Top 10 Raptors Plays of the Week: CMB has a career night in Miami
It’s been two weeks since the last edition of the top 10 Raptors plays of the week, as I decided to skip last week after only having the first meeting between the Raptors and the Heat as the only available game for contention. This week, we had five games to choose from, and Miami appears on the hit list not once, but twice. Shout out to Raptors Nation on YouTube, as he’s the one for highlights if you want to listen to the Raptors commentators.
10. Jakob’s defence leads to offence
This first play came from the opening meeting between the Raptors and Heat, as Poeltl was available for this contest. His defence led to a nice reverse layup on the offensive end after recording his lone block of the game. Poeltl would go on to finish the game with eight points and eight rebounds.
9. Mamu with the tough shot
Our ninth-best play comes at home against the Boston Celtics. Sandro has been getting more run lately due to the injury of Jakob Poeltl and has looked phenomenal in the starting five. He makes a tough runner on one leg against a smaller defender, but Derrick White is known to be one of the best on the defensive end in the league.
8. Scottie soars in the air (VOLUME WARNING TURN DOWN FOR THIS HIGHLIGHT)
This highlight is from the second meeting between the Raptors and Heat. Scottie uses a CMB pick to get a head of steam going to the rim, and he throws down a ferocious dunk that seals the game and hypes up the Raptors bench. Barnes had been struggling coming into this game, but he was phenomenal against Miami with 27 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
7. Scottie puts the nail in the coffin, AGAIN (VOLUME WARNING TURN DOWN FOR THIS HIGHLIGHT)
Once again, it’s Scottie Barnes, at the end of the game, in his hometownof Florida. He hustles and muscles his way into the paint after an offensive rebound, finishes through contact and hits the Miami crowd and players with a little bit of rage bait after the finish. Another good Barnes game in Miami as he finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists with 2 steals and 3 blocks.
6. Sandro fakes out Kevin Porter Jr.
First of all, Kevin Porter Jr. is somehow left on an island here as the Bucks’ defence breaks down. Sandro sees Ingram on the move to the corner and recognizes that KPJ is also going with him, so he hits him with a fake pass and drains the three-pointer right after. Mamu has been lights out lately, in five games as a starter, he’s averaging 16.2 points, 6 rebounds, 3.4 assists per game with 0.6 blocks and 1 steal per game and is also shooting a very efficient 55.4 percent from the field and 50 percent from downtown.
5. Myles Turner, YOU SHALL NOT PASS
November’s defensive player of the month, Scottie Barnes, shows his defensive capabilities on this play as he comes from the perimeter to help out on Bucks big man Myles Turner. Toronto was without Jakob Poeltl yet again for this game, and the Bucks’ bigs did have a good game, but this possession was all Scottie.
4. Dick and one
It’s been a tough time for Gradey Dick for most parts of the season, including this game, but he continues to show flashes of his potential as this baseline double-clutch layup was a beauty. Toronto was holding up well in this contest until the fourth quarter hit, and they lost it 29-16, which made it a final score of 112-96 for the Boston Celtics, who are already up two games to none in a four-game season series.
3. Gradey’s offence to defence
Just like Poeltl, in Miami, Dick’s defensive effort leads to a free run out on the break as he finishes yet another double-clutch layup for an and one. I’m a big fan of the defence to offence plays or vice versa. Dick finished the night on 10 points and 2 steals in this game across 15 minutes of action.
2. Scottie B circus shot
Another Boston Celtics highlight, and it’s Scottie Barnes yet again, as he’s been a highlight machine lately with his flashy plays. Scottie finishes a crazy and one in the paint on a hacking Neemias Queta that fires up the Scotiabank Arena and the bench. He actually struggled in this game as he only had 15 points on 33.3 percent shooting along with 4 turnovers, but that was one nice finish.
1. CMB secures yet another offensive rebound
This one is more about what the play means than the highlight itself, as Collin Murray-Boyles had one heck of a night in Miami. He wins Toronto yet another offensive rebound, resets the play, the ball touches three other Raptors’ hands, and they find an open three from Jamal Shead to seal it off. Great offensive possession, and Boyles ended up recording 11 points, 12 rebounds (career high), 3 steals, 1 block and 9 of the rebounds came on the offensive glass (team high this season). The first double-double of his young career, and this performance came at a time of need for the Raptors, as without Poeltl, the rebounding is usually in favour of the other team, and the bench had been struggling during Toronto’s losing streak, but CMB had enough of all that.
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