makes it Raptors 905, the Wolfpack, the Argos, and TFC all winning championships in the city over the past few months, and while your mileage may vary on the value of each title individually, it’s been really cool to see the city’s sports scene pick up some momentum, even if some of that has come at the fringes. With the Raptors headed for a fifth straight playoff appearance, the Leafs returning to serious relevance, and the Marlies looking like a championship favorite, 2018 looks nearly as promising as 2017. Now, if the Jays could pick a lane on their competitive path, we’re cooking. Seriously, I’m very, very happy for TFC fans, as they’re one of the best fanbases going, in any sport at any level.
- Raptors 905 are off today, but a minor update on Bruno Caboclo: The ankle roll he suffered Friday is not thought to be serious, and it’s expected that unless he has a setback in practice this week, he’ll be good to go Wednesday at Hershey Centre.
- Read my son on Fred VanVleet. I’ve stayed trying to tell you all about Fred VanVleet.
The line
The Raptors opened as 7-point favorites and the line has bumped to Raptors -8.5. The over-under has been around 206.5-208 and sits at 207.5 right now.
