We already have your pre-game, your post-game, and your quick reactions for every game, but by popular demand (a few people on Twitter) I am bringing my quarterly positives right here in long-form. Rather than try to sum them up in 240 characters or less, I can now expand on what I liked each quarter of the game. If you’re familiar with this format, you’ll know what to expect. If you aren’t, just know that if there is a baby wearing noise-canceling headphones, it counts as a positive and it’s going on the list.
First Quarter Positives:
- You call it Precious getting called for a loose ball foul off of the tip. I call it Precious being aggressive early.
- Fred just took my “the iso point guard era is over” argument and he freaked it. He drove the lane against three defenders, spun around, almost lost the ball, grabbed the steal back and hit the turnaround jumper.
- Pascal saves the deflection from going out of bounds and making the shot. He knew that he could clean up the play and make the shot rather than reset on the inbounds.
- Precious steals the rebounds out of the hands of Montrezl Harrell and sends it to Pascal, who draws the foul and makes both free throws.
- Precious bounces the rebound in off of the Pascal miss! He was so quick that no Wizard, not even Mr. Potter himself, knew what was happening.
- Catch and shoot Gary Trent Jr. for 3. He was quiet up until that shot, offensively, but that’s proof that he is being careful with his shot selection. Washington call a timeout and it’s a 14-4 game.
- Scottie attempted a 3 and it didn’t go, but by the time Washington grabbed the rebound he and Pascal were both already at the other end, waiting to block Harrell at the rim.
- A big part of Precious’ game that goes unnoticed is his ability to pass in the screen. He used his wingspan to pass to Fred, then immediately side-stepped into the screen to get Fred wide open.
- Gary hits Chris Boucher with the bullet pass under the net for the up-and-in. Getting his teammates involved is another layer added to Trent’s game.
- Pascal set Chris Boucher up perfectly for a 3 point attempt. Actually the connection between the two of them created the perfect opportunity for the 3 point attempt. Pascal sent it to Chris on the inside, who sent it back out to Pascal at the side and ran to the top of the arch, completely open, to receive the pass back from Pascal.
- Pascal spinning fadeaway! He’s baaaaack!
Second Quarter Positives:
- The Raptors held the Wizards to just 12 points in the first quarter.
- Svi opens the quarter with a 3.
- Chris Boucher’s passing to create has been great thus far. He sends it to Banton, who sends it back to him to drive baseline for the make.
- Banton and Barnes alley-oop? Call that an Airbnb. (You guys liked this on Twitter so it’s going in here)
- Scottie resets the Banton miss, pulling the ball back out and getting it to Dalano at the top to drain the 3.
- Precious catches the defence ball-watching and sends it right down the lane to Pascal for the make under the basket.
- Precious’ vertical defence in the paint. He’s been so impactful thus far and it would be awful to see it cut short due to foul trouble.
- Precious gets the steal and breaks the play between Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell, then sends it to Pascal who hits the 3.
- Pascal is hitting from everywhere tonight. Right after the 3 he drives inside and hits from the post.
- Then he does it AGAIN. FROM THE OTHER SIDE.
- Precious dunk off of the Fred pick and roll immediately after the timeout!
- Pascal fadeaway! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! I AM!!!!
Third Quarter Positives:
- Precious already has 11 boards halfway through the third quarter. He has been ACTIVE tonight.
- The Wizards, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope speicifically have gone on a run throughout the third, but the Raptor are still up by 14. It isn’t enough to get a lead, you have to run away with it.
- SLIMM DUCK SLIMM DUNK SLIMM AND-ONE!
- Pascal to Chris Boucher under the basket. He is so successful when he plants himself there, and he is really starting to realize it this game.
- Scottie over the top of KCP for the easy make.
- Chasing Neto off of the line to get the final possession.
Fourth Quarter Positives:
- Chris Boucher and Dalano Banton double-team Montrezl Harrell in the paint and he turns it over. That’s that Canadian Raptors 905 former and occasional basketball, baby!
- Dalano with the HOOK PASS????? To Chris Boucher for the alley-oop.
- Yuta comes out of nowhere, cutting from the weak side to the basket for the make and the lead is back up to 19.
- Boucher tries to keep the Gary Trent Jr. rebound alive, but there isn’t much he can do when there are 3 Wizards in the paint with him.
- Precious somehow grabs the rebound in a sea of Wizards on the Fred missed 3. He saves it, brings it back in, and slams it down.
- Isaac Bonga minutes!
FINAL SCORE: WAS 90 – 102 TOR
POSITIVE PLAYER OF THE GAME: PASCAL SIAKAM
