Scottie Barnes and Raptors squeeze past hapless, hopeless Jazz

The Toronto Raptors weren’t going full-bore, but they weren’t trying to lose, either. It was a modest effort, let’s call it. Immanuel Quickley was attacking the rim with ease in transition, waltzing past Utah Jazz defenders who were more onlookers than a real deterrent. RJ Barrett was ripping the ball from hapless dribblers and diming AJ Lawson — former hero — for an uncontested cockback dunk. Scottie Barnes strolled to the rim for easier dunks than he’s had on the NBA floor since, really, ever.

It wasn’t all perfect. At one point Quickley reached in against Isaiah Collier dribbling casually near half-court, draining the clock, and Quick just leaned on him for an obvious foul. But with four minutes remaining in the half and Utah in bonus, it was a truly bad foul. Elsewhere the Raptors missed closeouts, missed jumpers, missed defensive assignments. It wasn’t really good. Fine, at best.

But Utah was pathetic. The Jazz were playing nonsense lineups with very small, non-rim-protecting, and also-non-shooting KJ Martin at center. Utah took a five-second count on a sidelines out-of-bounds play with only moderate defensive pressure. Their guards committed a backcourt violation against zero defensive pressure. Lauri Markkanen bricked uncontested lob dunks. They were … having their dribble ripped by RJ Barrett. That’s not to mention the choice of sitting a healthy and available Walker Kessler, who recorded 25 rebounds and eight blocks against the Raptors only a few games previous. It was a DNP-coach’s decision for Kessler. With five minutes left in the game, after Jordan Clarkson got hot and pulled Utah within seven, the Jazz went ahead and yanked him off the floor.

Utah stayed in the game because they roster many good shooters and Toronto does not, especially not this injured version of them. The 3-point disparity was negative-18 for Toronto in the first half (10 3s made for Utah and four for Toronto), which was a real difference. 

Regardless of the shooting, or even the close score, the game was a boxing match between an amateur, bordering on professional, and a sadist begging to get punched in the face. 

Ridiculous doesn’t even describe the concept of trying to sell this game as competition. As watchable. And this is just what the NBA is now. The last month of the season involves some few hundred such games. Nothing exceptional. Even the Raptors, who have been playing their best players — albeit in shifts, resting some games, and rarely to close — haven’t been immune from humiliation. But what the Raptors are doing is nothing like the accomplishments of these Jazz. 

The NBA is trying its best to deter these charades. The league is investigating the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder for resting starters and stars. It has already fined the Jazz. 

Markannen didn’t start the second half for Utah. Largely due to his hot shooting from behind the arc, presumably. Or his actually winning those first-half minutes. Perhaps the Jazz are playing daredevil with Adam Silver to see how far they can go without engendering another fine? 

Ultimately, given Utah’s dreadful apathy to its own fans and to the entire concept of competition and sports, the Raptors aren’t going to be able to lose enough in these final, shameful weeks of the NBA season to catapult to the top of the draft odds. Their worst players are too good, compared to the worst players of other teams, and their team simply isn’t shameful enough. (Although, Darko Rajakovic has been trying everything — double-big lineups with Orlando Robinson and Colin Castleton, no-point-guard lineups, and more.) 

Yet the farce marches on. We’re still here, watching these games. Watching Jamison Battle chase down Collier for a huge block against the backboard. Watching Jamal Shead block a Markkanen jumper. Watching Orlando Robinson dime cutters from the high post. There are real moments of joy, of fun, of passion, if you forget the context in which all these things are arising. 

The Raptors continue to try to toe the line. They are not doing what the Jazz and Sixers are doing. Multiple times, different Raptors got visibly frustrated with teammates for defensive breakdowns. This was a team trying to improve its play, not let it slide into the basement with well wishes and a smile. But Brandon Ingram is going to end up resting his sprained ankle for many, many months. Barnes, Quickley, Barrett, and Jakob Poeltl will all likely rotate rest games. (With Rajakovic trying to get Quickley and Barnes together as much as possible.) 

The thing is, toeing the line isn’t going to get the job done. One might call it half measures. If Toronto had rested Barnes and Quickley and Barrett for 15 extra minutes apiece, a loss might have been in the cards. But at least when it comes to Cooper Flagg, it’s arguable whether the Raptors ever had a shot at that kind of pestilence. Even if they were to have been Jazz-level shameless in hunting losses. The talent gap between these Raptors and the Washington Wizards, or these Jazz, is monstrous, even given Toronto’s parade of legitimate injuries throughout the season. So maybe toeing the line is the best choice anyway. It makes for tenable basketball. 

At least we on the Raptors beat don’t have to watch the Jazz any more.

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