Note: Apologies for the lack of videos, had only a few moments this morning to get this up, or nothing at all.
Raptors-Kings observations: It’s time for Masai Ujiri to make a decision – The Athletic
It felt like the powers that be might finally be smiling on the Toronto Raptors.
Fred VanVleet, in the midst of his best game in a long while, committed a clear offensive foul on De’Aaron Fox on Wednesday to free himself for a potential tying 3. Knowing VanVleet, it was a calculated bet: Let’s see the officials really blow the whistle in this situation. They didn’t.
VanVleet had a clean look from the elbow, looking to get to 42 points on the night and, more importantly, to tie the score. As has become a theme, the Raptors couldn’t strike from 3. This could be a turning point.
Nope. Long. Pascal Siakam put in the meaningless layup, and the Raptors lost 124-123. For the first time this season, they have lost three games in a row. The vibes are short of immaculate. Let’s get to it.
Trade season is here
It is becoming tough to watch this team. The Raptors played well enough to beat a so-so team on a back-to-back, but the 3-point disparity did them in again. Sacramento hit 17, and the Raptors took just 21 and made six.
It wasn’t the only reason they lost. Siakam had a rough shooting night, with none of his misses coming from deep. However, a rim defender has to go right alongside shooting as a need for the Raptors. They had no answer for either end of the Fox-Domantas Sabonis pick-and-roll. O.G. Anunoby’s presence would have made a huge difference there, but not having one or two important players is just the way this league works.
No, the Raptors need a true big man not only to defend Sabonis and his ilk but also to make sure the Raptors aren’t beaten on the glass. Many of the Kings’ best 3-point looks came off offensive rebounds. On Tuesday, coach Nick Nurse said the Raptors probably couldn’t survive without two out of three things — 3-point shooting, offensive rebounding and defence — functioning at a high level. Well, the Raptors are poor in the first area, generally good in the second one (although slumping by their standards) and generally good enough defensively, but that doesn’t hold if they don’t finish the possession.
“It just seemed like probably six of those (Kings 3s) tonight maybe in the course of the game (were when) they got an offensive rebound, kicked it back out and then got a 3. … You can stop that 3-point shot if you can rebound,” Nurse said.
The Raptors aren’t short on problems. Now, Masai Ujiri and company must assess whether this team is worth spending assets on to improve. If not, does he dare go the other way?
Raptors unable to overcome poor shooting despite throwback performance from VanVleet – Sportsnet
Once again the deciding statistic was the Raptors’ inability to score from deep. They finished at 6-of-21 from beyond to continue a weeks-long trend, while the Kings finished 17-of-46. The 33-point difference was too much to overcome even with Toronto enjoying a 15-7 edge in turnovers, and the big nights from VanVleet, who was 2-of-8 from deep, and Barnes, who was 2-of-3, including a big one with 3:10 left, set up by VanVleet.
The Raptors are last in the NBA in three-point shooting since November 5th, making just 29 per cent. The League average is 35 per cent.
“Individual performances don’t really matter especially when you don’t get the win,” said VanVleet, who is shooting a career-low 32 per cent from deep. “So you know, frustrated for sure. It will be a good film day to see why we’re giving up the shots that we’ve given up: 17 threes, most often they feel like they’re wide open and in rhythm, so we got to fix that it’s hard to win that way, when you’re given up that many threes and you’re not generating or making those on the other end.”
The Kings, knocking on the door all game, took the lead for the first time in the second half thanks to a 13-5 early in the fourth quarter while VanVleet rested. The surge was led by Sabonis in the paint and a pair of threes by Malik Monk.
The two teams jockeyed back and forth from there. The Kings went up five with a Fox jumper with 1:07 left and were up five again after Harrison Barnes hit a pair of free throws with 31.8 seconds to play. But free throws by the Raptors Barnes and tough lay-up by VanVleet with seven seconds left kept Toronto’s hopes alive, helped by missed free throws by Monk and Fox that kept the door open.
Toronto had a chance to send the game into overtime on an open three by VanVleet. He was wide open, though lucky not to be called for an offensive foul for pushing off Fox to get open. He probably had more time than he realized – he put the shot up with 4.4 seconds left – but like so many Raptors threes lately, it hit the rim and bounced long.
With their offence wilting the Raptors’ defence has come under even closer scrutiny, given the way the lowly (by record) Orlando Magic were able to get most of what they wanted in two wins over Toronto on the weekend.
They weren’t much better against Sacramento, one of the NBA’s better offensive teams. The Kings shot 48.4 per cent from the floor and 37 per cent from three and scored 124 points, so not good enough.
There were a lot of paint touches by them and then kickouts,” said Nurse. “There was a lot of transition happening as well where they were throwing it ahead and getting some quick looks early, but just probably not guarding the ball was probably the chain reaction that was starting most of that.”
Coach Mike Brown’s ejection sparks Kings’ win over Raptors | The Sacramento Bee
Wednesday’s win for the Sacramento Kings in Toronto meant a little more than others.
Head coach Mike Brown, who has been frustrated with officiating at various points this season, reached a boiling point. He was ejected in the third quarter after darting on the court. He was visibly frustrated by a sequence that included a foul on guard Terence Davis, and then a technical on De’Aaron Fox, who thought he had been getting hacked throughout the game.
Brown may face discipline for making contact with referee Zach Zarba. His tirade was laced with expletives and he had to be separated by coaches after going at Brent Haskill, who isn’t a full-time NBA referee. But the moment proved pivotal in a game the Kings were losing by four points 2:51 into the second half.
Players afterwards mentioned Brown’s ejection as a turning point in the team’s 124-123 victory over the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena, a win that could reinvigorate what was a frustrating road trip.
“We just had to do it for him,” Domantas Sabonis said.
Said Malik Monk, who gave the Kings 24 points and five made 3s off the bench: “It just gave us energy. It boosted us. And I think that’s why we got the win.”
Sabonis logged his second 20-20 game of the season by finishing with 21 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists. He starred along with Fox, who hit key buckets down the stretch, tallying 27 points, 10 assists and six rebounds. It was Fox’s second game back after missing games in Cleveland and New York with a foot issue. He had just 13 points in Tuesday’s 20-point loss in Philadelphia.
Fox required two stitches on a cut just outside his left eye, which proved emblematic of his frustration with the officials. The game was stopped in the fourth quarter because blood was coming down his cheek, and on his way to the sideline he made it clear to the referees he wasn’t at all happy.
NBA recaps: Kings outlast Raptors 124-123 – Sactown Royalty
For 48 minutes, the Kings were abused and attacked by the Raptors. Meanwhile, the officials continuously looked in the opposite direction. People always complain about officials, but do you see Fox’s eye above? There was no foul called on that play. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.
The Kings got absolutely zero love from the refs tonight. The Kings did not shoot a single free throw in both the first and third quarters. A team whose two best players almost live in the paint. It got so bad that head coach Mike Brown decided to take action… leading to his ejection.
In a lot of situations, a team’s head coach getting ejected when the team is down on the road usually spells trouble. But not for the Kings. Along with the great staff — led by Jordi Fernandez — that took control and held the team down, this team took the ejection as a sign of how much their coach cares about them. So instead of falling apart, they got fired up.
Malik Monk said:
“Do it for him. Fox got fouled, obviously, and it wasn’t called. We was getting hacked the whole game and not getting any calls. So Mike just had to take one for the team and bring the energy up and we just fed off that.”
This Kings team truly plays for one another and cares about their team like they’re family. No matter how talented you may be, if you don’t have the right amount of chemistry, your team will not live up to its potential. The Kings really showed us something tonight.The sixth and final game on this road trip will be at the Detroit Pistons on Friday at 4:00pm PST. This is a must win game for the Kings. Not just for their record, but because they are the better team. They are in a position where simply cannot lose games to bad teams. The Pistons are 8-22 on the year and will be without their star Cade Cunningham.
Recap: Toronto Raptors fall 124-123 to Sacramento Kings – Raptors HQ
The Raptors just seemed more energetic in the first half than they did over the weekend. Nick Nurse mentioned before the game that he wanted the team to continue to be strong defensively, and he trusted that their offensive would soon follow.
Yet, they still let the Kings come back to end the half. Sacramento shot 32% from three as opposed to the Raptors 23.1%. This continues to be relevant again later…
The Raptors were able to keep their lead though, with a score of 62-59 at the half.
The second half started with quite the excitement as an on court scuffle caused the Sacramento Kings head coach to be ejected from the game…
As for the Raptors, they worked to gain on their lead — and it was Fred VanVleet that rose to the occasion. By the five minute mark in the third quarter, he had 28 points, five rebounds and two assists.
The Kings stayed strong though, their offence continued to get more and more creative. They also beat Toronto on the boards as well as from three — which we know has been a weak point from the Raptors in recent games.
This caused the Kings to come back slowly — and almost take the lead — but yet again it was Fred VanVleet who saved the Raptors. By the end of the third, Fred was up to 35 points, six rebounds and three assists.
The Raptors maintained their lead going into the fourth at 94-88.
It took four minutes for the Kings to pull ahead.
In the last five minutes the game, the Kings took over the lead, kept it at about five points, slipped to a three-point lead, and narrowly avoided overtime. With seconds to go, Fred VanVleet missed his three-point opportunity to take it to OT — and despite Pascal Siakam making a quick lay up — it wasn’t enough.
The Raptors LOSE by ONE POINT — 124-123. They fall to 13-15 on the season.
Confusing? I mean, if you popped in here to read this fun recap, skipped the spoiler alerts and even the title, and just looked at the Raptor’s steady lead through three quarters — sure, confusion is acceptable.
Until you look at the three point differential. The Kings made 17 three pointers all game. They TOOK 46 three point shot attempts.
Josh Lewenberg: Toronto Raptors’ continued shooting woes result in another tough loss | TSN
The Raptors came in as the league’s worst three-point shooting team over the past month. With VanVleet at the forefront of their team-wide slump – he’s shooting 22 per cent over the last eight games – they made a concerted effort to find other ways of putting the ball in the basket.
While Pascal Siakam drained the club’s first attempt from long range, the bulk of their scoring came inside of the arc. It worked for a while. Toronto scored on its first seven possessions and led 31-23 after the opening quarter. They were up by as many as 16 points in the first half.
But as well as they played through stretches, this wasn’t one of those nights where you shrug and simply say, “the other team got hot.” This was a deserved loss. The Kings shot a good, but not great 37 per cent from deep. However, most of their 17 made threes were wide open. More and more as the night went on, the Raptors struggled to rotate and close out on Sacramento’s shooters. As their defence fell apart and they began trading twos for threes, it was only a matter of time until the pendulum swung. It’s simple math.
Even on the second night of a back-to-back, the Kings – one of the league’s best early-season surprises – chipped away at their deficit and, by the fourth quarter, it was the Raptors who were playing catch-up.
On a rare off night for Siakam, who finished with 19 points on 7-for-19 shooting and missed consecutive layups late in the fourth, VanVleet and Barnes kept them in it. VanVleet is still searching for his jumper – he was 2-for-8 from three – but shot 11-for-17 inside of the arc and a perfect 11-for-11 at the line, finishing with a season-high 39 points.
Despite three fourth quarter turnovers that he lamented afterwards, this was Barnes’ best game in weeks. He was aggressive and, mostly, made the right reads. He even knocked down a couple threes, including a contested corner jumper to pull within one point with three minutes remaining.
“I feel like we should have won this one tonight,” said Barnes, who recorded 27 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists. “We’re just trying to stay positive.”
Having dropped three games in a row – their longest skid of the season – and six of their last eight, the Raptors are now 13-15 on the campaign. They’re confident that they can turn their fortunes around, but that’s easier said than done.
They’ve now hit fewer than 30 per cent of their three-pointers in six of their last eight games, including four straight, and have been outscored by 78 points from long range over that stretch. This isn’t ‘90s basketball, where you could grind out low-scoring contests. Shooting is paramount in today’s game. In 2022, it’s tough to win without it.
Wednesday’s loss was the second straight game in which the Raptors hit just six three-pointers. Teams that make six or fewer threes have gone 74-197 over the past three seasons.
Kings’ three-point shooting the difference in Raptors loss | The Star
The Kings outscored them an astonishing 51-18 from three-point range. Sacramento had more offensive rebounds, second-chance points and fast-break points; those are the numbers — not the VanVleet miss – that determined the outcome.
“We didn’t a very good job for a lot of the second quarter on keeping the ball in front of us,” Nurse said of what led to the shocking three-point disparity.
“There was a lot of paint touches by them and then kickouts, a lot of transition happening as well, they were throwing it in and getting some quick looks early. Just probably not guarding the ball was the chain reaction that was starting a lot of that.”
It was too bad VanVleet’s last shot will be chatted about because his overall game was excellent and his basketball I.Q. fully on display.
There were about 33 seconds left in the third quarter and VanVleet’s sense of NBA math is good enough that he knew he had to get a shot up.
Forget that he’d missed five of six three-point attempts to that point. The 30-footer he hoisted – and made – set up a perfect two-shots-for-one end to the quarter for the Raptors.
And after they got a defensive stop and VanVleet finished the period by making two free throws, the perfect imaginable quarter ending had unfolded.
That’s math that worked in Toronto’s favour; other arithmetic wasn’t nearly as kind to the Raptors because even the best-scoring game of the season from VanVleet couldn’t bail them out because in this NBA era if a team can’t make a fair share of threes each game, it’s got little chance to win.
One-time Raptor Terence Davis made five of Sacramento’s threes and finished with 19 points.
The key for the Raptors has always been to not let offensive lulls have an impact on how they defend and ruin the game at both ends of the court for extended periods.
Scoring, especially for a team missing some key pieces and with an offence that doesn’t sparkle in half court sets, is going to come and go through periods in a game.
But if it’s compounded by simultaneous stretches of bad defence, it can be crippling. It’s precisely what killed them in the second of two weekend losses in Orlando.
“We really guarded, we were really tough, we were really physical and whatever and we had a really hard time putting it in the basket,” Nurse said before Wednesday’s game.
Raptors’ tough times continue in fourth-quarter lapse to Kings | Toronto Sun
The Kings had a few more locked-in shooters on the night than the Raptors and when VanVleet returned from his normal start-of the-fourth-quarter rest with about seven minutes left in the game, he did so with his team facing a deficit. His next four shots all missed as he tried to will the team back into the lead, but to no avail.
When Pascal Siakam went cold as well down the stretch, the Kings took advantage and wound up handing Toronto its third loss in a row and sixth in the past eight games.
Early on, the Toronto defence looked much better. At times the shooting, with the exception of the three-ball, looked better, too.
But as has been the case during these recent struggles, those brief flashes of improvement were offset by longer stretches of inconsistency.
The defence in particular lagged after an impressive start. Toronto held Sacramento to 23 points in the first quarter but a 36-poimt second and fourth quarter by the visitors sealed Toronto’s fate.
Leading the way for the Kings was point guard De’Aaron Fox who had 27 points, but right behind him was a 24-point effort from Malik Monk off the bench. All four other starters were also into double digits in scoring.
Toronto had three other players in double-figures besides VanVleet, including Scottie Barnes with 27.
Barnes, like VanVleet, looked much more like himself on the offensive end, but shared in the defensive breakdowns over the final three quarters.
“I feel like we, just as a collective group, as a unit, as an organization, we’re just trying to stay positive,” Barnes said of the mood on the team at this fragile point in the season. “This was a very winnable game, I feel like, we should have won this one tonight,.
“But we’re just trying to stay positive, get back at it tomorrow. We’ve got to see what we can do to fix things and just get better every day.”
