Raptors struggle to contain Jonas Valanciunas, win anyway – The Athletic
And so it was here, with three minutes to go in the third, that the game swung on a pair of coaching decisions.
The first was that of Nick Nurse. Nurse received a technical foul in the first half but said the officials told him it was on Siakam, not him. Frustrated with a no-call on a potential Valanciunas travel, he earned a second and thereby an ejection. He was understandably confused, and apparently the first technical had been changed to his name. There is a larger underlying problem here: The Raptors lead the league with 28 technical fouls, and no other team has more than 20. That persistent lack of composure has, at times, derailed things. In this instance, the brief pause and Nurse’s walk of shame to the locker room to watch the game on mute while blaring The Doors had a rallying effect.
The second was Jenkins opting to only briefly play Dieng in Valanciunas’ spot. It’s true that Dieng had a few bad possessions, but he’s also leading the league in 3-point shooting and has generally been quite good in his backup role. Jenkins instead rolled with a smaller lineup with Kyle Anderson and Tillman as the frontcourt, with a splash of personal favourite John Konchar. That group was too light on shooting and athleticism to get the traditional full benefit of a smaller lineup, and a Fred VanVleet-led bench unit took full advantage, getting stops and getting out on the break.
The minutes Valanciunas was on the bench produced a 19-4 run for the Raptors. That’s not entirely the Valanciunas effect, of course, but even when the Raptors are still trying to find themselves, they’re not a team opponents want to let back in the game. VanVleet took over the lead initiator role on his way to 32 points and nine assists. Siakam found his 3-point shot — and the joy in his game, from the look of it — on his way to 32 points and six assists, his fourth 30-point game in the previous six. Norman Powell scored 29, too, nearly achieving the rare three-by-30 in the box score.
More important than the aggressive, opportunistic offence was a rediscovered level of defence. That defence had been quite shaky most of the night, to put it politely. The comeback and pull-away stretches were far more characteristic, forcing seven turnovers and holding Memphis to 7-of-26 shooting over the final 15 minutes. Siakam, in particular, was electric on defence, especially once he was moved closer to the interior to help Boucher after Valanciunas sealed him deep in the post on a couple of possessions. DeAndre’ Bembry did a terrific job on Ja Morant, too, leaving too much of the offence running through Anderson and Dillon Brooks, who cooled off late. (Brooks was quite good at both ends up to that point, a nice sign for the Canada Basketball side of things.) Boucher used his speed in transition to be a factor while being shifted some on defence.
VanVleet Siakam lead Raptors furious comeback win Grizzlies – Yahoo!
Four — Leader: VanVleet stepped up when the Raptors needed him most. He was relatively quiet early on, blanketed by the aggressive defense of Canadian forward Dillon Brooks, but he imposed himself with 12 points in the third quarter to assert control over the team. VanVleet amped up the pace of the game, and was personally looking for his shot in every way possible, whether it was through threes, midrange jumpers, or by getting to the foul line. VanVleet also punctuated the win with a driving layoff to Chris Boucher, who followed up the play with a two-handed dunk that was the highlight of the game. VanVleet’s insistence offensively paid off with 12 trips to the foul line, and he was also masterful in finding the open shooter once he sucked in the defense. It’s just yet another example of VanVleet stepping up as the Raptors’ most important player, and this is already the fourth time VanVleet has led the Raptors to victory in Lowry’s absence this season.
Recap: Toronto Raptors rally late and overwhelm Memphis Grizzlies, 128-113 – Raptors HQ
The defensive turnaround coincided with some offensive brilliance by Fred VanVleet, who added an excellent night of his own to join Powell and Siakam. VanVleet was masterful in the second half, getting to the rim, hitting tough mid-rangers, and finding his teammates for some easy buckets on his way to 32 points on only 14 shots and nine assists.
When it was all said and done, Powell, Siakam and VanVleet had combined for 93 points, and they all contributed in turning an ugly three quarters into a comfortable win in the fourth. From the moment Nurse was ejected until the final buzzer sounded, the Raptors outscored the Grizzlies 43-19.
The time after Nurse’s ejection served as a reminder of how good this team can be when they are locked in and communicating defensively. They overwhelmed the Grizzlies with speed and length, moving as one cohesive unit.
That said, they can’t rely on an external spark every night, and will need to bring that same intensity from the jump against quality opponents. For now, however, they have something to build on as they continue their road trip on Wednesday, taking on the Washington Wizards.
Quick Recap: Grizzlies lose their fourth in a row – Grizzly Bear Blues
The Raptors held all the momentum at the start of the fourth — Memphis took a quick timeout after Toronto obtained a four-point lead, culminating a 16-2 run that originated in the third. Unfortunately for Memphis, the Raptors lead continued to balloon from this point on. Toronto turned 15 Grizzlies mistakes into 26 points, a number that ultimately decided the outcome of this one. Norman Powell lit up Memphis for a season-high 29 points on 10-for-17 accuracy from the field. The Grizzlies got demolished in the fourth to the tune of 34-16 and fell 128-113.
LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, and the Charlotte Hornets are next up on the Beale Street Bears calendar. The point guard battle between Ball and Morant should make for some compelling basketball. Tune in on Wednesday at 7 pm CT.
Without Lowry, Raptors’ young leaders step up to earn challenge-filled win – Sportsnet
No matter what side of that argument you might fall on, there’s no denying that the Raptors were able to play better because they managed to tighten up their defence after Nurse was forced to watch the game from the visitors’ locker room, and it was largely thanks to Toronto’s young leadership stepping up in Lowry’s absence.
“We all challenge each other to play harder and be more into it and that didn’t just include the five guys that were on the floor,” said VanVleet. “That was also the guys on the bench. We definitely went out there and earned it after giving up 70 in the first half. A 27-point third and a 16-point fourth. You can live with that. You can survive that way. So hopefully we’ll build on that moving forward.”
Added Norman Powell: “It was focus. That was the main talk at halftime. Top to bottom, guys got on each other, holding each other accountable, making sure we weren’t blame shifting or anything like that. You made a mistake? You own it and do better the next time. And I think top to bottom we did that in the second half. We got stops and we played together.”
And Pascal Siakam: “I just think at half coach came in [asking for] a lot more energy just from the bench, all the coaches [said the same]. I just felt like it’s always on the players to bring energy, but it’s on all of us, the players, the coaching staff, the players on the bench, we all have to bring it.”
Bring it the Raptors certainly did — especially the aforementioned trio, who combined for 93 points and came a Powell-point shy of becoming the first Raptors trio to score 30 or more points each all in the same game.
And in particular, Siakam was great, scoring 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including a welcome 5-for-8 mark from three-point range, snapping a 9-for-47 funk from deep he’s been in for the last 15 games.
“Yeah, it’s been a while,” said Siakam. “I feel good, man. Finally making some shots. It’s about time.”
No regrets two years after trade, but Raptors sure miss Valanciunas – TSN.ca
Whatever sparked them – whether it was Nurse getting tossed, VanVleet’s impassioned speech during a huddle, or maybe they just got tired of watching Valanciunas bully them in the paint and flipped the switch – it worked. Boucher played the final 17 minutes and mostly held his own in a tough matchup with JV, though Toronto sent multiple defenders at the Grizzles centre when he caught the ball in the post and attacked him in the pick and roll on offence – a formula opposing teams used to use to neutralize Valanciunas when he was with the Raps.
In that regard, Monday’s game also served as a reminder of why Dwane Casey would often close games with Valanciunas on the bench, or why Nurse opted to platoon him with Ibaka. For all of his strengths offensively, there are still ways of exploiting his physical limitations on defence, especially late in games or when teams play small.
He’s not a perfect modern big, though he has worked hard to adapt his game over the years, but he makes up for that by excelling at the things he does well; rebounding, scoring efficiently around the bucket and getting to the free throw line – all things that the Raptors badly need from the centre position.
Baynes appeared to be turning the corner a bit after his rough start to the season, but there’s no way to sugar coat it – he’s been a major disappointment, even based on the relatively modest expectations the team had when they signed him to help fill the void at the five. Alex Len, the other traditional big man that they added, was waived after a forgettable nine-game stint with the team.
Outside of Boucher, who’s had a strong start to the campaign and gives them a different look, the Raptors are still searching for answers at the position. More and more, it’s looking like that answer isn’t currently on the roster.
Kyle Lowry hurt, Nick Nurse ejected … and Raptors dig deep to rally past Grizzlies | The Star
The turnaround was shocking. The Raptors had been brutal defensively before the ejection, giving up 70 points in the first half while showing very little fight or toughness. But they had a string of eight consecutive stops to key the 28-6 run that put the game away. They held Memphis to 16 points in the fourth quarter and only 33 in the entire second half.
“We all challenge each other to play harder and be more into it, and that didn’t just include the five guys that were on the floor,” said guard Fred VanVleet, who had 32 points and nine assists. “That was also the guys on the bench. We definitely went out there and earned it after giving up 70 in the first half. A 27-point third and a 16-point fourth. You can live with that. You can survive that way. So hopefully we’ll build on that moving forward.”
The Raptors played the majority of the game without Kyle Lowry, who left with back spasms in the second quarter, and the entire game without OG Anunoby, still out with a calf injury. Lowry played fewer than eight minutes, making his only two field-goal attempts before he walked gingerly to the locker room.
“I just talked to him and he said he didn’t know when it happened,” Nurse said of Lowry. “(He said) ‘I hit those first two floaters and then it started bothering me.’”
The Raptors could recall Malachi Flynn from his G League assignment near Orlando, but he would have to spend at least a little time in COVID-19 quarantine before he would be allowed to play. The road trip concludes with games in Washington on Wednesday and Boston on Friday.
Norm Powell had a season-high six three-pointers as part of a 29-point night, while Pascal Siakam drilled five threes and scored 32.
Jonas Valanciunas was outstanding for Memphis with 27 points and 20 rebounds, the third 20-20 game of his career.
Raptors turn it around late to steal win in Memphis | Toronto Sun
Jonas Valanciunas, the former Raptor playing just his second game since a five-game absence due to a bout with COVID-19, almost won this one by himself returning to the starting five with 27 points and 20 rebounds.
Of those 20 boards, 10 were offensive rebounds as the Lithuanian who spent the first 6 1/2 years of his NBA career in Toronto wreaked early havoc on his former teammates.
But in the second half and most notably in that fourth quarter, the Raptors started sending multiple bodies towards Valanciunas preventing him from getting his team those second chances or simply scoring himself.
The game really seemed to turn with the ejection of Nurse for that second technical, a technical he assumed was his first only to find out after the game that an earlier tech he was told was issued to Siakam, was in fact given to him.
Suddenly the defensive energy that seemed to have been lagging since the win in Brooklyn picked up again as the Raptors went on a 26-8 run that at one point included eight consecutive defensive stops.
The Raptors got the lead back up to as many as 12 at one point before the Grizzlies found their rhythm again and made things tense for a while.
But that was the last push from the Grizzlies who lost for the fourth time in a row as the Raptors re-established their double-digit lead.
VanVleet led the comeback taking over from his point guard position but from a scoring standpoint he had plenty of support from his fellow veterans in Norm Powell and Siakam.
NBA Power Rankings – Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are figuring things out
This Week: 18
Last Week: 21
2020-21 record: 10-13Toronto remains a team in flux. Since their 2-8 start, the Raptors have gone 8-5, posting the East’s third-best record — and the league’s sixth-best offense — during that stretch. But that still leaves Toronto under .500 at this point in the season and in ninth place in the Eastern Conference. Toronto is now dealing with starting forward OG Anunoby’s absence with a calf injury.
NBA Power Rankings: Can Anyone Catch the Lakers? – The Ringer
This Week: 13
Last Week: 17Yuta Watanabe deserves your attention.
Few things make me happier in life than good help defense. That’s why Watanabe, a third-year undrafted forward, is becoming one of my favorite players to watch.My friend William Lou, of Yahoo Sports Canada, clearly shares my passion. He’ll only have more clips for his video as the season moves forward, because Nick Nurse is having a hard time keeping Watanabe off the floor despite his offensive limitations because of his off-ball impact and his ability to contain opposing wings in man-to-man situations.
It’s been a long and winding road to get to this point. Watanabe was born in Japan and came to the United States at age 18 to pursue basketball. After four years at George Washington University and two years spending the majority of his time in the G League, he’s making the most of his chance in the NBA. “Coming into this season, I was only on a training camp deal. So I never knew if I was going to get an opportunity like this,” Watanabe recently told reporters. “In training camp I worked hard every day, and I was able to show what I can do to the coaches, front office, and my teammates. I got the two-way, and now I’m getting my opportunities. I’m really proud of myself, and what I’m doing right now.”
NBA Power Rankings: Revisiting preseason predictions – The Athletic
This Week: 14
Last Week: 1810-13, +1.2 net rating
Weekly slate: Win at Magic, Win at Nets, Loss at HawksThe preseason prediction: Aron Baynes hits 100 3-pointers.
The update: Maybe it’s the swampy Tampa Bay air (is it swampy there?), or maybe he’s just not hitting shots. Whatever it is, Baynes has not been the 3-point shooter we saw last season. He’s made just 11 3-pointers through 20 games played, shooting 23.4 percent from deep. Baynes would have to hit almost two 3-pointers per game while playing every game for the rest of the season to knock down 100. The Raptors could use his shooting a little, but mostly they’ve righted the ship without him turning into a Splash Brother.
Why this ranking? A 2-1 week for the Raptors, and I just love where they’re headed as they hit this long travel trip. They’re 8-5 in their last 13 games, which doesn’t sound spectacular, but it’s a good trend.
This Week: 15
Last Week: 22It was a strange game against the Nets with Kevin Durant in and out of the lineup, but give the Raptors credit for hanging on for a big win. The offense exploded for Toronto in a 2-1 week, as Fred VanVleet scored 54 points in Tuesday’s win over the Magic, the most ever for an undrafted NBA player. Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell each averaged 20 points for the week, while Kyle Lowry added 17.7 points, 7.3 assists and 6.0 rebounds on 42 percent 3-point shooting. Nick Nurse said OG Anunoby could return soon, which should only help Toronto on both ends.
Power Rankings, Week 8: Lakers return to No. 1; Jazz continue to rise | NBA.com
This Week: 21
Last Week: 21Record: 10-13
Pace: 100.2 (16) OffRtg: 112.5 (8) DefRtg: 111.1 (18) NetRtg: +1.3 (11)The Fred VanVleet story just keeps getting better. From going undrafted to grinding his way into the rotation of one of the best teams in the league, catching fire to help that team win its first championship, turning into one of the most disruptive defensive players in the league, cashing in on his bets on himself, and now, setting the franchise record with 54 points in Orlando on Tuesday. Four days before Stephen Curry had his second 50-point game of the season, VanVleet looked a lot like the two-time MVP, shooting 11-for-14 from 3-point range, and, late in the game, leveraging his hot shooting to get a handful of layups.
Kyle Lowry’s triple-double in that game went under the radar, but Lowry had his fingerprints all over the Raptors’ win in Brooklyn on Friday. Lowry scored 30 points, with a run of 11 straight turning the game around in the fourth quarter. The Raps have had five of their seven most efficient offensive games of the season in the last 10 days, but they lost two of those five.
With their loss in Atlanta (in which Lowry shot 4-for-16 with no free throw attempts) on Saturday, the Raps are 0-3 in the second games of back-to-backs, having allowed more than 124 points per 100 possessions over those three games. They have three more back-to-backs left on the first-half schedule, including one on Wednesday and Thursday to close their six-game trip.
Are Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors Headed for a Divorce? | Bleacher Report
Toronto also discussed Lowry before the February 2019 trade deadline with Memphis, according to league sources, and almost added him to that eventual Jonas Valanciunas package, which would have landed Mike Conley with the Raptors alongside Marc Gasol. Those negotiations were so advanced, sources said, Lowry himself was made aware of the talks, and Grizzlies officials even told other front offices they were nearing a deal. Toronto sniffed the market for Lowry before the 2020 deadline as well, sources said.
Finding a destination for Lowry may be more complicated this season. He’ll turn 35 the day of the trade deadline, and his one-year, $30.5 million deal will be a huge number to introduce into a team’s cap sheet.
Toronto does not appear interested in rebuilding. You don’t rebuild after paying a combined $157 million to VanVleet and OG Anunoby the summer after inking Pascal Siakam to a $130 million deal. You retool. The Raptors have extended both Nurse and general manager Bobby Webster on multiyear deals. Regardless of Ujiri’s future—he’s in the last season of his own contract—Toronto prides itself on a tradition of winning and its seven straight playoff runs. The organization is committed to that core.
Moving Lowry will likely require a return which can both benefit the Raptors’ immediate postseason aspirations and their long-term ceiling. That could mean adding a young player while eating a veteran salary, or gaining a seasoned playoff performer plus a draft pick. Perhaps all three.
Lowry’s age and the length of his contract may limit his most likely suitors to championship contenders. And while they’ve been mired in their own slow start, the Heat still hold title aspirations and have long shown interest in Lowry. “He’s a very Miami-type player,” another Eastern team official said. “Gritty, tough.”
Finding a trade partner would be a somewhat difficult undertaking from a cap perspective. Lowry will earn $30 million this season, and matching such a hefty number during a pandemic season won’t be easy. That is especially true given the number of likely suitors that are hard-capped. Of the 29 teams Toronto could possibly deal Lowry to, 17 are dealing with hard caps thanks to their offseason moves. Some of those teams have more than enough room below the line to make a move, but others, like the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks, are pressed up against the apron as is. That doesn’t preclude them from making a deal, but it makes aggregating multiple salaries to reach Lowry’s extremely difficult because room needs to be left over to fill out the roster.
But a player of Lowry’s talents will have plenty of suitors. The Clippers, lacking a traditional point guard, would make sense if they could make the money work, though their lack of tradeable first-round picks will also complicate a deal. The Miami Heat are in a similar position. Lowry’s hometown team, the Philadelphia 76ers, could use a more traditional point guard, and unlike the Clippers and Heat, they are not hard-capped.
What Toronto would demand in such a deal remains unclear. In what is shaping up to be a seller’s market, Toronto might have the best available player on the board. They should therefore expect to extract a decent price for Lowry in terms of draft assets and young talent, should they decide to move him. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported Monday that they are interested in Andre Drummond. That would suggest a desire to remain competitive with players still in or near their primes.
