Ahoy me hearties! Tough game.
 | TOR Raptors | 91 | Final Box Score | 101 | BKN Nets |  |
 B+ | P. Siakam37 MIN, 16 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 6-17 FG, 1-6 3FG, 3-3 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -9 +/- Tough game for his inside touch… and is outside touch. Was trying some things out early on. Commendable defensive effort (this was the case for most tonight) but everything was out of sorts offensively. Tough one. | |
 C | O. Anunoby32 MIN, 4 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 2-5 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, -10 +/- Really strong defensive game to my eye. And I’m not calling for a trade, or trying to be mean, but he has to be a more present offensive option than this. Players like Siakam, VanVleet and Lowry were receiving heaps of attention tonight. We saw Ibaka pour in 28 points off of that attention. Has to be better offensively. | |
 A+ | S. Ibaka35 MIN, 28 PTS, 9 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 10-17 FG, 5-10 3FG, 3-4 FT, 2 BLK, 2 TO, 3 +/- A true bright spot in this game. Fought on the inside, hit shots on the outside, and generally delivered whenever the ball found it’s way into his hands. He was fantastic. | |
 A | K. Lowry37 MIN, 12 PTS, 11 REB, 12 AST, 1 STL, 4-13 FG, 3-6 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, -7 +/- A super frustrating game for Kyle. Getting embroiled in the ref/foul stuff in the third was tough for the Raptors to get around (the block was a bad call probably, the reach wasn’t) but he was a spark for them repeatedly in this game. Without him driving the offense/defense for long stretches the Raptors would’ve been blown way out. There was some truly masterful passing from him in this one. Vivek noted on twitter that if LeBron made half those passes we’d see them all week. | |
 B+ | F. VanVleet39 MIN, 22 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 8-19 FG, 4-10 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, -12 +/- Towards the end of the game you saw him realize that his ideal function would be as a scorer, and that came a bit late. Feisty defense, of course. But, the decision making left a lot to be desired. | |
 C | T. Davis17 MIN, 1 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-6 FG, 0-5 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -2 +/- The first game that, that honey-sweet jumper didn’t make us all weep. The defensive effort was there, but he had a tough night shooting. What are you gonna do? Let the kid keep doing his thing. | |
 C | R. Hollis-Jefferson16 MIN, 4 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 2-3 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, -2 +/- Tough look on a night where the Raptors needed shot-making and the Nets sagged off of him repeatedly. One of many players that competed on defense but couldn’t move the needle on the other end. | |
 C+ | P. McCaw16 MIN, 2 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1-6 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- Almost the same situation as Davis, except he hesitates a lot more often on offense. His defense was actually quite good. | |
 C | C. Boucher9 MIN, 2 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-3 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -9 +/- DeAndre is a really tough matchup for him. Thought he might get a bit more run as a dive option, but the Nets were throwing so much zone that, that didn’t workout. Tough night. | |
 Inc | M. Thomas3 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -2 +/- Too little time. | |
 B+ | Nick Nurse I’m not sure what you could ask of Nurse in this one. The Raptors bungled up routine plays, set sloppy screens, and in general didn’t produce on offense. I don’t think that was on him, and he tried some stuff out. Tough night. | |
Things We Saw
- I guess we’re bound to see one of these games every month (hehe). Walking away with a new franchise best isn’t too shabby at all. Don’t get too down on these guys, they’ve had a hell of a season so far.
- Oren Weisfeld wrote a terrific piece on Ibaka that came out this morning. I try to mention him in most of the BBR columns, but maybe there should be a bit more coverage of this guy (get on it, Sam). He’s been as unsung a hero as I’ve seen in some time. The Raptors Batman, as it were.
- My love for Caris LeVert is overwhelming at this point. He is one of the most unique players in the league, and no one gets to the bucket the same way as him. If the Nets ever get healthy, I certainly don’t think they’d beat these Raptors in a series, but Dinwiddie/LeVert/Irving would be a hell of a thing to watch.
