Gary Trent Jr. is becoming one of the most electric Raptors in a long while – The Athletic
He left the court three minutes into the fourth quarter, returning less than two minutes later. For the next six or so minutes, it felt like not only was Trent not getting any shots but also that he was barely touching the ball against the Atlanta Hawks. Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam were dominating the offence, and Trent was forgotten — as much as any player with 22 field-goal attempts in a game can be.
Finally, he got a look, his first in almost eight minutes of game time. His feel, however, had not abandoned him. The Hawks forced him right after he took a handoff from Scottie Barnes, his weaker direction. Still, he did not hesitate on the last of his nine 3s for the game, one of the biggest moments in the 106-100 win.
“It was certainly a big lift just spirit-wise, emotionally,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of Trent’s third-quarter outburst. “It gives you a huge lift, and then he gives you somewhere to go, too, with some play calls. And then it usually gives you something to counter back against, too, because he’ll draw so much attention that we can go back to someone else. That’s big.”
Or, more simply: “I don’t think it’s that hard to understand how Gary plays. He makes tough shots,” Pascal Siakam said. “The shots that he’s taking are super tough, but that’s water for him. It’s butter. He makes those.”
Trent’s final 3 gave him 31 points, the fourth consecutive game he’s topped 30 — one shy of DeMar DeRozan’s franchise record. It’s easy to see the impact he has had on the team. In the six games he missed with an ankle injury earlier in January, the Raptors scored just 106 points per 100 possessions, shooting 31.1 percent from 3. In the six games since, they are scoring 112.3 points per 100 possessions with 39.6 percent accuracy from deep. For the season, the Raptors are 8.9 points per 100 possessions better offensively when he is on the floor and 3.7 percentage points better in long-range accuracy.
It’s not just the offence, though.
“We’ve talked about it several times this year: This guy can play defence,” Nurse said. “It all comes from his competitive nature. He’s feisty and fighting out there and knocking the ball away and just competing. And (a summertime emphasis on that from the organization) was probably what he just needed to throw it up a gear.”
There was so little to draw from Trent’s seven weeks with the Raptors last season, given that the team was packing it in for most of the time he was in Tampa. In stark contrast to the player he was dealt for, Norman Powell, he appeared askew from the Raptors’ philosophies. He was a ball-stopper on offence and a nonfactor on defence.
He can still be a boom-or-bust player, but it is now happening within the Raptors’ framework. Maybe that’s just a matter of the player and the team getting to know one another better. He is fourth in the league in deflections per game. While he can still be a little prone to gambling, he frequently has massive individual efforts within possessions. His late-game defence on Bogdan Bogdanovic, Atlanta’s most dangerous off-the-bounce player on the floor with Trae Young injured, was a perfect blend of physical, handsy and responsible.
With another electric performance, Trent Jr. gives Raptors spark they need – Sportsnet
Trent Jr. did most of his damage in the third quarter as he exploded for 17 points, including a triple at the buzzer that gave the Raptors an 80-72 lead heading into the fourth. It was one of three triples he hit in the space of two minutes as part of an 11-2 run. He hit two more in the fourth quarter, including a crucial triple with 1:35 to play after the Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovich had hit a three that cut what had been a nine-point lead midway through the fourth quarter to one.
The decisive blow came from OG Anunoby who nailed a corner three with 20 seconds left on a beautiful set up from Fred VanVleet who drove deep in the paint and froze the defence with a pump fake before spinning a bounce to Anunoby in the left corner who converted it to Toronto up four. Siakam sealed it at the line.
The win lifted the Raptors to 25-23 as they hold on to eighth place in the tight battle for one of the four spots in the play-in tournament, or – even better – the race for sixth place and a guarantee of a first-round series. The Hawks fell to 24-26.
It was a team effort, but once again the team consisted of essentially five players as the starters all logged between 36 and 41 minutes. Siakam had 25 points, six rebounds and four assists, along with two blocks and two steals, while VanVleet had 16 points and 11 assists.
Nurse tried to get his bench involved as the Raptors start a stretch of four games in five nights. He went four deep but only got nine points in their combined 48 minutes. He didn’t make a substation for the last seven-and-a-half minutes of the game.
The Hawks came into the game as the hottest team in the Eastern Conference having won seven straight, helping them shake off a shaky start to the season. But after their run to the conference finals last season, the Hawks were looking up Toronto in the standings from 10th place. The Raptors caught a break when Hawks star Trae Young was a late scratch with a sore shoulder that put 27.7 points and 9.3 assists a game on the Atlanta bench. The Hawks were also playing the second night of a back-to-back, although both games were at home.
The Raptors took advantage and continue their impressive run against some of the NBA’s best or hottest teams.
Hawks lose to Raptors 106-100 – Atlanta Constitution Journal
Despite a nine-point Hawks lead at halftime, they got stomped in the third quarter, 32-15, and went into the fourth trailing, 80-72. Although the Hawks won the first half of this back-to-back Sunday vs. the Lakers after trailing by 10 entering the fourth, they didn’t quite have another comeback in them. A 3-pointer by Bogdan Bogdanovic (18 points, five rebounds, four assists) narrowed the deficit to 101-100 with 1:17 to play, but the Hawks quickly gave up a 3-pointer to OG Anunoby on the other end. Pascal Siakam missed two free throws with 15.1 seconds to play, giving the Hawks a fighting chance, but John Collins ( missed a jumper and the Raptors were able to pull away. Second-year center Onyeka Okongwu was again in the closing lineup for the Hawks, alongside Collins, De’Andre Hunter (17 points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal), Kevin Huerter and Bogdanovic.
“I thought they established the tempo with their defensive pressure pretty much all night long,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “I thought defensively for us, I thought we were back on our heels and they were in the attack mode, so they were the aggressors throughout this game.”
Hawks see win streak snapped in loss to Raptors, 106-100 – Peachtree Hoops
The Raptors came out with better energy in the second half, and the Hawks were flat. They led by 11 early, but the Raptors erased the deficit and took a two-point lead.
Danilo Gallinari hit a big three to give the Hawks the lead back.
Gary Trent Jr. caught fire towards the end of the third, as he scored 17 points in the quarter. That included a buzzer-beat three to end the quarter, which put the Raptors up 80-72 heading into the fourth. It was a dissapotining quarter for the Hawks as they were outscored 32-15.
The Hawks fought in the fourth, cutting the Raptors lead throughout the quarter.
Bogdan Bogdanovic came alive down the stretch, hitting a pair of big threes to keep the Hawks in striking distance.
With 20 seconds left and the Hawks down one point, Fred Vanvleet found OG Anunoby in the corner for a clutch three to put them up 104-100. The Hawks tried to answer with a three out of the timeout, but Bogodanvic was not able to connect from the corner.
Huerter finished the game with 26 points in the loss. Bogdanovic finished with 18 points, and Hunter finished with 17.
Trent Jr. continues to dazzle as Toronto Raptors beat Atlanta Hawks 106-100 – Raptors HQ
With a couple GREAT shots by… you guessed it, Gary Trent Jr., the Raptors headed into the fourth quarter ahead by eight with a score of 80-72. GTJ outscored the entire Hawks team in the third quarter.
Gary Trent Jr. also becomes the second player in franchise history to hit 5+ three-pointers in four straight games, joining Kyle Lowry in that category.
The fourth quarter saw both teams go shot for shot — keeping the score about the same for the first half of the quarter. Fred VanVleet started getting hot from beyond the arc, helping the Raptors stay ahead.
With 5:30 left, the Hawks were able to make it a three-point game, and then a one-point game quickly. The Raptors, probably desperate to avoid another OT situation, kept shooting from beyond the arc to try and extend their lead.
The Hawks weren’t gonna end their win streak that easily, they kept the score close. With two minutes to go in the game, and the Raptors leading 98-97 (another close game!) it was yet again Gary Trent Jr who made a three (I feel repetitive, but I promise he keeps making threes!) to keep the Raptors up by four.
The Hawks closed the lead to a single point once again with 30 seconds to go, but Fred VanVleet snaked his way into the lane and found OG Anunoby in the corner, putting the Raps up four again and sealing Atlanta’s fate. Two Siakam free throws closed the 106-100 win, breaking the Hawks’ seven game winning streak.
Gary Trent Jr. finished the game with 31 points, six rebounds and nine 3PM (a career best for him). He has now scored 30+ points in the last four games.
There isn’t much time to celebrate, as the Raptors head back home to face the Heat AGAIN tomorrow night. I’m tired just thinking about it.
No letdown for road-weary Raptors after triple-OT thriller – TSN.ca
Even Nurse wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the five guys he had been leaning on so heavily after they emptied the tank in Miami over the weekend. Each of his five starters logged at least 53 minutes in the 124-120 marathon win, the first time any five players on any NBA team had logged that many minutes in a single game during the shot clock era, dating back to 1954-55.
With a Sunday morning flight to Atlanta and a quick turnaround to Monday’s contest, the first of four games in five nights, the Raptors have been prioritizing rest, of the physical and mental variety. They didn’t hold a practice on Sunday, nor did they shoot around on Monday morning. They even skipped their usual off-day film session.
“Those guys did not go anywhere near the court today,” Nurse said ahead of the Hawks game. “I wouldn’t even let them get on the bus. We’re trying to conserve [energy] as much as we can.”
“I was in bed all day,” said Pascal Siakam, who played 57 minutes on Saturday.
Given the circumstances, an emotional hang over and letdown performance against one of the league’s hottest teams wouldn’t have been shocking, and after a sluggish first half that seemed to be where things were headed. Even in the second night of a back-to-back, and without their all-star Trae Young, who missed the game with a sore shoulder, the Hawks – winners of seven straight contests – led by nine points after 24 minutes.
It wasn’t for a lack of effort on their part, but the Raptors just didn’t have that same bounce in their step or the same focus and attention to detail that helped them take down the first-place Heat 48 hours earlier. They were a step slow on defence and committed silly reach-in fouls, and they shot 37 per cent from the field. While it’s not entirely unusual to see them foul a lot or go through prolonged shooting slumps, they looked like a team carrying heavy legs and fighting through fatigue. But they fought.
For the second straight contest, Nurse made a few halftime adjustments, but the biggest factor, once again, was that the Raptors came out of the break and locked in on defence. They held the Hawks to 15 third-quarter points and 1-for-8 shooting from three-point range, while forcing seven turnovers and converting that nine-point halftime deficit into an eight-point advantage going into the final frame.
As promised prior to the game, Nurse went a tad deeper in his rotation, given this week’s jam-packed schedule. Nine players saw the floor in the first half, although Dalano Banton (six minutes in the contest) and Justin Champagnie (three minutes) were used only sparingly. They got solid production from Chris Boucher (three points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes) and Precious Achiuwa (seven points and four rebounds in 17 minutes) off the bench, but it was the starters that did most of the heavy lifting again.
Gary Trent Jr.’s torrid scoring stretch boosts Raptors in second half to beat Hawks | The Star
You don’t have to make all the shots, just the ones at the most important times.
The Raptors offence struggled for most of the night, shooting just 42 per cent as a team, but OG Anunoby made a huge three-pointer and Gary Trent Jr. had another wonderful game as Toronto beat the Atlanta Hawks 106-100 on Monday night.
Anunoby’s corner three with about 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter sealed the second straight win for the Raptors and ended a seven-game Atlanta winning streak.
Trent continued his torrid scoring, hitting nine three-pointers on the way to a 31-point night. He has scored 30 or more in four straight games, the first streak of that length by a Raptor since Kawhi Leonard did it in the 2018-19 season.
“It gives you a huge lift,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said after Trent outscored the Hawks 17-15 in the third quarter. “That’s big.”
Pascal Siakam had 25 points, Fred VanVleet added 16 and Anunoby poured in 15 for the Raptors.
The Hawks, playing without all-star guard Trae Young, got 26 from Kevin Huerter.
The Raptors got back in the game by turning a nine-point halftime deficit into an eight-point lead with one of their best defensive quarters in a while. They held Atlanta to just seven baskets while forcing seven turnovers in the quarter.
“We were out and really making them pull back a lot of shots,” Nurse said. “I thought they pump-faked a lot and went to the next play and somebody would cover that one up … Our hustle and reacting out to shooters and helping each other was pretty good.”
Beginning a difficult stretch of four games in five nights — although three of them are at home — Nurse stayed true to his pre-game assessment that “I would imagine you are going to see a lot of guys hit the floor tonight.”
Raptors Starters Fight for Tough Victory Over Hawks – Sports Illustrated
Anything that wasn’t rest-related was strictly prohibited for Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, and Gary Trent Jr. coming off of Saturday night’s triple-overtime thriller against the Miami Heat. It’s not just that Toronto kicked off four games in five nights on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks, but if this season has taught us anything, the bench cannot be trusted.
And yet, even as the bench once again failed to step up, getting outscored by 41-12, Toronto’s starters just continued to find a way. Fred VanVleet found enough energy in the final seconds to blow past Onyeka Okongwu in the pick-and-roll, find his way deep into the paint, and send a kick-out pass to OG Anunoby in the corner to clinch a 106-100 victory to move two games over .500.
The play was almost a mirror image of Toronto’s game-winner against the Philadelphia 76ers in which Anunoby beat Andre Drummond on a switch, got into the paint, and found VanVleet in the corner for three.
“It’s a great play,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. “We get a switch, we get an opportunity to hit the deep paint and your choices are to finish it over somebody or if there’s some help coming from somewhere you find where that help’s coming from.”
But how long can things go on this way? After all five starters topped 50 minutes Saturday night, Pascal Siakam, Gary Trent Jr., and VanVleet all eclipsed 39 minutes Monday.
“I thought I did see a couple of guys that were a little tired earlier than normal. I tried to read that just watching the speed of how they were moving and tried to do some early subbing and moving things around a little bit,” Nurse said. “But I will say this, I think just about all of them made some kind of play there late in the game.”
None of those minutes was easy too. Toronto had to climb out of an 11-point second-half hole just to pull even before Trent Jr. came alive in the third quarter, single-handedly outscoring the Hawks with 17 of his game-high 31 points in the quarter.
Trent Jr. said he’s just feeding off the positive vibes the coaching staff are sending his way.
“The last time I was probably in a rhythm like this was in a G-League stint. I was sent down there when I was with the Portland Trail Blazers and was told to just go down there and play and not worry about anything,” Trent Jr. said. “It’s kind of what I’m doing now. I don’t have to worry about anything. I don’t have to look over my shoulder if I miss a shot or kick it off my leg. The coaching staff just wants me to go out there and play and roll with the punches.”
Head coach Nick Nurse came into this one knowing he was going to have to extend more minutes to his bench after all five starters played 50 or more on Saturday night in Miami.
True to his word, Nurse was already nine deep into his rotation at the half but two of his starters still reached the 40-minute mark for the game with a third just a few seconds off.
“I thought most of them were pretty good,” Nurse said of his heavy-minute starters. “I thought I did see a couple of guys that were a little tired earlier than normal. I tried to read that, just watching the speed of how they were moving and tried to do some early subbing and moving things around a little bit. But I will say this, I think just about all of them made some kind of play there late in the game. So I think they all got going and all were moving pretty good.”
The managing minutes topic though is going to be around for a bit.
The game was the first of four in five nights for the Raps as the league attempts to make up for those postponed games in December.
Siakam playing ‘at an all-NBA level,’ Raptors teammates say | The Star
Siakam will say his play this year is in part attributable to simple maturity at every level.
He is living a normal life for the first time in two seasons, able to hang with his family, work on his game when he needs to but get away from it as well. There’s a balance and normalcy that didn’t exist for a season and a half and he’s thriving in it.
He doesn’t worry about what people think or say about him, he’s confident in his own abilities and his own existence and that’s a huge part of why he’s been so good.
And his play reflects that, he knows how good he can be, tries to improve game to game and expand his role.
He’s more of a facilitator on the court but he’s also surrounded by a lot of talented teammates and he understands the collective is more important than the individual.
No one talks about him being the man because this iteration of the Raptors has any number of players able to take over a game and that somehow fits Siakam’s personality the best.
He wants to expand his on-court portfolio and he’s getting that chance this season. Dictating the offence — either as the de facto backup point guard or by attracting multiple defenders to set up teammates — is now the staple of his game.
Given his stats — career-highs in assists and rebounds, his best field goal percentage since his all-star season and no discernible change in his turnovers per game — it’s working.
“I think the more I do it, the better I get, like anything that I do,” he said. “I feel like if I put my mind to it, work hard at it, watch film and get the reps then I believe I can get better at it, and that’s what I’m doing.
“Just continuing to get better, trying to make reads and just understanding where everybody is out on the floor. Just knowing that I’m going to get the attention regardless, making the plays comes naturally because (his teammates) are open most of the time.”
Raptors Getting All-NBA Production From Pascal Siakam – Sports Illustrated
“He’s been at an All-NBA level,” said Siakam’s Raptors teammate Fred VanVleet. “I’m watching him everyday, I’m watching him in practice, I’m watching him in shootaround, I’m watching him in the games, he’s been at an All-NBA level for a while now.”
Siakam is actually having a better season this year than in his 2019-20 All-NBA year. His scoring is about the same (21 points this year compared to 22.9 three years ago) and his assists, rebounds, steals, and field goal percentages have all improved.
“He’s just gotten better,” VanVleet said. “He hit his roadblock but he got through. He’s on the other side of it now, he’s playing the best basketball of his career.”
The big difference between this season and that All-NBA season is the winning. The Raptors were 51-21 (.708) when the 2019-20 season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, Toronto is 24-23 (.511) as of Monday. That traditionally isn’t good enough to cut it for All-NBA.
That’s why Siakam’s All-NBA case rests partially on his ability to continue to carry the workload he has shoulder this season and partially on the rest of the roster’s ability to support him. If the Raptors can go on a run in the second half of the season and jump from the play-in picture to the playoff picture, it’ll be tough for anyone to keep Siakam off their All-NBA ballot when the season comes to an end.
This week: 15
Last week: 1724-23, +0.8 net rating
Weekly slate: Win over Hornets, Loss at Bulls, Win at HeatAny All-Star locks? I do feel like Fred VanVleet is a lock to make the team. I know there’s a traffic jam in the East backcourt, but I think he’s a no-brainer. I voted for him as the starting guard next to DeRozan. He’s leading the Raptors in scoring and assists, and he has over a 2.5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Any All-Star fringes? After VanVleet (considering him as a lock in this exercise), I don’t really see any Raptors worthy of being on the fringes of consideration. Pascal Siakam is having an excellent season, but he also missed 13 games. If he had played in more games, I think he could have worked his way seriously into the conversation. Maybe it would be too hard to justify two Raptors players, but you never know when we are sure Kevin Durant will be replaced due to injury.
Any other weekend participants? We need Scottie Barnes included in a lot. Skills challenge? Get him in there. Is he a creative enough dunker? If so, he needs to be in that. Let him MC the weekend? I’m here for it. We just need as much Barnes personality as possible. VanVleet being included in the 3-point shootout would be a good addition too, especially if he’s an All-Star as I think he should be.
NBA Power Rankings, Week 16 – Philadelphia 76ers are climbing in the Eastern Conference – ESPN
This week: 14
Last week: 14While Toronto won a thrilling game in Miami in triple-overtime Saturday night, it was another reminder of the heavy minutes the team’s leading performers are playing each night. Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby are first, second and third in minutes per game this season, while rookie Scottie Barnes is 12th. At some point, Toronto might have to be concerned about the strain that’s putting on them. For now, though, the Raptors will be content with continuing to move up the East standings. — Bontemps
