https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3OHKI8gcEM
The Toronto Raptors lost the first game of their road trip to the Cleveland Cavaliers 122-108 despite a valiant defensive effort led by Scottie Barnes and Jonathan Mogbo.
Mogbo dropped in a career-high 13 points, nabbed seven rebounds, had a steal and a block on the night, and made tons of other defensive players, which helped spur runs for the Raptors in the second and third quarters. Barnes, for his part, had three steals and one block as he steered the Raptors defense against a juggernaut Cavaliers’ offense.
However, Barnes struggled offensively in the first half, going 1-for-7 and 0-for-5 from three through two quarters. He bounced back in the second half, finishing the game with 18 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists on 5-of-14 shooting from the field. All in all, it was a pretty uneven offensive game from Barnes, who never truly established himself as an interior presence.
Overall, the Raptors struggled on the inside, getting outscored by 20 points in the paint. This only made things worse when the Cavaliers made 16 threes on the night, including Ty Jerome, who poured in 26 points off the bench.
Will the Raptors ever return to full health? Gradey Dick left the game in the second half due to calf soreness and did not return. Further updates will be provided.
The Raptors take on the Detroit Pistons on Monday on the second night of a back-to-back. Perhaps they call up rookie Ja’Kobe Walter to play some minutes with Dick suffering the injury. Also, Bruce Brown is supposed to return during the road trip at some point, so that’s a positive.
If you’d like a more analytical breakdown of the game, watch Esfandiar Baraheni’s video above and subscribe to the Raptors Republic YouTube channel for more videos like it.
Enjoy.