55-23 – Hussle and Motivate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzjVAGXtUdE
Raptors Rally Against Magic: William Lou – Yahoo
Seven – Crucial: As always, Gasol quietly contributed on both ends of the floor with his unselfish plays. Not only did he shut down Nik Vucevic (13 points on 5-of-14 shooting), but Gasol also kept the offense humming and led all players as a plus-24 despite only putting up 13 points. His impact goes well beyond the boxscore, and Gasol’s decision making has clearly elevated the starting unit.
With Marc Gasol as an anchor, Raptors’ defence is approaching elite – The Athletic [$$$]
Since Gasol’s first game, the Raptors are allowing 105.3 points per 100 possessions, giving them the third-best defence in the league, up from eighth before the deal. There is not much to pick from the general numbers across the board, with opponent field-goal percentage taking a slight dip and that’s about it.
A slight dip could make a huge difference to the Raptors. The team is deadly in transition; in particular, Danny Green is shooting about 108 percent from 3-point range on the run this year. (All statistics approximate.) In theory, Gasol should be a drain on the Raptors ability to get out and run, but their pace has actually nudged upward since the trade. Pace is more than a mindset, though. It is mostly predicated on getting stops, either by causing a turnover — ideal — or a miss.
Nurse said the Raptors’ defence to start was lacking, perhaps owing to their last three games against tanking-and-proud-of-it competition. The Magic represented a step up in intensity.
“And then we just started doing a better job of everything. We started fighting through screens and keeping the ball in front, contesting shots better,” Nurse said. “We didn’t do any of that in the first quarter. It was really good there for two quarters, man. It was suffocating. It was tough on them. It was great to see.”
“It’s just a matter of learning and understanding where your (coverages) are, exactly to the smallest detail, what we’re looking for as a team, the guys’ strengths defensively, their body language, how they move around,” Gasol said. “All those things matter to read (plays) as soon as possible.”
When the Raptors made the trade for Kawhi Leonard and Green, it seemed like the Raptors’ true upside would be on defence. They had too many long, versatile defenders to fail. They have been in the top 10 all year long, so that has proven mostly true. Still, only for spurts have they seemed like a vice grip of a defensive team. Often, the Raptors’ game plan is to go over screens, accept losing position to a ball handler and accept a floater in the paint from a guard. It might be analytically sound, but it does not scream lockdown defence when you’re trying to contest a shot from behind. Of course, sometimes it works perfectly.
Recap: Raptors summon defense, dispel the Magic 121-109 – Raptors HQ
We can squint at this Magic squad and wonder what the future holds for Orlando. In the first half, it felt like they were taking turns rejecting soft shots from Toronto — Kawhi Leonard and Marc Gasol were swatted by Aaron Gordon, while Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka were turned away by Jonathan Isaac. The Raptors played from behind for most of the first half, with only Danny Green’s lights-out shooting — he was 7-of-9 from the field for 18 points in the half, despite jamming his non-shooting thumb — keeping Toronto in it.
But as the second quarter carried on, the Raptors decided they’d had entirely enough of that and ramped up their team defense. They outscored Orlando 33-16 in the frame, and outshot them by a margin of 50 to 30 percent. For his part, Kyle Lowry channeled some early frustration with the Magic (and the refs) to productive ends, chipping in six points, three rebounds, and a steal in the quarter, while helping turn what had been an 11-point deficit into a ten point lead at halftime. He was helped by some super-muscular plays by Kawhi (who chipped in with seven points in the quarter), and even more shooting from Green (he was up to 18 points at half). The entirety of the Raptors’ bench wasn’t especially productive, but we saw what the Fred VanVleet-Ibaka pairing looks like now (they combined for 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting), and how Toronto will float its rotation minus two of its main wing subs (Pat McCaw and OG Anunoby).
Unlike what’s happened recently with recent Raptors’ leads, the team came out in the third quarter and flat-out executed. The easy plays at the rim for the Magic dried up, the threes stopped falling, and everyone on Orlando looked flustered. In the quarter, Toronto’s lead grew as large as 24 points, powered by, yes, 11 points from Danny Green and more defensive pressure. (Orlando was outscored again in the frame, 33-22, while watching the Raptors shoot above 50 percent again.) I’d also be remiss in not mentioning Marc Gasol, who didn’t have to do much — except quarterback the defense — 13 points, four rebounds, and four assists in just 25 minutes. He, along with the rest of Toronto’s starters, sat the entire fourth quarter. And while, yes, the Magic may have all the high-flying, long-limbed players of the future, that doesn’t necessarily always mean everything.
The Magic’s end-of-the-bench reserves – led by Wes Iwundu, Jarell Martin and Amile Jefferson – staged a 13-2 run late in the fourth to trim the deficit to 114-106 with 1:45 remaining. The effort was very impressive, but it was too little too late for the Magic.
Green led all scorers with a season-high 29 points for the Raptors, who shot 49.4 percent, including 19 of 37 from three (50 percent). Leonard had 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Kyle Lowry had 12 points and seven assists. Siakim, again held quiet thanks to the handy work of Isaac, finished with six points on 2-for-9 shooting. Serge Obaka led the Raptors’ reserves with 15 points.
Fournier led the Magic with 21 points on 8 of 16 shooting. Vucevic added 13 points and 13 rebounds. Iwundu finished with a career-high 16 points on a perfect 7-for-7 from the field in 20 minutes. Khem Birch added 11 points for the Magic, who shot 46.7 percent from the field (12-for-33 from three, 37.5 percent).
Frustrating loss considering the opportunity that was in front of them after playing so well in the first quarter. Luckily, the Magic got some help across the scoreboard from opponents of teams in the playoff race. The Pistons lost to the Pacers, 111-102. The Heat lost to the Celtics, 110-105. And the Nets lost to the Bucks, 131-121.
Orlando Magic Grades: Toronto Raptors make statement against Orlando Magic – Orlando Magic Dailuy
The Magic were doing good things. But not good enough. Not against a good Toronto Raptors team.
The Raptors were hanging around too much for a game where the Magic were shooting first. As halftime approached, the first team to string together enough stops could take control.
That team ended up being the Raptors. A 17-2 run to end the second quarter put the Magic behind. And Orlando was unable to reel this team back in. The Raptors were rolling and their 3-point shooting carried them to a 121-109 win at Scotiabank Arena on Monday.
Toronto hit 19 3-pointers with 31 assists on 42 field goals. The Raptors were moving the ball and able to work inside out. Aside from a few active defensive performances, the Magic were playing catch up defensively, giving up drives to the lane.
After going without a foul in the first quarter, the team found itself in the bonus early in the second and committing 21 for the game. The Magic were a step slow.
They also could not break down the Raptors defense.
After shooting 62.5 percent in the first quarter, Orlando finished with a 46.2 percent field goal percentage. They had 12 assists in the first quarter and finished with 32 for the game. The ball movement slowly choked off and the Magic were struggling to create the paint touches that are vital to the offense.
Toronto was scrambling and sprawling to the perimeter and forcing turnovers. Orlando had 13 in the game leading to 18 Toronto points.
Orlando’s offense got itself going, but the defense could never make a dent. And the Raptors grew their lead in the third quarter to a point the Magic could not come back. Not until the bench unit cut the lead to eight in the final two minutes.
By then it was too late. Orlando was never engaged defensively enough.
With just four games left, including Wednesday night at home against the Knicks, the Magic (38-40) — who trail eighth-place Miami by a half-game and seventh-place Brooklyn by a game — are running out of runway to make up ground in the playoff hunt.
“We had played [Toronto] three other times where they didn’t get to 100,” Clifford said, “They had more readiness tonight than we did. It’s not a question of ‘Will we?’ it’s a question of ‘Will we do it all the time?’ If we’re going to do it sometimes, which is, you know … again, it’s not going to be good enough.”
For one quarter, Orlando looked every bit like a playoff team, at least offensively. The Magic opened on a 7-0 run and led throughout the opening 12 minutes. Nikola Vucevic hit the first shot of the game and Orlando’s starters went a combined 11-for-15 in the first quarter. Shooting guard Evan Fournier scored seven of his 13 first-half points in the first quarter.
Clifford wasn’t pleased with what his team did defensively throughout the game. If fact, he hasn’t been too happy with any of Orlando’s defensive performances lately, even the Magic’s 121-116 victory Saturday at Indiana.
“I just think, to be honest with you, we’re not defending,” Clifford said. “Even the first quarter when our offense was good, similar to the other night, and we’ve got to know who we are. You play a good defensive team two nights in a row, we ain’t scoring 115 every night. We have to defend whether we’re scoring or not.
“That was the message after the game the other night. Our defense wasn’t good enough. Our defense wasn’t good in Detroit. We played about 15 minutes of defense in Indiana; the offense was good enough. It’s not going to work for this team. We’ve got into the defense like we were before. That’s why we we’re in this position, and if we don’t it’s going to be disappointment again on Wednesday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL0J-x3uY4Y
Raptors pass much-needed stress test in win over Magic – Sportsnet.ca
In the end they were fine as Toronto was able to pull away for the 121-109 win thanks to – among other developments – Danny Green being locked in and ready to go. The 31-year-old shooting guard had 16 of his Raptors career-high 29 points in the first quarter to help keep the Magic in touch early on. Green was 4-of-5 from deep in the quarter and ended up 7-of-10 for the game. Luckily his teammates finally woke up and were able to turn the tide.
“I think we started getting to the ball a lot more, communicating, turned it up defensively, especially our effort,” said Raptors centre Marc Gasol. “We didn’t change our game plan or anything, we just got more into the ball, more aggressive, and it worked.”
The win clinched the Raptors’ fifth Atlantic Division title in the past six years. There were t-shirts commemorating the achievement draped on the player’s chairs in the dressing room, but they were untouched. There are bigger fish to fry.
Green is one reason the Raptors can aim so high, so it was no surprise that Green was the steadying force. He’s been a rock for the Raptors all season since coming over from the San Antonio Spurs as the less-heralded piece in the Kawhi Leonard trade. He came into the game shooting 45.1 per cent from three – second in the NBA among those with at least five attempts per game.
Green rains three-pointers in Raptors rout of Orlando Magic | Toronto Sun
Kawhi Leonard had a quiet 15 points, Serge Ibaka added 15 off of the bench, starter Marc Gasol 13 as the Raptors easily overcame a rare Pascal Siakam off-night (six points on 2-for-9 shooting. Evan Fournier led Orlando with 21 points.
The Raptors shot 50% from the field, including 19-for-37 from beyond the arc and won the Atlantic Division title for the fifth time in the past seven seasons, something Nurse said afterward the team takes “some satisfaction in” since other squads (think Boston and Philadelphia) entered the year favoured.
Before the game, Nurse had mused Orlando might simply be a bad matchup for his team, having won two meetings already this season between the clubs and losing another on a Green buzzer-beater in Florida.
A team fighting for its playoff life (half-a-game back of Miami for the final post-season spot in the East heading in) Orlando’s likely seen quite enough of Green this season, thank you.
The Magic once again played Toronto tough early on, though, playing a stellar offensive first half on the way to building a lead that was as high as 11 points. However, hot shooting by the Raptors allowed the home side to go on a 19-2 run to take a 10-point lead into halftime and a big third pushed the advantage up to 20. Orlando made a late run when the starter had been pulled to make the final score look closer than the game actually was.
Toronto reached 55 wins for the third time in four seasons after never winning that many over the franchise’s first 20 seasons.
Raptors showcase distinct talent advantage over possible playoff opponent – Sportsnet.ca
On a night when Montreal’s Chris Boucher was awarded both the G-League’s MVP and Defensive Player of the Year trophies, you can’t help but think of the Boucher-Mo Bamba matchup we were robbed of (Boucher played four minutes, all in garbage time, while Bamba — seven-foot-nine wingspan and all — is out with a leg injury).
The Magic’s frontcourt of Gordon, Isaac, and Vucevic is flat-out problematic — Isaac, who is spindly but towered above the likes of Serge Ibaka, played a role on Monday in limiting Pascal Siakam to one of his quietest nights of the season.
Orlando’s size advantage has been a problem for the Raptors — the Magic average more rebounds per game (over 53) against Toronto than any other team in the East — and is an issue they’ll encounter against other potential playoff opponents like Philadelphia and Milwaukee.
Nick Nurse combatted Orlando’s size by, at one point, playing Ibaka and Gasol alongside one another, but ultimately found success in the second-half with a smaller lineup that featured Fred VanVleet in the backcourt with Kyle Lowry flanked by Green and Leonard, with the seven-foot Spaniard at centre.
On Monday, the Raptors took care of the Magic and overcame their size advantage thanks to a dominant second half fuelled by their stars, and, of course, Danny Green’s seven-three pointers — a pretty good formula for success, no?
Monday’s game was supposed to be a bona fide challenge for the Raptors, who had wrapped up a week of basketball against the NBA’s bottom-dwellers and were prepared to face a much tougher challenge in the form of a team actually playing for something — in Orlando’s case, their season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXJRASn6F6w
Raptors clinch Atlantic title as starters get work done early | The Star [$$$]
Toronto shrugged off a sluggish first quarter, and a seldom-used group of Jeremy Lin, Jordan Loyd, Jodie Meeks, Malcolm Miller and Chris Boucher faltered in a big way down the stretch as Orlando got within 10 points with about two minutes to go before the Raptors held on.
It was basically another night off for the team’s starters — none played more than 28 minutes — as the Raptors put the game away with a 66-point blitz over the second and third quarters.
Kawhi Leonard had 15 points, Marc Gasol 13 and Kyle Lowry 12 for the Raptors as they ran their record to 55-23 with just four games left in the regular season.
5 reasons Raptors would like to start playoffs already | Toronto Sun
THE BALL IS HOPPING NOW
We actually don’t see this changing that much, but three is a strong argument to be made for going into the playoffs when you are at your absolute best and the Raptors passing game may be there right now.
In New York the Raptors put up 32 assists. In Chicago it was up to 35. The ball is moving and the Raptors are going from good shot to great shot on just about every possession. Credit Gasol for a large part of this but also give credit to the Raptors’ coaching staff which is putting an emphasis on ball movement. Once the ball starts moving, the act is contagious.
The absence of Leonard, who is a supremely gifted scorer and a guy who the Raptors have no problems putting the ball in his hands and letting him go to work, most definitely played a role in the big assist numbers these past two games, so upon his return expect for them to slide a little. But there’s little question that ball movement, even with Leonard in the lineup, is at its peak right now in Toronto and it’s always nice to start your most important games playing at your peak.
Raptors, Celtics prepare for new chance in post-LeBron East – AP
The Raptors made wholesale changes even after winning 59 games last season, firing Coach of the Year Dwane Casey and promoting Nick Nurse, and trading DeMar DeRozan in the deal to get Kawhi Leonard. They are likely to be the No. 2 seed behind Milwaukee, and Nurse said they’re ready for the postseason.
Leonard looks healthy, Pascal Siakam has blossomed into a Most Improved Player award candidate, and the midseason acquisition of Marc Gasol has fortified the interior. Toronto can play big or small and can match up with any style of play or opponent — even if James was still around.
“When I say I feel like we’re ready to play, that has nothing to do with who we’re going to be playing,” Nurse said, “either first round, second round, third round, however it rolls out. I just feel good about who we are and I continue to say that as each week or even game goes by, that our sense of who are in that locker room continues to grow a little bit and as a head coach I think that’s what you want this time of year.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAykzqeLX9o
Gasol’s presence bodes well as Raptors gear up for post-season | Toronto Sun
With Marc Gasol continuing to show his effectiveness as the Raptors’ starting centre, the team has a rare big who can play in the post or on the perimeter, one of those few seven-footers in the game where a team can actually run an offence through on any possession.
Gasol can pass with the best of them, has a feel for the flow of a game that is unmatched, can trigger a fast break given his rebounding abilities and he’ll defend.
More than any player, Gasol will loom as the central figure for the Raptors as the post-season looms.
Gasol doesn’t have the post-season pedigree of Leonard, a former NBA final MVP, but like Leonard, he’s versatile with the ability to impose his will.
His presence will allow the Raptors to potentially go with a big lineup in the event head coach Nick Nurse, who will soon make his playoff debut as an NBA head coach, wants to feature a frontline with Serge Ibaka and Pascal Siakam.
Raptors 905 centre Chris Boucher wins G-League MVP and DPOY awards – Raptors HQ
I have, of course, watched Boucher play with the Raptors, where he’s averaging 2.9 points and 1.6 rebounds in about five garbage time minutes a night. He’s become a fan-favourite during those appearances, with his propensity to jack three-pointers as soon as the opportunity presents along with his never-give-up-on-a-play attitude on the defensive end (and those long arms allow him more than a few blocks after he’s been beaten) always getting a rise out of the crowd. I’m sure his Montreal background doesn’t hurt either!
Whether or not Boucher has a legit NBA future remains to be seen; he has the right attitude, and he’s got the skillset of a modern big for sure. But he hasn’t shown strong situational awareness at he NBA level yet, and he most definitely needs to put on a few pounds in order to hang with NBA opponents. Can he get there? I sure hope so!
Why Pascal Siakam is the Raptors’ not-so-secret weapon for the NBA playoffs | The Star [$$$]
Siakam will tell anyone who listens that he isn’t surprised that he’s had such a breakout year against new defensive schemes and attention, because he’s extraordinarily confident in his abilities and the work he puts in on off-days, trying to deal with different defensive scenarios.
He still has the odd moment where something will catch him off-guard. He went through a stretch in the last couple of weeks where was turning the ball over far too often, but that didn’t last too long. Nurse figures that ability to learn on the fly should serve Siakam well in the playoffs, when teams can truly lock in with ways to disrupt him.
“We showed him the clips (one day last week where) he probably forced a few (shots) when there were a couple guys doing jumping jacks on the outside wide open,” Nurse said. “And then there were a couple where he did go in there, there was a big crowd and he zinged it out for an open three. That’s just a progression … of being game-planned for differently, understanding that one guy can’t cover you so they have to send two, and seeing what the reads are.”
NBA Power Rankings – How all 30 teams are handling the final stretch – ESPN
4. The Raptors have clinched the No. 2 seed, which presents them with a question similar to the one confronting their likely second-round opponent, the Philadelphia 76ers: How much of Toronto’s final-five-games slate should be devoted to load management for Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry, and how much of it should serve as a high-grade opportunity to allow a starting lineup with Marc Gasol that has still played only 87 minutes together to familiarize itself with one another? — Arnovitz
NBA Power Rankings: Superlatives for Warriors and more | SI.com
7. Happiest LeBron Left the East
No matter what happens this postseason, LeBron James is not going to be the guy to end the Raptors’ year. That doesn’t mean this is for sure the year Toronto finally gets out the East, because there is still plenty of competition. But, at least the ending is going to be different than the last three years, and everybody loves a little change. Especially when it involves an adversary.
Power Rankings, Week 25: East race gets even tighter as playoffs near | NBA.com
4. Last week was one for load management in Toronto. Kawhi Leonard played in only one of the three games and, with the Raptors building leads of more than 20 points in all three, Fred VanVleet was the only one of their top seven guys to play more than 75 total minutes. Marc Gasol has started the last 10 games and, though he’s scored exactly two points in four of those 10 starts, the Raptors have been at their best (plus-23.3 points per 100 possessions) with him on the floor over that stretch. They’ve recorded assists on 68 percent of their buckets in his 512 total minutes on the floor and have allowed just 98.4 points per 100 possessions in 356 minutes with him playing alongside Pascal Siakam. The competition gets a little stronger this week, and with Detroit likely to hold onto the 6 seed, one of the Raptors’ four games will likely be a playoff preview, though not necessarily with a full Toronto rotation.
2. Three blowout wins in a row over two of the league’s biggest dogs — against the Knicks and Bulls (twice). Over the past two months, the Raptors have morphed into the elite defense that I had expected them to turn into when DeMar DeRozan was shipped off for Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Since Jan. 30, the Raptors rank second in the NBA in defensive efficiency. A healthy, out-for-blood Kawhi Leonard could put this team on his back all the way to the NBA Finals. Call me crazy, but I think Fred VanVleet’s performance might be an even more accurate barometer of Toronto’s success. Since his return from injury in March, VanVleet has averaged 14.4 points and 6.1 assists – compared to just 1.3 turnovers — on 44.4 percent 3-point shooting.
Where Fans Should Want Superstar Free Agents to Land Among Top Destinations | Bleacher Report
Kawhi Leonard is the closest we can come to ignoring the most plausible scenarios. He doesn’t seem like the type to place defining stock in market size and sway.
Sure, he’s believed to have eyes for the Clippers, per Stein. And his exit from San Antonio suggests he lusts for a certain level of clout. But if any superstar free agent is going to throw a curveball, it’d be him.
Imagine him taking a meeting with the Atlanta Hawks and joining John Collins, Trae Young and potentially two top-six prospects. Or teaming up with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in Utah. Or committing the next three to four years of his career to Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis in Dallas.
Hashtag, amazing.
But we have to maintain a certain degree of realism. Many will even view Leonard staying with the Toronto Raptors as its own pipe dream. It isn’t.
Sources told TSN’s Josh Lewenberg that “behind the scenes, many Toronto Raptors officials have become increasingly confident in the team’s chances of re-signing Kawhi Leonard this summer.” Contending for a title can have that effect.
Fans outside of Toronto—and, obviously, Los Angeles—should be on board with Leonard’s return. It keeps an Eastern Conference power intact at a time when others might break up in some form. Kyrie Irving could leave the Celtics. Jimmy Butler and/or Tobias Harris could leave the Sixers.
Plus, Leonard’s return is in the best interests of chaos on the superstar trade market. Paul George already re-signed with a team that wasn’t on his original wish list. If Leonard does the same, more squads should be inclined to roll the dice on players not considered long for their city.
Picture what that might mean for the Anthony Davis sweepstakes alone.
Runner-up: Los Angeles Clippers
Did I miss something? Send me any Raptors-related article/video to rapsfan@raptorsrepublic.com
