Raptors snap Trail Blazers’ win streak in RJ’s return

The trend continues. The Raptors are now 17-7 when RJ Barrett is in the lineup.

They snapped Portland’s four-game win streak after a convincing 110-98 victory on the road.

Barrett had 10 points in his return, but it was fourth-quarter Scottie that really separated the Raptors from the Trail Blazers. Barnes had 11 points on 4-6 shooting and two offensive boards in the final frame. 

His biggest play was a put back lay-up after grabbing IQ’s missed 3-pointer. That put the Raptors up 10 points with 2:38 left. Since Mamu was the only real 5 for the Raptors, Barnes took on that load by going at Donovan Clingan. In the fourth, he used his hips to get into him and threw down an easy dunk. He got even deeper in the paint and gave Clingan a low post footwork clinic. It wasn’t all just scoring either; Scottie touched the paint and had a nice dish into Mamu.

But all-around scoring in the fourth contributed to the Raptors’ win. Mamu had nine; IQ, five; and a triple from Jamison Battle. Last night, Brandon Ingram deferred to his teammates and they didn’t need to rely on his late-game heroics.

IQ came out swinging in the first quarter – making all three of his shots inside and knocked down a triple, starting with a perfect 4-4 from the field (game total: 20 points on nine-for-15 shooting). 

Gradey Dick and Ochai Agbaji contributed 20 points off the bench. Dick had an all-around excellent game. Caleb Love tried to attack him in isolation, but Love got locked down and was forced into turning the ball over. In the second quarter, Dick passed on a 3-point look and attacked the basket, finishing with a nice finger roll before hitting a triple. When Dick hit his second triple, Matty D couldn’t contain his excitement for him. He followed up with a running dunk in transition. 

Jonathan Mogbo made a brief cameo appearance, and had a solid defensive play at the end of the first half as the instrumental version of Diddy’s “I Need A Girl (Pt. 2)” blasted through the arena speakers. He went over the screen to guard Jermani Grant and funneled him into Scottie, who swatted the ball away. On this particular play, Mogbo’s D was just as impressive as Dick’s earlier. 

As the game progressed, the Raptors got better at neutralizing (or controlling damage from) Clingan. He had easy buckets off screens set for Jrue Holiday, but by the third, the Raptors showed little fear of the 7-foot-2 big man. Barnes set the tone as he miraculously changed hands mid-air to block him. It was an incredible feat. Offensively, BI and IQ went at Clingan. The Raptors were concerned, however, with Toumani Camara’s shooting (4-8 shooting from downtown) and Shaedon Sharpe’s explosiveness – he scored 21 points and got inside the paint at will. 

Though many players were missing from this game, the tit-for-tats added excitement to this late-night West Coast game. Agbaji set a solid Gortat screen for IQ who finished with a crafty lay-up. Clingan did the same for Sharpe moments later. Towards the end of the first half, IQ shot an ill-advised triple to force a 2-for-1 play. Love shot an equally tough 3, but buried it in Jamal Shead’s face. In the third, Ingram turned the ball over, then got the steal on defence, and then went right at Clingan. 

It was ultimately Scottie who helped put the Raptors’ stamp on this game, but RJ’s return, as well as everybody contributing, helped keep the team’s winning ways.

The post Raptors snap Trail Blazers’ win streak in RJ’s return first appeared on Raptors Republic.