21-7 (On road against the lesser LA team)
The Final Play
Antetokounmpo’s biggest make of the night came in the closing seconds of the game. Fred VanVleet had just scored on a tough layup driving against Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton had called a timeout after crossing half court on the ensuing play. Down one with 21.3 seconds left, the Raptors needed to force a turnover or, if that failed, foul the Bucks to get the ball back.
Twice, the Raptors trapped effectively on the inbounds. First, they tipped a ball out of bounds to set up a re-entry. Then, they smothered Middleton on the inbound, likely forced a travel that will be noted on the Last Two Minute Report on Monday, and caused the Bucks to use their final timeout.
On the third try, Antetokounmpo managed to slip free for a dunk. On this inbounds, the Bucks stretched the Raptors vertically to prevent as aggressive a trap. Serge Ibaka and Pascal Siakam initially double-teamed Antetokounmpo and left the inbounder, Brook Lopez, open, then had Ibaka switch back toward the point of entry. Siakam gambled for a steal on Lopez’ pass to Antetokounmpo, giving him a clear lane to the rim for a dunk once the pass got through.
You can understand why Siakam would value the turnover in this spot. Still, that’s an over-extension that gave the Bucks a certain two points rather than an expected 1.38 if Antetokounmpo goes to the line. On the bright side, it happened quickly and the Raptors had a timeout remaining, so on paper they were still in a decent position at that point in time (down three with the ball, a timeout, and 11.2 seconds).
Raptors need revived Kyle Lowry, bench to survive measuring-stick trip – Sportsnet.ca
Nurse claimed earlier this season to sleep better after losses than wins — perhaps his ultimate ‘anti-coach’ statement. The losses, he says, roll off him and he’s out like a light. The wins get him too excited, too revved up and not able to flip the switch.
There is a very real chance Nurse is going to come back from this Raptors west-coast trip well-rested, in contrast to their earlier visit west, where they swept all four games for the first time in franchise history.
As they board their charter it’s not just the opposition that poses a challenge — the Clippers, Warriors, Trail Blazers and Nuggets rank fourth, third, sixth and second in net-rating among Western Conference teams — the Raptors have real problems of their own to deal with for the first time this season.
Chief among them is Kyle Lowry’s disappearing act.
Since sitting out the Raptors’ visit to Cleveland on Dec. 1 with a sore back, the engine that makes the Raptors go has sputtered badly over the subsequent four games — at least offensively — as he’s shot just 4-of-28 from the field and 4-of-25 from deep (that’s 14.3 per cent shooting, overall, if the raw numbers don’t tell the story clearly enough) for an average of 3.8 points a game.
He’s on a career-worst run of five games without scoring in double figures.
That Lowry somehow has managed a +9 net-rating over that stretch speaks to his exceptional ability to affect games without scoring — he’s still averaged nine assists and remains the NBA leader in that category — but Toronto needs him to score also, as the Raptors’ 1-3 record over the past four games would suggest. Lowry is averaging just seven points and a stunning 9.5 per cent from three (4-of-42) in Toronto’s seven losses compared to 16 points a game and 39.7 per cent from three in the 20 wins in which he’s played.
The Raptors’ primary offensive weapon is Leonard, but they are a juggernaut when Lowry is banging threes from deep beyond the arc, forcing the opposition to meet him higher on the floor and allowing him the room he needs to push past the first layer of defenders and force them into scramble mode where he can pick them apart.
It’s why his coach and his teammates are imploring Lowry to shoot more during his slump, rather than less.
“Don’t turn [shots] down, don’t overpass it. You’re a primary scorer for us. Get aggressive in transition. Let’s see some of those deep bombs in transition,” Nurse was imploring before Sunday’s game. “I don’t want him to say, ‘Geez, I haven’t shot well for three games so I’m going to limit my attempts.’ In fact, it should be the opposite. I’d like to see him pull about 10 of them tonight.”
Lowry needs to shoot early, often and attack the rim to get out of slump | Toronto Sun
Lowry hasn’t scored more than 10 points in five straight games for the first time. All but three of his 28 field goal attempts over the past four games have come from beyond the three-point arc.
That would probably be something the team could live with if Lowry was still shooting like he was in October, when he hit nearly three three-pointers a game at a 42% clip.
Instead, the point guard has sunk to an ice cold 24.5% accuracy from beyond the arc over his previous 10 games spanning late-November into December. In large part owing to Lowry’s struggles, Toronto has lost 3-of-4 heading into a tough four-game West Coast trip. Lowry still leads the league in assists per game, but his deadly outside game has all but abandoned him. He’s well aware that he needs to balance distributing with scoring.
“I have to figure out how to do it. I’ve done it before. Just have to find a way to do both in an efficient way,” Lowry said after Sunday’s loss against Milwaukee.
Fellow point guard Fred VanVleet said finding the balance is not easy.
“It’s tough. It’s probably even tougher for a guy like Kyle who is probably more of a scorer than anything,” VanVleet said in a scrum.
“He’s taking a back seat, it’s a decision he’s made and it’s helped our team, it’s helped guys have great years. He’s probably sacrificing for the greater of the team, which is honourable, but at the same time, but we still need him to keep reminding him that we need him to be selfish a little bit too out there.”
NBA Power Rankings Week 9 — Warriors regain top spot ahead of Raptors showdown – ESPN
2. Toronto Raptors
Record: 21-7It was a dispiriting 1-3 week for the Raptors, who lost two games at home and posted an effective field-goal percentage of only 48.5. Kyle Lowry converted only four of his 28 field-goal attempts last week, though he averaged 8.7 assists over that span and still leads the team in Real Plus-Minus. Toronto now hits the road for a tough stretch of four games in six nights out west, a slate that includes the Clippers, Golden State, Portland and Denver. — Arnovitz
NBA Power Rankings: Warriors, Celtics Finally Get Back on Track | SI.com
1. Raptors | Record Last Week: 1-3 | Overall Record: 21-7 | Previous Ranking: 1
Despite the results this past week, I still firmly believe Nick Nurse knows what he’s doing. Especially when it comes to baffling Ben Simmons. Well, that might have more to do with Kawhi Leonard, but either way, the coach knows how to use his MVP candidate. The three close losses to the Nuggets, Nets and Bucks help make Toronto look much more beatable to the rest of the league than they appeared a week ago. But when you realize the Raptors didn’t lose the fourth quarter in any of those games (they lost overtime to the Nets 8-7 after winning the fourth quarter 19-18), it puts into perspective just how good you need to be to knock them off. Cause they will keep fighting for all 48 minutes.
Power Rankings, Week 9: Big win in Toronto gets Bucks back to No. 1 | NBA.com
3 Toronto Raptors
Last week: 1
Record: 21-7
Pace: 101.0 (16) OffRtg: 112.8 (4) DefRtg: 105.8 (7) NetRtg: +7.0 (2)Maybe Kyle Lowry will find his shot on the West coast, though he can’t break out of his shooting slump (8-for-42 over his last five games) if he doesn’t shoot. Worse than Lowry missing shots is Lowry passing them up, because his ability and willingness to shoot 3-pointers off the dribble (he was the best pull-up 3-point shooter over the last two seasons) opens other things up (for both himself and his teammates), and when he does pass up an open shot, the Raptors might not get a better one on the same possession. That was the case on multiple occasions as they lost close games to Brooklyn and Milwaukee over the weekend, and it’s not a coincidence that the last four games (four of the six games in which Lowry has attempted less than nine shots) have been the Raptors’ worst stretch of offense (102.2 points scored per 100 possessions) this season.
2 RaptorsApparently, I’m a jinx. The Raptors have lost three of their past four, including an oddball loss in Brooklyn, since I (perhaps belatedly) elevated them to the top spot last week. Kyle Lowry, so great to begin the season, has sputtered the past couple weeks; he hasn’t scored more than 10 points in any of his past five games, and was held scoreless in the Raptors’ loss to the Bucks on Sunday, going 0-for-5 from three. This team does still feel like the best-constructed team to have a shot against the Warriors in a 7-game series. Pascal Siakam has one of the top defensive field goal percentages in the league, and he’s contested more three-point shots than anyone in NBA. This team is scary good.
The Athletic’s NBA Power Rankings: Here comes LeBron and the Lake Show – The Athletic [subscription]
Toronto Raptors (Previously 1st), 21-7 (+7.0 net rating)
My guess is the Toronto Raptors benefitted from their showdown with the Bucks coming on Sunday, a full day after the rankings were finalized for this week. The 104-99 loss to Milwaukee on Sunday capped off a six-game stretch in which the Raptors beat the Warriors, Cavs, and Sixers while also losing to the Nuggets, Nets, and Bucks. The losses aren’t concerning as much as the current state of Kyle Lowry is. You can justify those losses, even on the road against Brooklyn. What you can’t justify or even really explain is what’s happening to Lowry over the last five games he’s played.Lowry has scored 25 points in his last five games. Not 25 points per game but 25 total points in those games. He’s made just 19.0 percent of his shots and 15.6 percent of his 3-point attempts. He’s been great distributing the ball (9.0 per game) and he hasn’t been very sloppy with turnovers (3.3 per game). However, the Raptors have needed him to be more of a scorer. In a game they lost by five to the Bucks, Lowry went 0-of-5, didn’t attempt a single free throw, and finished with zero points. He only scored 10 points on 14 shots in a 3-point win over the Warriors. Lowry had five points on seven shots in their loss to Denver. He had three points on eight shots in the overtime loss to Brooklyn.
Lowry’s back is bothering him and the Raptors can’t rely on him at all. It might be time to shut him down while he gets healthy. They have enough depth at point guard with Delon Wright and Fred VanVleet their to take over. Having Lowry walk like an old woman in church for the next four months as they prep for a deep playoff run won’t do anybody any good in Toronto. Get Lowry back to being Lowry so this doesn’t become a distraction.
Kawhi Leonard’s Handle is the Secret to his Success – VICE Sports
Today, Leonard’s ball-handling is an ideal marriage between style and substance; it’s grown from garnish to bedrock. There’s more fluidity and jazz at a higher volume. His dribbles per touch are at a career high, and shots attempted after at least three dribbles account for over 57.2 percent of his own offense. (Two seasons ago that was 42 percent, and one before that it was 37.1 percent.) Leonard is also averaging 5.3 more drives per game than he did three years ago, and 1.5 more than his last healthy season with the Spurs. (So far, only 36 percent of Leonard’s shots have been assisted. His previous career low was 48 percent, and in his third year that number was all the way up at 59 percent.)
“San Antonio did a phenomenal job developing Kawhi and helping him become a better player. I just think it was a different system.” Handy said. “The flow of our offense puts him in different situations where he’s able to expand a little bit more.”
The hard work is paying off, but a change of scenery hasn’t hurt. When I asked why he’s been able to showcase his ball-handling a bit more this season than in year’s past, Leonard acknowledged Toronto’s system and how he’s being utilized: “It’s pretty much just the offense that we’re running. I’m just able to come off pin downs and there’s a lot of cross screens and dribble hand-offs. Nick’s just doing a good job of spacing out the floor.”
Where lineups earlier in his career rarely prioritized offensive gravity over defensive intimidation, Leonard now operates with four three-point shooters by his side (including Pascal Siakam, who’s making a relatively impressive 34.6 percent of his threes right now), in an era designed for stars to take advantage of extra room. When he receives a pick high above the three-point line, Leonard skis downhill and sticks the screener’s defender on an island. It’s impossible to guard, but switching isn’t much of an alternative.
Nurse Helps Raptors Makeover Succeed So Far – Forbes
It is easy to say Nurse entered his first NBA job with a formidable team in place and one that added Kawhi Leonard at the expense of franchise icon DeMar DeRozan a month after he was elevated. The list of first-time NBA coaches to win it all in their first season includes Pat Riley (1982), Steve Kerr (2014), Tyronn Lue (2016).
Phil Jackson went from assistant to coaching Michael Jordan, Pat Riley went from assistant to coaching Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Then others went from not being assistants right into a head coaching job with differing degrees of success.
Such as Jason Kidd, who was hired in a splashy move by the Nets weeks after his career ended and won 44 games in one season before losing a power struggle. Such as Derek Fisher, who was handpicked as Jackson’s first coach in New York and lost 65 games in his first year before getting fired midway through the following season.
“This is a guy who has paid his dues,” Armstrong said. “He’s had success at the levels. A lot of times in our league too often we’re handing jobs to people that in baseball, football and hockey that they would never hand to. Sometimes it’s an extension of a lifetime scholarship, well you were a great player and now we’re going to hand you a coaching job.
“I personally think if I owned a team and the value of my franchise was a few billion dollars, I would want a first-rate, prepared qualified guy who’s paid his dues and is going to look after my investment properly and I think Nick is an example of a good guy that has paid his dues and is truly prepared for his moment.”
Preparation for the moment can come in different forms from the expected role of longtime assistant or the long path from international leagues to developmental leagues to the NBA bench.
Nurse spent the previous five seasons trying to produce successful offensive strategies and it is the most successful period in team history. Until winning the Atlantic Division in 2013-14 in a year when they nearly traded Lowry to the Knicks, the Raptors had not finished with a winning record since 2007.
It took them until 2016 to finally win their second playoff series in team history and first since 2001. Then the Raptors won two more series each of the next two seasons while going through a three-year run where they won 166 regular-season games only to see it come crashing down in three straight playoff series losses to LeBron James.
Thoughts on Lowry’s struggles and more – TSN.ca
1. KYLE LOWRY (Raptors): I’ve watched him for a lot of years and, quite frankly, I’m a bit baffled right now witnessing his struggles. He’s obviously a terrific player who will have his number rightfully hanging from the rafters in Toronto one day. He’s been the heart and soul of the organization. Clearly he doesn’t look like that guy right now after looking awesome just a few weeks ago. He’s too good a player to stay in this funk for a long period of time. It just jars you a bit when you see him so passive and reluctant to take over the game with his scoring. To his credit, he’s a pro who is still giving outstanding defensive effort and playmaking for his teammates. It’s just strange to watch such a good player struggle like this. He’s spoiled us with his consistency.
Bucks’ three-point barrage should serve as eye-opener for Raptors – Sportsnet.ca
“We believe we have a bunch of guys on this team that can hit big shots — especially big threes,” says Connaughton. “[Brogdon] showed that tonight. He’s been steady this season and steady throughout his entire career. When he’s that open the whole bench is counting it as a three-pointer before the ball even falls through the mesh.”
Clutch shooters, willing passers in a potent Budenholzer system, a deep roster tailored to today’s game — Milwuakee had five players in double-digit scoring, and another, Sterling Brown, was a defensive difference-maker — all built around a generational superstar in Antetokounmpo.
Put it all together and the Bucks didn’t dissuade anyone from believing in their status as a contender.
Hill, who is expected to make his debut with Milwaukee on Monday against the team that traded him, the Cleveland Cavaliers, knows a contender when he sees it. The 32 year-old — who has experienced deep playoff runs with the Spurs, Pacers and started for the Cavaliers in the Finals last season — thinks the Bucks have the makings of a bonafide contender in the East.
“For sure,” he says. “This team has been on the verge of being one of the top teams in the East for a while now. I think they’re more mature now and it’s going to help us take that next step.”
Moreover, he knows what wins like Sunday’s can do to propel a team, even if it does come relatively early in the season.
“Sometime when you look back later, every win matters, especially down the stretch when you could be playing for home court advantage. But to be second to these guys and come out and play the way we did tonight was an eye-opening experience for me.”
Here’s betting it was eye-opening for the Raptors as well.
Timing not great for discombobulated Raptors to head West without practice time on tap | Toronto Sun
The regression of OG Anunoby has been lost a bit in the focus on the rise of Pascal Siakam. Anunoby is a talented player, he will figure it out, but his shot has completely abandoned him, he hasn’t been the difference-maker on defence we’ve seen in the past, he’s not hitting the boards or the backcuts to the hoop we’ve seen in the past that allowed him to get easy layups off of assists from teammates don’t seem to be happening and he hasn’t had the ball enough to showcase some of the clever passing instincts we’ve seen glimpses of in the past. The Raptors need to find a way to unlock more out of Anunoby.
Just to clarify one thing from last night’s piece on Budenholzer and the Bucks: Several people seem to think I was somehow intimating in some way that Budenholzer would have been the better choice over Nurse as head coach. Wasn’t what I was saying. I actually think Nurse was the better choice for this group, was just a bit of a thought exercise born from a couple of people thinking out loud while in Brooklyn whether Budenholzer would have taken the job had Kawhi been a Raptor at that point. The main takeaway from the piece was meant to be Danny Green’s thoughts on his old coach Budenholzer and how he helps out Giannis.
Also heard some arguments that Kawhi’s looooong pullup was a good shot. It’s a good look for Steph Curry, Damian Lillard, Kemba Walker, an in-form Lowry and a few other players. Leonard has never shown that range and Nurse was only saying this week that he has finally gotten his legs back into his shots. He meant normal range shots. The attempt was from too far out, the odds of it going in were low and you won’t convince me otherwise. That said, they finally took a late shot that gave them enough time to secure an offensive rebound.
Is Lowry holding the Raptors back? – Video – TSN
ESPN’s Max Kellerman discusses Kyle Lowry’s decline in play since he made comments about Masai Ujiri in an interview with Rachel Nichols, and goes on to say that Lowry could be ‘fools gold’ come playoff time.
Kyle Lowry’s struggles are real. So are the odds he turns it around | The Star [subscription]
He’s become far less willing to get into the rim, he hasn’t attempted a single free throw in five of his last eight games and hasn’t been to the lane more than four times in any of the other three. Of his last 28 field-goal attempts, 25 have been three-pointers.
“I feel like he should be a little bit more aggressive,” Kawhi Leonard said after Sunday’s home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. “Our offence kind of allows everybody to be themselves and take their shots. It’s a lot of freedom. With that said, he’s going to have some big games coming up.”
And giving him more leeway to shoot rather than act primarily as a facilitator would help.
“He’s taking a back seat, it’s a decision he’s made and it’s helped our team, it’s helped guys have great years,” Fred VanVleet said. “He’s probably sacrificing for the greater of the team, which is honourable, but at the same time we still need him to keep reminding him that he we need him to be selfish a little bit too out there. We’ve got guys out there trying to get buckets.
“He’s deferring a little bit, which is good, and so when you only get five shots and you miss all of them you’re never giving yourself a chance to really get going there. You’re getting end-of-shot-clock shots and heaves and whatever else, so it’s like you’re in a shooter’s slump but probably just aren’t getting the shots that you want.”
Questions about Lowry’s health have popped up because the recent struggles are so out of the ordinary — and he did miss a game with a tender back — but they have been rebuffed by Lowry and the fact is he has looked as active as ever on defence and in distributing the ball.
Sterner: Shot selection is critical for Lowry – Video – TSN
OverDrive hosts Bryan Hayes, Jeff O’Neill and Jennifer Hedger are joined by former Raptors assistant coach Tom Sterner to get his take on Kyle Lowry’s recent offensive challenges and the potential that it could snowball into a larger problem.
Kawhi on Lowry: "I feel like he should be a little bit more aggressive… but he's going to have some big games coming up… He's working hard at practice, working on his shot. So it's going to fall for him. He's going to probably hit 7 in a row or something from 3."
— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) December 10, 2018
Kawhi, Lakers, Paul George, KD’s Comments – ESPN
“From what I heard, when Kawhi heard Kevin Durant comments about Kawhi being a system player it really, really pissed him off, I don’t foresee Kawhi wanting to play with KD.” – Brian Windhorst
Raptors’ Danny Green says bagged milk in Canada “needs to change” – Yahoo
The difficult transition for American athletes whose careers take them from the United States to Canada is unthinkable. Generally, it’s colder north of the border. On top of that, the metric system is mind-boggling and words that didn’t have a ‘u’ in them before suddenly do (the rumours are true and that isn’t many people’s favourite thing about the country).
Another one of the shocking variations in life is the way milk in sold. Purchasing bagged milk in bulk is what Canadians (mainly those who live in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes) are accustomed to doing, but it’s been a struggle for Danny Green of the Toronto Raptors.
Now, for context, keep in mind that Green has only been in Canada since he traded to Toronto from the San Antonio Spurs along with Kawhi Leonard over the summer.
“It’s not very efficient, it’s not convenient, it’s borderline a pain in the ass, uh, to pour milk in a bag,” he said on a recent episode of Inside the Green Room with Danny Green. “I was almost late today, to practice, because of going to the store, going to the container store, finding containers to put my milk from out of this bag in containers.”
“It needs to change. I don’t know who we need to talk to, but that needs to change.”
Film Room: 4th Quarter of Bucks at Raptors – Brew Hoop
With the Raptors slowly cutting into Milwaukee’s lead, the Bucks badly needed a bucket and got one in a big way from Splash Mountain:
When Milwaukee isn’t running their five-out offense, they love to run this 1-4 high-low pick and roll. Four guys start down low (two on the blocks and two in the corners) with the ball-handler at the top of the key. Then, a big man (typically, Brook Lopez) will run out and set a ball screen.
On this particular play, the Raptors force Bledsoe away from the screen and toward one side of the floor. However, Lopez recognizes Serge Ibaka is completely out of position, as he’s trying to help contain Bledsoe and he pops to the wing. Bledsoe hits Lopez in stride who then pump fakes, takes one dribble to create separation and splashes the ball home as he stays true to his name.
Tuesday NBA preview: Toronto Raptors at Los Angeles Clippers | The Star [subscription]
KEY MATCHUP
Kawhi Leonard/Tobias Harris
There is a lot of hype around Leonard this season, and for good reason. He leads the Raptors with 26.1 points and 8.3 rebounds a night and seems to be improving with every game after last year’s near season-long injury drama. There is less hype around the man leading the Clippers, a team without an all-star anchor, in Harris. The 26-year-old is having a breakout start to his season, leading Los Angeles by putting up career-high numbers with 21.0 points and 8.4 rebounds a game as of Monday. He is shooting 50.4 per cent overall and 40.5 per cent from three. Harris may be a long-shot for challenging the likes of Leonard and company for MVP, but keep up these numbers and he could be lumped into an elite group of contenders at season’s end.
Did I miss something? Send me any Raptors-related article/video to rapsfan@raptorsrepublic.com
