 | Raptors | 100 | Final Box Score | 116 | Rockets |  |
 B- | O. Anunoby23 MIN, 13 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 4-9 FG, – 3FG, 5-5 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -11 +/- OG’s play improved as the game went on. He settled for jump shots early but found a lot more success when he put his head down and drove to the hoop in the second half. | |
 A | C. Koloko17 MIN, 2 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 1-2 FG, – 3FG, 0-0 FT, 4 BLK, 1 TO, -15 +/- What a showing from the rookie. He was a force protecting the rim tonight, blocking and altering shots left and right. Top it up with some flashes offensively, high activity on the glass, and an excellent showing switching onto smaller and faster guards; Nick Nurse is going to have a hard time keeping Koloko out of the rotation if he keeps this up. | |
 A | P. Siakam27 MIN, 18 PTS, 6 REB, 0 AST, 3 STL, 7-15 FG, – 3FG, 3-8 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, -13 +/- Siakam was the best player on the court by a wide margin. When the 3’s weren’t hitting early he showed just how dominant he can be driving to the rim. The assist numbers won’t show it, but his playmaking and ball handling make such a difference in these Fredless lineups. | |
 C- | S. Barnes23 MIN, 2 PTS, 7 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 0-5 FG, – 3FG, 2-6 FT, 1 BLK, 6 TO, -16 +/- Scottie got his chances to run the offense with Fred on the bench, and it just wasn’t his night. He had success getting to the line, but committed a fair amount of turnovers in the process. No reason to sound the alarms just yet, but this is certainly a game he’ll want to forget. | |
 B- | G. Trent Jr.26 MIN, 10 PTS, 0 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 3-8 FG, – 3FG, 4-4 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -13 +/- The Raptors shot poorly from three tonight, and Gary was no exception, unfortunately. He’s still hitting step-back mid-range jumpers, and the defensive activity is a nice sight to see as well, even in a preseason game. | |
 A- | P. Achiuwa20 MIN, 10 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 4-8 FG, – 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 6 +/- There’s rarely a dull moment watching Precious Achiuwa play basketball. In particular, when he’s barreling toward the rim like he’s shot out of a cannon. There are still moments where his athleticism might get him to a spot before he’s decided what he’s doing there, but his touch around the rim has consistently improved since he got in Toronto and has shown more patience when getting looks in the post. Defensively, he excelled tonight, in particular on switches against Houston’s faster guards/wings. | |
 B | C. Boucher21 MIN, 10 PTS, 4 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 4-7 FG, – 3FG, 1-2 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 3 +/- Boucher doesn’t get plays called for him, but his hustle on both ends get him on the scoreboard more often than not. He was a welcome sight tonight to a Raptors team that felt like it was lacking the energy that Boucher always provides. | |
 B- | T. Young08 MIN, 2 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 1-1 FG, – 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 5 +/- Thad didn’t get much run tonight, but even in spite of that, showed exactly why the Raptors traded to get him last season. His aptitude as a cutter and playmaker were on full display tonight. | |
 B+ | D. Banton20 MIN, 14 PTS, 2 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 6-8 FG, – 3FG, 2-5 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, 2 +/- Another strong showing from Banton. He’s improved as a playmaker and still shows such promise on the defensive side of the ball. There’s a noticeable change of pace when Banton checks in, something the Raptors have been lacking as of late. | |
 C+ | J. Hernangomez05 MIN, 3 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-3 FG, – 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -8 +/- Juancho is in a bit of a tough situation in that he might be solely graded on his three-point shooting this year. In five minutes of play, he made one of three attempts from beyond the arc; I guess it’s more than nothing! | |
 C+ | K. Birch08 MIN, 2 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-1 FG, – 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- Only around 8 minutes of run for Khem tonight. Hit a nifty little layup, and played some good team defense but otherwise a pretty unforgettable stint from the big fella. | |
 D+ | J. Jackson12 MIN, 0 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 0-4 FG, – 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, -3 +/- Not a great performance from Jackson tonight, although the game was basically over well before he checked in. | |
 C | J. Dowtin11 MIN, 3 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-3 FG, – 3FG, 1-4 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, -3 +/- It wasn’t a great garbage time performance from Dowtin but even still he continues to flash potential. | |
 C+ | G. Brown08 MIN, 6 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 2-5 FG, – 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -6 +/- He checked in too late to play superman tonight, but the Raptors could have used his shooting earlier in the game. | |
 Inc | D. Wilson07 MIN, 5 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1-3 FG, – 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -5 +/- Garbage Time | |
 Inc | R. Harper Jr.04 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, – 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -3 +/- Garbage Time | |
 Inc | J. Champagnie00 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, – 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- N/A | |
 Inc | M. Flynn00 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, – 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- N/A | |
 Inc | O. Porter Jr.00 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, – 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- N/A | |
 Inc | F. VanVleet00 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, – 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 0 +/- N/A | |
 Inc | Nick Nurse preseason baby! | |
Things We Saw
- The Raptors shot an abysmal 6/34 from beyond the arc tonight and 22/38 from the free-throw line. The Raptors will more than likely live or die by the three once again this season. While the FT attempt numbers are encouraging to see, this team is not good enough in the half-court to leave points at the line.
- You would certainly hope it has more to do with a lack of interest in pre-season basketball, but the pace and energy from the Raptors starters felt lacklustre at best. Sloppy passing in the first half dug them into a hole their bench couldn’t bail them out of. 19 turnovers against what was one of the worst defences in Basketball last season won’t be sustainable.
- On a more positive note, Koloko has a real chance at contributing to this team throughout the season. There were so many instances where Houston’s guards tried to take him off the dribble and he locked them down and forced them to kick it out. He’s not someone you can pick on defensively and that’s something Nurse values more than the offence, expect to see him play this year.
