If you’re reading this recap, you’re sicko enough to have watched this game – or sicko enough to care about knowing what happened. So, kudos to you.
It was a game of contrasts. The Raptors only went seven-deep as Darko turned into Tom Thibodeau, subbing his star back in after hurting his hand – and playing Scottie for 30+ minutes – when other bench warmers could have gotten much-needed PT. The Mavs went 12-deep as they prepare for the play-in, which they barely got into after the god-awful decision to trade Luka. The Raptors played a meaningless road game, where they could afford to put Jonathan Mogbo on AD, and now look towards the future. Meanwhile, the Mavs feel the win-now clock ticking after said trade, and Kyrie, Klay, and AD are all in their 30s. The sold-out crowd in Dallas rose to their feet to give the Mavs a standing O, but it was more of a collective relief than an applause.
Two things looked great for the Raptors: the Barney purple jerseys worn on the road, and Agbaji having a near-perfect shooting night, the bulk of his scoring coming in the first quarter with 17 points. Yes, 17 points in the first quarter – you read that right. He shot a perfect 5-for-5 from downtown, a perfect 6-for-6 from the field. He made one more triple outside the first quarter, and made over half of his team’s total 3s for the game.
Agbaji forced the Mavs to take a timeout after his first non-three-point field goal – a tip-in – in the first quarter. Then, things quickly started to fall apart. The Mavs went on a 11-2 run, nine of their 11 points coming off three-pointers. The bleeding didn’t stop in the second quarter as the Mavs went on a 16-0 run after Barnes made a bucket. The Raps didn’t score a bucket for over five minutes, and taking a timeout had no impact. The Raptors found themselves in a 31-13 hole in the second frame, and never recovered from this point on.
However, Scottie kept playing with more than a modicum of effort. The Raptors were down 28 points, 62-34, with 1:48 left in the first half. Scottie drove on AD and used his Go Go Gadget extendo left arm for a nice bucket. Sure, it did little to reduce the massive discrepancy, but Scottie got back on defense, clapping loud enough for the speakers to pick it up. He was psyching himself and his team up. He pulled his shorts up and got down low to guard AD at half court. Klay came to set a screen, Scottie switched, switched back onto AD, and, rightfully, let him shoot the 3 (as a Mav, AD had been shooting below 25% from downtown over eight games). The Raptors regained possession off the miss, and those two possessions at the end of the first half exemplified the organization’s star finding meaning out of meaningless games. It was another assuring sign of his leadership in an otherwise unremarkable game.
Jonathan Mogbo, despite coming off his first career triple-double, struggled in this game. Hopefully, he’ll join Scottie in competitive summer runs, which will force him to get decision-making reps. Lawson recently signed a standard deal, and had a solid second half, but, personally, I hope he’ll tweak his jump shot over the summer as his three-point shot seems to be putting a lot of strain on his back.
The Raptors stay in Texas, and head to San Antonio this Sunday for one last game. All Praise Be Due To The Basketball Gods. Thank Goodness.
