 | Raptors | 117 | Final Box Score | 111 | Rockets |  |
 B | S. Barnes37 MIN, 13 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 4-11 FG, 3-7 3FG, 2-2 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 2 +/- Barnes had a decent showing. It was a great night beyond the arc for someone who’s not known for his shooting. His highlight of the night was in the third quarter when he had a huge block on the third pick of the 2022 draft, Jabari Smith Jr. | |
 B+ | P. Siakam36 MIN, 23 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 10-20 FG, 1-3 3FG, 2-3 FT, 0 BLK, 3 TO, -2 +/- Good outing from the leader of the team and I’m sure fans and Siakam expect more. Luckily for Toronto, he didn’t have to be Superman tonight. | |
 C+ | P. Achiuwa29 MIN, 9 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 2-7 FG, 0-2 3FG, 5-9 FT, 1 BLK, 2 TO, -7 +/- Achiuwa was struggling mightily on the offensive end but he still brought great energy on defence and on the glass. He’s been stellar as a starter this season, and tonight was a one-off for Achiuwa. | |
 A+ | G. Trent Jr.38 MIN, 29 PTS, 1 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 10-15 FG, 5-9 3FG, 4-4 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -1 +/- Trent Jr. did exactly what the Raptors needed from him as he provided Toronto with the long balls. He ended the second quarter with two straight threes, handing Toronto a seven-point lead heading into halftime. Trent Jr. loves to play in Houston as he had his 42-point outing last year at the Toyota Center and now his outstanding shooting night. | |
 A+ | F. VanVleet37 MIN, 32 PTS, 5 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 10-22 FG, 5-11 3FG, 7-9 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 9 +/- Great start to the game from VanVleet. One of two members who really carried the Raptors in the first quarter and kept Toronto in the game. VanVleet’s highlight of the game was easily the and one double-clutch layup on Alperen Sengun, although his stepback three on Jae’Sean Tate late in the second quarter gave the layup a run for its money. VanVleet is looking like Freddy All-Star lately and it’s a welcoming sight. | |
 C | M. Flynn16 MIN, 0 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 0-3 FG, 0-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 3 +/- Flynn was the second member who got to enter the game early but he didn’t do much out there and I’m sure he’ll tell you that floater in the second half was an intentional pass to Boucher, not an airball. He was solid defensively though and that saved his night. | |
 A+ | C. Boucher23 MIN, 11 PTS, 8 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 5-11 FG, 1-4 3FG, 0-0 FT, 3 BLK, 1 TO, 12 +/- Just like VanVleet, his first-quarter performance kept Toronto in the game. Toronto’s first points of the game came from Boucher so that tells you how slow of a start it really was. He also had a flashback performance to the Tampa Bay days when he led the league in three-point shots blocked, with a great hustle play swatting a Garrison Matthews corner three on a fast break. | |
 A- | C. Koloko17 MIN, 0 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 2 BLK, 0 TO, 16 +/- The third bench member who saw first-quarter minutes and he was phenomenal down low with the rebounds and paint defence. | |
 C | D. Banton02 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -3 +/- Banton only got two minutes of playing time in his defence so anything less would be harsh. | |
 C | J. Hernangomez05 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 1 +/- Another bench member who was quiet tonight but he only saw four minutes out there, so like Banton “the knife” gets a pass. | |
 A+ | Nick Nurse Early timeout got the Raptors rolling as he got Boucher and Flynn into the game very early. Nurse went to the bench earlier than he usually does so he definitely gets props for that. | |
Things We Saw
- A slow start for Toronto that featured six missed shots and three turnovers gave Houston a 9-0 start, forcing coach Nurse’s hand to call an early timeout.
- A complete role reversal to start the second half as Toronto opened the quarter on an 8-0 run causing an early timeout from Stephen Silas.
- A rare shooting night from Toronto as they knocked down 38% of shots beyond the arc.
- Great hustle from the Raptors tonight, as they were +3 on the glass, +4 in the turnover category and +7 in the stocks (steals+blocks) department.
