Raptors Roundup: Remarkable rookies, moral victories, and Quickley saves the day
Welcome to Raptors Roundup! A weekly recap of everything going on in the world of the Toronto Raptors.
In Week 12, the Raptors finished with a 3-1 record, securing wins over the Hawks, Hornets, and 76ers while falling to the Celtics in what can be described as a ‘moral’ victory. Throughout the week the Raptors demonstrated high level basketball even with multiple starters in and out of the lineup. Each game this week more starters seemed to go down with injury. Against the Atlanta Hawks, nearly everyone was available, save Jakob Poeltl. But then things got tough, Brandon Ingram jammed his thumb early against the Charlotte Hornets and Scottie Barnes sprained his knee late in the same game. Both would go on to miss Friday’s clash with the Boston Celtics. Then to pile on, RJ Barrett, the hero of the Hornets game, and one of the sole sources of offense remaining, exited Friday’s matchup with an ankle sprain. Which meant that we were looking at a potential matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers with Immanuel Quickley as the only starter remaining.
Luckily, that wasn’t the case, Barnes made his return and dominated the undermanned 76ers. More on that later. For now, let’s rewind to the beginning of the week where the Raptors took on a Hawks team just two nights before they traded Trae Young.
Well-balanced attack topples Hawks, Raptors win 118-100
If I could choose one opponent for the Raptors to play every game all season long, it would undoubtedly be the Atlanta Hawks. This win marked the Raptors fourth win of the season over the Hawks, and completed the season sweep. Every game these two teams play, the Raptors offense runs like a well-oiled machine, and this matchup saw everyone get involved.
Stat #1: 17% of the Raptors’ wins this year are against the Atlanta Hawks
The ball was zipping around, and seven Raptors scored in double digits and the entire starting lineup each had 16 or more points. Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles dominated on both ends of the court, scoring 17 points, grabbing 7 boards, throwing 7 dimes and picking up 5 stocks. In my second half look-ahead, I set a goal for Murray-Boyles to make an all-rookie team. His impact is undoubtedly top-10 rookie material, and now he’s putting up the box score stats to really jump into those conversations.
Toronto led wire-to-wire in this matchup, and finished the game with their biggest lead of the night. Ingram continued his efficient scoring with turnaround jumpers to go alongside three makes from deep. Barnes nearly had a triple double and it seemed that any player that touched the court was able to get buckets.
Thoughts on the Trae Young trade: Though he didn’t play in this one, the air around the Hawks has grown stale with Young around. There’s an unspoken awkwardness in these public trade sagas, and though the package Atlanta received was underwhelming, moving on as fast as possible was the right move. If you want more insight into why the package was practically nothing, I wrote my thoughts on why Young may be a relic in the modern NBA.
Top Performers:
- Collin Murray-Boyles – 17 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST, 3 STL, 2 BLK 8-10 FG, 0-1 3FG, 1-2 FT, +24 +/-
- Scottie Barnes – 18 PTS, 8 REB, 10 AST, 8-16 FG, 0-3 3FG, 2-2 FT, +7 +/-
- Brandon Ingram – 19 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 8-14 FG, 3-5 3FG, +22 +/-
Quickley saves the day against Hornets, Raptors win 97-96
I don’t think I’ve ever seen the online discourse on a player flip as fast as it did on Wednesday night when Quickley hit the game winner. Before that shot, the discussion was all about Quickley’s (and the team’s) rough shooting night and how easily Quickley had allowed Lamelo Ball to the rim on the second last possession. All of the complaints and woes were quickly (no pun intended) forgotten after Quickley hit just the 11th game winning buzzer beater in Raptors’ history.
Now, it’s not to say that one shot completely changed the outlook on Quickley’s season, but hitting a game winning shot will certainly shift people’s attitude in the short term. While it was Quickley who ultimately won the game for the Raptors, it was Barrett who put the team on his back and carried them most of the way there. In the fourth quarter, with no Ingram, and no Barnes, Barrett worked the Hornets defense for 16 points. Each shot he took was with increasing difficulty, culminating in a fade away jumper with 20 seconds remaining. It came on a drive against the rookie Kon Knueppel, who Barrett managed to beat off the dribble, driving down to the rim before pump faking, sending the rookie flying. Miles Bridges, sensing the danger of the Barrett drive (as he had scored 14 points just before) was there to help immediately. Barrett turned, paused, and faded, nearly losing his balance as the ball floated its way through the net.
The rest, as they say, was history. After allowing Ball to easily score, putting the Hornets up by two, the Raptors set up for a sideline out of bounds out of the Darko Rajakovic timeout. Quickley received the pin down screen from Barnes, and curled his way towards the inbounding Mamukelashvili, catching and turning all in one motion, firing up the three and watching as it flew through the air. At this point Quickley was 2-10 from deep, but with just enough space to get the shot off he watched it as it made its way to the net, by some miracle finding it’s way through the bottom. Raptors win. Quickley had saved the day. Hornets-Raptors game continue their streak of absurdity.
Top Performers:
- RJ Barrett – 28 PTS, 7 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL 12-25 FG, 1-7 3FG, 3-5 FT, -1 +/-
- Immanuel Quickley – 21 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 8-18 FG, 3-11 3FG, 2-4 FT, +3 +/-
- Collin Murray-Boyles – 4 PTS, 15 REB, 3 AST, 1-3 FG, 0-1 3FG, 2-2 FT, +2 +/-
Short-handed Raptors fall to Celtics, 117-125
If you count moral victories for something (I do), this was the epitome of the term and showcased the Raptors’ grit without their stars. Without Barnes, Ingram, or Poeltl the Raptors did an excellent job keeping pace with the Celtics.
Mathematically, the Raptors path to success without their star wings was to out shoot the Celtics, a tall task considering Boston as a team takes the second most threes per game. Still, that was likely the only way they were going to win, and so they fired up 47 on the night, shooting 19 more than Boston. Unfortunately, they only made 4 more despite the large attempt difference, and Boston got to the free-throw line far more (well, Jaylen Brown did at least) than Toronto and were able to sneak away with the eight point win.
Given Toronto’s injuries, my hopes for this game weren’t very high, and when Boston pushed their lead to 20 in the third quarter I thought for sure the game was over. Ja’Kobe Walter, on the other hand, had other ideas. He hit three from deep in the fourth quarter, and scored 11 points overall. He and Sandro Mamukelashvili (11 points in the fourth) kept Toronto fighting, but a few trips to the free throw line from Brown, a three from Derrick White, and some deflating shots from Payton Pritchard put the game out of reach.
Still, with no Barnes or Ingram, the offense managed to score 117 points, seriously impressive stuff. It speaks to the growth the bench has shown as the season has progressed, and to keep fighting after Barrett went down late in the fourth too shows the mental fortitude that playoff teams need to have.
Top Performers:
- Jamal Shead – 13 PTS, 1 REB, 8 AST, 1 BLK, 4-8 FG, 3-6 3FG, 2-2 FT, +2 +/-
- Ja’Kobe Walter – 19 PTS, 6 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK 7-12 FG, 5-9 3FG, -20 +/-
- Immanuel Quickley – 17 PTS, 2 REB, 13 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK 6-16 FG, 4-10 3FG, 1-2 FT, -20 +/-
In wacky finish, Raptors steal win against 76ers, 116-115
The last two Raptors games I’ve attended in person have both gone to overtime, and both have been some of the most insane basketball imaginable. This game against Philadelphia was one of the wackiest, most intense, clutch finishes I’ve ever seen and the energy in the arena matched it.
The Raptors winning this game felt somewhat like a minor miracle given the referees doing everything they could to prevent the victory and Quickley taking years off my life with his decision making towards the end. In the fourth quarter, Quickley started by pulling the Raptors into it before nearly taking them out of it. A pull up three and a missed layup in transition, an airball on the Raptors first attempt at tying the game before overtime, some of the decisions he made boggled the mind. Still, he hit some big time shots and I give kudos to him for that.
For someone that was questionable to play in this one, Barnes left no questions unanswered in his return to action. He was dominant. Getting nearly all his baskets within five feet of the rim, he was an unstoppable force for the Raptors, bullying his way to the basket time and time again. He also hit the game winning free throw, after an and-one was called off by the referees, one of many puzzling calls they made that night.
The support of Murray-Boyles, and G-league standout Alijah Martin was well needed, both young players coming up clutch down the stretch of the game on both ends. Both players were complete disruptors on defense, combining for seven steals and five blocks between them. Without their performances, the Raptors don’t win this game.
Top Performers:
- Scottie Barnes – 31 PTS, 7 REB, 8 AST, 10-19 FG, 1-4 3FG, 10-12 FT, +15 +/-
- Collin Murray-Boyles – 17 PTS, 15 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL, 3 BLK, 7-12 FG, 3-3 FT +5 +/-
- Alijah Martin – 9 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST, 4 STL, 2 BLK, 3-11 FG, 0-3 3FG, 3-4 FT, +9 +/-
Raptor of the Week: Collin Murray-Boyles
With no Poeltl in the lineup, the Raptors needed someone who could rebound and provide an interior presence. And though he stands at just six-foot-seven, Murray-Boyles plays much, much bigger. With his incredible performances this week he was undoubtedly deserving of the Raptor of the Week award, his defense and rebounding was crucial for an undermanned Raptors squad.
This week Murray-Boyles averaged 11.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 3.8 stocks while shooting 59.4% from the field and 87.5% from the free throw line. One of the cool things about Murray-Boyles is that he isn’t just grabbing open rebounds, he actively creates extra possessions for the Raptors through his offensive rebounding. He always seems to be in the right place to snag the rebound out from under an unsuspecting seven footer. On the defensive end of the floor he is also having one of the best defensive seasons from a Raptors rookie ever, he and Barnes combine to demolish opposing offenses on a nightly basis.
Honourable Mention: The writers that vote on this award also wanted to give an honourable mention to Alijah Martin, who came up from the Raptors 905 and made an immediate impact for the big club. Against Boston he proved himself to Rajakovic, he was fearless driving and played sticky defense. That performance earned him closing minutes against the 76ers on Sunday where he excelled, getting a steal that led to the game tying basket for Toronto. Again, he drove with ferocity (even attempting an absurd dunk on the break) and never backed down on defense even when matched up with Tyrese Maxey, the third leading scorer in the NBA. If he continues to play like this his days in the G-league are numbered.
Current Raptor of the Week standings:
- Scottie Barnes – 4 times
- Brandon Ingram – 2 times
- Collin Murray-Boyles – 1 time
- Ja’Kobe Walter – 1 time
Looking Ahead
Monday, January 12th – 76ers @ Raptors | 7:30pm ET on Sportsnet
Wednesday, January 14th – Raptors @ Pacers | 7:00pm ET on TSN
Friday, January 16th – Clippers @ Raptors | 7:30pm ET on Sportsnet
Sunday January 18th – Raptors @ Lakers | 9:30pm ET on TSN
Record Prediction: Predicting the Raptors record this week is ultimately a fool’s errand, with the uncertainty of injuries in the air they could go 4-0, 0-4, or anywhere in between. I’m going to say that the they end up going 2-2, with losses to the 76ers and Clippers.
That’s it for another week of Raptors Roundup, thank you for reading! Have a wonderful week and go Raptors!
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