A dribble hand-off was triggered for Luka Doncic in an effort to move O.G. Anunoby off of him. It nudged Anunoby back and Doncic pursued the rim against Khem Birch, eventually rising up on the opposite side of the basket for his attempt. Doncic is massive with a guard skillset. He thought he had navigated himself into a winning situation, only Anunoby popped up from behind to block his shot. Doncic kicked out his leg, Anunoby fell over top, and as the Raptors continued up the floor Doncic stuck behind to help Anunoby up.
“I think he’s probably one of the nicest dudes in the league. He never talks trash, he never does anything. But, I tripped him, not on purpose, so that’s why I helped him.” Doncic said after the game. Adding: “He’s an amazing player. On both sides of the floor.”
When Anunoby came out for media he was told about Doncic’s comments, and responded in kind: “He’s one of the nicest guys in the league, too. He doesn’t talk trash either.”
Dudes rock. Love saying nice things about each other.
That play, however, was not the only time that Anunoby would get the better of Doncic. And evidenced by his notable presence on the court for all 24 minutes of the second half, Nick Nurse didn’t want to provide the Mavericks with a chance at another matchup to spark a run.
“Our idea was to keep O.G. matched up with him all night.” Nurse said after the win. “I think he’s gonna sleep good tonight, he was at a lot of minutes, a lot of work, a lot of denying the ball back. He did get a lot of help, and stuff, too. It was good to let him go toe to toe with one of the league’s best and good that he could make the plays at the other end, at the same time.”
I asked him how he managed to be the stopper on an MVP candidate on one end, and the primary initiator on the other (20 second half points) without losing gas. “I don’t know. It’s just trying to do it, I guess. It’s definitely tough, having to pick up full court. On offense, trying to make some stuff happen, trying to make your shots, have the legs to do all that. It’s just mental toughness, trying to be tough.”
Anunoby isn’t provided with any spoon-fed opportunities with this version of the Raptors, and a lot of the time his ventures into scoring points include physicality. Despite being an overwhelming physical presence himself, it has to be hard to turn that corner again and again. The uptick in trips to the free throw line have always been the most obvious next step for Anunoby’s game. A quick first step, length, vertical pop to finish at the rim, and uncommon strength girder every foray to the bucket. There’s some finesse that he has to conquer of course, but a certain level of courage from officials is needed to call fouls on Anunoby the way he deserves. Six free throw attempts in the fourth quarter, nearly five attempts per game since Pascal Siakam’s injury (3 FTA’s per 4th Q) — Anunoby has interacted in good faith, and kept hunting the rim. The calls have come, and especially late in games.
“He’s a threat at all levels. Can shoot from outside, is really great in post ups. He’s physical, goes into post-ups, so when he’s playing against us in the post you can’t leave guys on an island, so you kind of like have to over help and then this gets the blender going, rotations going, and he’s doing a great job being calm and playing his style.”
Maxi Kleber on O.G. Anunoby
Anunoby continues to express how much he’s learning in these games as the Raptors primary, and it’s cool to see that progression bear out in the film as well. Fan, analyst, whatever — we’re watching Anunoby do things that he’s never done before, and do rare things at a much higher volume. Siakam, Fred VanVleet, Scottie Barnes, Nick Nurse, they’re all watching too and recognizing how much easier this makes their jobs. And especially, how much more diverse and dangerous this makes them all against some of the best teams in the league.
We saw this in fits and starts last season. A January matchup against the fantastic Bucks, where Anunoby took heaps of possessions initiating because the Bucks wanted to overload on Siakam and VanVleet – they won that game. The first three games of their series against the 76ers where Siakam was game-planned for to the nth degree, and openings were available for Anunoby to stretch his legs – and he averaged 24 points per game. These possessions, these games are what prepare Anunoby, not only to grab the mantle sometimes, but always, when called upon. This isn’t to say that Anunoby is always going to succeed, but rather that he’s mapped out a process that he can follow; one that he knows works.
If you squint at this bad boy, you can present this as a mano a mano matchup between the likes of MVP hopeful Doncic, and DPOY/All-Star hopeful Anunoby. It wasn’t that, not really, because of the team-wide scheme the Raptors threw at Doncic. On the other end, though? Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, and the rest of the Mavericks defenders continuously stood between Anunoby and the rim. A healthy, top-10 defense awaited him.
He won in post-ups, he put on the burners coming off of wide-pins and curls, and he scored 9 points in the last three minutes and sixteen seconds to close out the Mavericks. The eighth and ninth point of his run came, fittingly, after Doncic gently prodded at him to signal his fouling intent to officials. Shortly after that, they embraced, then walked off the court and complimented one another.
The road to an All-Star selection is peppered with superstar moments. Bursts of tremendous play that make everyone turn their head and say, not only “what if?” but “what now?”. Anunoby continues to be imperative to the Raptors success and watchability — much like a star would be.
Have a blessed day.
