 | TOR Raptors | 104 | Final Box Score | 114 | CHA Hornets |  |
 F | A. Baynes12 MIN, 3 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 1-3 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -23 +/- A rough start. Missed a triple by a girthy margin and then allowed LaMelo Ball to grab his own rebound uncontested on a missed floater. Traveled before a floater attempt. Let Gordon Hayward blow past him with ease in space. Missed an easy putback. Didn’t get better after that. | |
 D | N. Powell27 MIN, 13 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL, 4-14 FG, 3-8 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, -23 +/- He fell asleep a bunch of times on opposing shooters. Also got stripped trying to isolate late in a shot clock. He also missed some easy (for him) looks, including a step-up three and a short floater. Dribbled out the first quarter rather than doing something with eight seconds? Traveled on a variety of his drives. Hit some threes. When he’s not scoring — which is a rarity these days! — he still doesn’t offer enough positives to remain a plus player. | |
 D+ | S. Johnson14 MIN, 3 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 1-5 FG, 1-4 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -26 +/- Was not a positive in this one. His offensive limitations have become such that shooting is perhaps his greatest asset, at this point. The team was hamstrung with him out there. | |
 A- | K. Lowry30 MIN, 19 PTS, 6 REB, 8 AST, 1 STL, 7-16 FG, 3-7 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -23 +/- Missed some difficult jumpers to start the game. Got hot after with a gorgeous dime, a few buckets in the paint, a triple, and a strip around the rim. Was solid after that. Pesky. Stole rebounds, tipped passes. Battled in a way that pretty much no other Raptor beside Boucher did. Probably shouldn’t have come back in the second half; nobody else really did. He was furious at his teammates late in the third quarter. | |
 B- | D. Bembry25 MIN, 11 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 5-9 FG, 0-2 3FG, 1-2 FT, 2 BLK, 4 TO, -12 +/- Scored Toronto’s only points to start the game, but also committed an uncharacteristic bundle of turnovers. Was among Toronto’s sloppier guys, which is tough when he’s usually so dependable. Had a couple nifty hanging finishes in the second half when no one else could get anything going. | |
 B+ | C. Boucher32 MIN, 16 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 4-10 FG, 0-2 3FG, 8-9 FT, 3 BLK, 1 TO, -4 +/- Did his usual thing on entering the game! Ran in transition, dunked off a Lowry pass, which was probably the first good thing that the Raptors accomplished all night. Had a nice block on Devonte’ Graham, grabbed an offensive rebound and kicked out for a three. Was nothing but good in a first quarter of bad. Devoured Bismack Biyombo at the rim multiple times. He went a little haywire in the third quarter in terms of some loping attempts, but the whole team was wonky, so it can be forgiven. To add injury to insult, got shouldered in the mouth late in the game and likely left to get some stitches. | |
 B+ | P. Watson27 MIN, 12 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 5-10 FG, 2-6 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 7 +/- Didn’t do much in the first quarter, but he hit a triple off an offensive rebound! Was all over the map, defensively to start, along with everyone else. Settled in, and was eventually one of the funner bits of the second half. Ultimately, was overmatched when it counted but was awesome when it stopped mattering. | |
 C | M. Thomas20 MIN, 6 PTS, 5 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 2-7 FG, 1-4 3FG, 1-1 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 24 +/- Yo that plus-minus though. | |
 B+ | H. Ellenson18 MIN, 9 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 4-9 FG, 1-5 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 17 +/- Entered the game in the second quarter and immediately took a charge! Took a couple open threes, which he missed, but good to see him get it up. Settled in in the second half when the compete level dropped by 1000 percent from both sides. No matter what, good to see him make his debut for the Raptors. | |
 B | Y. Watanabe13 MIN, 1 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 0-4 FG, 0-1 3FG, 1-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 8 +/- It wasn’t necessarily due to him, but the Raptors immediately turned around their play in the second quarter when Watanbe entered the game. Had an incredible closeout to PJ Washington in the corner, who had just hit a triple; those types of little plays are what makes Yuta so eminently playable. Surprised he couldn’t get more time in a game during which Toronto so desperately needed the things Watanabe provides. | |
 D+ | T. Davis13 MIN, 8 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 3-7 FG, 2-4 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, -10 +/- Was not a good game manager upon seeing the floor, but his spot-up shooting was much better in the second quarter. Was very out of position defensively at a variety of times. | |
 A | J. Harris5 MIN, 3 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1-2 FG, 1-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 15 +/- He got some time! Ran in transition. You know, was fun. Inasmuch as fun can happen in a game like this. Hit his first NBA bucket with like threes seconds left. The best kind of buzzer beater! | |
 C- | Nick Nurse The Raptors were lacking talent, but most of all they were lacking fight. Took a technical down 20 with three minutes left? That was inexplicable. | |
Things We Saw
- As a Haligonian myself, seeing Nate Darling become the first Nova Scotian to ever play in the NBA was pretty phenomenal. In some way, makes this loss worth it. Very, very happy for Nate.
- It’s tough to win games when you’re missing three of your best four players. It’s even tougher when opponents hit every triple they attempt. It’s not like they were contested, though, In fact, I’ve never seen defenders lose track of shooters with such consistency as Toronto did in the first quarter.
- The Raptors also couldn’t hit any of their open triples. And it was good shooters missing them. So, you know, just something in the water, I guess. But the team didn’t adapt. Static offense. Few cuts. Half-speed actions. It was sloppy stuff, outside of a fake comeback in the second quarter. Part of that is the lack of top-end talent, but most of it is surely just the constant onslaught of games in this never-ending season. C’est la vie, either way.
