Welcome to Raptors Roundup! A weekly recap of everything going on in the world of the Toronto Raptors.
This week, the Raptors were a bit of a bouncy ball. After tough back-to-back losses to end last week, the Raptors bounced back in a big way against the Miami Heat, a team they have handled easily in both matchups this year. The problem with bouncy balls in this context is after they bounce back, they have to come down. And the Raptors came down hard against the Washington Wizards, losing in a big way against a team that they had previously beat by 30 points. However, to close the week, the Raptors got a late holiday gift when RJ Barrett returned to action against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Without further ado, let’s dive into the week!
Raptors bounce back against Heat, win 112-91
After their worst loss of the year against Brooklyn in which the Raptors scored just 81 points, they needed a better offensive performance. Well, they got it, scoring more points through three quarters than in the entire Brooklyn game. Louis described this game as one in which the Raptors found their shot making:
Yes, Toronto won the game with its defence. And yes, it still only managed 112 points, which is a fairly low total in the modern NBA. But for stretches, for long stretches, it rediscovered shot making. It answered some questions that have been slowly wrapping around the team’s neck for the past few weeks. For now, It laid some ghosts to rest.
And he’s not wrong, the Raptors had seven players score in double-digits, and every player that saw the court scored at least once. Scottie Barnes led the way, bouncing back himself with an efficient 27 point performance. With Poeltl missing games, Barnes has been tasked with more center duties, and has excelled scoring in the post of late, using his strength and finesse to work his defenders. However, the unsung hero of this game was Collin Murray-Boyles, who’s impact often outsizes his box score numbers (though his box score numbers were quite nice). He was all over the offensive glass and his energy on defense made things difficult for a Heat team that loves to move the ball.
With Brandon Ingram struggling, making just five of his fourteen shots, the shot-making from everyone else was a welcome addition, and with their defense holding strong, the Raptors were able to pull out their second win of the season against Miami.
Top Performers:
- Scottie Barnes – 27 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST, 10-14 FG, 0-1 3FG, 7-8 FT, +21 +/-
- Collin Murray-Boyles – 11 PTS, 12 REB, 0 AST, 3 STL, 1 BLK, 5-9 FG, 1-2 3FG, 0-0 FT, +2 +/-
- Sandro Mamukelashvili – 14 PTS, 6 REB, 7 AST, 1 STL, 5-9 FG, 4-6 3FG, 1 TO, +19 +/-
Raptors meager effort not enough against Wizards, lose 117-138
I didn’t get to see this one live, so when I saw the box score I thought, ‘Oh man, what the heck happened?’ and then when I did get the chance to watch it, imagine my surprise when I saw the Raptors trailed by just two points heading into the fourth quarter.
Now, trailing the Wizards by two points isn’t good, Toronto beat them by 30 last time, and they should have easily been up by a bunch if they brought a modicum of intensity. But they didn’t, and that compounded in the fourth quarter when their defensive indifference allowed an 18-4 run.
Barnes didn’t have nearly the same intensity that we’ve grown accustomed to, and similarly to the Brooklyn game, when he’s not the engine, the car isn’t getting very far. The offense was actually pretty good, scoring 117 is not bad at all. But the 6th ranked defense that we expect from Toronto on a night-to-night basis did not show up, and allowed a Wizards team that ranks 27th offensively to score 138 points.
I think this line from Louis perfectly summarizes their efforts on the night:
The Raptors did their jobs by the letter of the law, in that they physically were present at Capitol One Arena playing a game of basketball in exchange for money. But they did not do their jobs in the spiritual sense, in that they lost to the worst team in the NBA. Without ever really putting up much of a fight.
- Louis Zatzman – The Raptors look slow, lost, disinterested against Wizards
Top Performers:
- Ja’Kobe Walter – 15 PTS, 0 REB, 1 AST, 5-7 FG, 2-4 3FG, 3-3 FT, 0 +/-
- Immanuel Quickley – 25 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 6-13 FG, 4-4 3FG, 9-9 FT, -4 +/-
- Brandon Ingram – 29 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 2 BLK, 10-20 FG, 1-7 3FG, 8-10 FT, 1 TO, -14 +/-
Stat #1: Over the last five games, Mamukelashvili is shooting 53.6% from three, hitting 15 of his 28 three-point attempts.
In season-best performance, Raptors defeat Warriors 141-127
This game I was lucky enough to witness in person, and oh my god did it ever exceed my wildest expectations. Steph Curry has long been a bucket-list player for me, and seeing him go off for 39 points was a dream. Combined with a Raptors OT blowout led by Barnes’ historic 23 point, 25 rebound, 10 assist triple-double made this an game I’ll never forget.
Ochai Agbaji tried his darndest to make things difficult for Curry, face-guarding him on every possession. Still, Curry worked his magic, first by getting threes the old-fashioned way, working backdoor cuts into and-one opportunities before later getting them in ways that only he can.
This was a huge comeback effort for Toronto, who trailed by seven with 1:43 left in the fourth quarter. A Barnes dunk, Ingram middy pull-up, and Quickley three had the game tied with 46 seconds to go. A set of putbacks, one from Brandin Podziemski and one from Barnes sent the game to overtime, where the Raptors exploded. They scored 19 points in the frame, and never went a possession without a basket due to Barnes’ offensive glass cleaning.
This was the loudest I’ve heard Scotiabank Arena in person, and the performance was worthy of the cheers. Everything was clicking for Toronto, with Barrett’s return being a big reason why as he showcased again how valuable his threes and attacks to the basket can be for this Raptors offense. Also, huge shoutout to Immanuel Quickley and Ja’Kobe Walter for their clutch shooting down the stretch.
Top Performers:
- Scottie Barnes – 23 PTS, 25 REB, 10 AST, 3 STL, 1 BLK, 11-17 FG, 0-1 3FG, 3-3 FT, 3 TO +24 +/-
- Immanuel Quickley – 27 PTS, 4 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL, 7-15 FG, 5-10 3FG, 8-8 FT, +7 +/-
- Ja’Kobe Walter – 18 PTS, 2 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 6-10 FG, 4-7 3FG, 2-2 FT, +15 +/-
Stat #2: Barnes’ performance against the Warriors was the first 20-20-10 triple double in Raptors’ franchise history.
Raptor of the Week: Scottie Barnes
With how the Raptors looked in Barrett’s return, I wouldn’t blame you if you thought he deserved to win the award this week. Mamukelashvili was also in consideration after he spent time in the starting lineup without Jakob Poeltl, his hot shooting was much needed for the Raptors and his rebounding was much improved. But after Barnes’ historic performance against Golden State, it’s difficult to keep the award from him.
This week, Barnes averaged 21.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.3 stocks while shooting 60% from the field and 90.9% from the free throw line.
Stat #3: Barnes did not hit a single three this week, and only attempted 4 total.
The Raptors often go as far as Barnes will take them, when he’s aggressive in his offense they have great outings, and that led to wins against Miami and Golden State. On the flip side, when his energy isn’t there, as it wasn’t in the Washington game, the team struggles mightily. So despite his brutal outing against the Wizards (in which he was battling illness), I still think tying the franchise single game rebound record in an overtime thriller was enough to earn him this week’s Raptor of the Week award.
Raptors Roster News: Raptors sign Mo Bamba, per Shams Charania
It was a relatively slow news week for the Raptors, Barrett made his return, but otherwise nothing of note. That was until shortly after the Warriors game when Shams Charania announced that the Raptors were signing Mo Bamba.
After a third of a season with one traditionally sized big man on the roster, and that one traditionally sized big man suffering from a bad back, the Toronto Raptors have finally decided to amend that problem. According to Blake Murphy, his deal is non-guaranteed.
- Louis Zatzman – Raptors Roster News: Raptors sign Mo Bamba, per Shams Charania
Looking Ahead
Monday, December 29th – Magic @ Raptors | 7:30pm on Sportsnet
Wednesday, December 31st – Nuggets @ Raptors| 7:30pm on Sportsnet
Saturday, January 3rd – Hawks @ Raptors | 7:30pm on TSN
Record Prediction: 2-1 (Mo Bamba revenge game against Magic if he plays, the Hawks have been awful since Trae Young’s return, but Nikola Jokić may legitimately drop 60 points against the Raptors)
That’s it for another week of Raptors Roundup, thank you for reading! Have a wonderful week and new year!
