Raptors Roundup: Endless zones, signature wins, and a quintessential Quickley game
Welcome to Raptors Roundup! A weekly recap of everything going on in the world of the Toronto Raptors.
What a road-trip. Man this was some of the most fun basketball the Raptors have played in years. First with a historic win over the Golden State Warriors, then rolling through the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trailblazers before heading to Oklahoma City to take on the reigning champion Thunder, toppling them in a down-to-the-wire team win. The Raptors finished the road trip 4-0, and the morale is higher than ever. People calling for a Scottie Barnes DPOY, expectations for the season shifting, and fan morale has never been higher. Let’s dive in to the Raptors’ road trip, which began in the Bay area.
Mourning Warriors fall to rolling Raptors 145-127
Immanuel Quickley. The most efficient forty point game of all-time. Call five is alive. Seven of eight from beyond the arc, hitting catch-and-shoot threes with incredible precision. Eleven free throws, all hand-crafted, bending defenders to his will. Quickley had the game of his life and the result was historic. His performance started early, spurring the Raptors to a 41-28 first quarter leveraged by Scottie Barnes’ relentless pursuit of the rim and Brandon Ingram’s silky-smooth jumpers.
I started to feel bad. Less than 24 hours before, Jimmy Butler had crumpled to the ground, the result of a torn ACL, ending his season and the Warriors championship aspirations. The team was mourning, re-evaluating their season’s expectations, contemplating the end of the Stephen Curry era. Speaking of which, Curry missed threes in ways I’ve never seen him miss. An airball. Another careening off the glass, no rim. He was out of it too.
Sandro Mamukelashvili poured on the pain, adding two threes. Then Quickley back in, opening the flood gates, hitting his fourth three of the half. Finally Curry got one to drop, pulling the Warriors within twenty at the half.
The second half saw the Warriors mount a comeback, not surprising considering they do have the greatest shooter of all time. What was surprising was that Curry hardly played a role in their comeback attempt, playing only eight minutes in the second half, all in the third quarter. Instead it was the oft-benched Jonathan Kuminga, rising from the ashes of Butler’s injury, scoring twenty points in the half. Topped only by Buddy Hield, hitting three triples in less than three minutes in the fourth. At one point the lead was cut to single digits, with five minutes still on the clock. Still, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr elected to keep Curry on the bench. Relying on those who brought them to that point to close it out.
Unfortunately the Raptors once again found the mark, Ingram splashing a three. Then Quickley, getting two feet in the paint, drawing help, then pivoting and shoveling a pass out to Mamukelashvili on the wing, draining another from beyond the arc. While the road is often bumpy, the Raptors always seem capable of knocking down shots when they count. And in this case knocked down enough shots to set a franchise record in points. Not a bad night.
Top Performers:
- Immanuel Quickley – 40 PTS, 2 REB, 10 AST, 2 STL, 11-13 FG, 7-8 3FG, 11-11 FT, +1 +/-
- Scottie Barnes – 26 PTS, 7 REB, 11 AST, 12-18 FG, 0-1 3FG, 2-2 FT, +10 +/-
- Sandro Mamukelashvili – 14 PTS, 12 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 5-8 FG, 4-4 3FG, +3 +/-
Kings’ zone frenzy not enough to hold Raptors down
This game was fully defined by the Kings’ rampant use of a zone defense, an obstacle the Raptors have yet to figure out. It’s crazy really, a high school defense has left the Raptors helpless far too often. Opposing teams have picked up on it, and now you can bet that the Raptors will see zone every single night. Defeating a zone defense relies on two things: outside shooting, and getting the ball into the heart of it. The Raptors can’t rely on their shooting, so they instead try and dissect the defense from the inside-out. Using Barnes as a hub in the middle.
After struggling against the zone in the first half, the Raptors ultimately solved it in the third, more with force than craft. Scottie Barnes took control of the middle and scored 14 of his tied team-high 23 points as Toronto won the quarter 43-21…
- Ian Finlayson – Raptors recover to strong-arm Kings’ zone, pull off road win
Even after rattling off a 12-3 run to start the game, when the Kings went to zone, the lead evaporated. Things were slow, ugly, and disjointed for Toronto. But after Barnes’ big third quarter, they had little issue the rest of the way. Jamal Shead hit back-to-back threes, pushing the lead to seven. The Kings put together a short comeback attempt late in the fourth but it was cut off at it’s knees by a scoring burst from the Raptors, capped off by a one dribble pull-up from Quickley.
Even though he didn’t play, there’s been lots of discussion about the Raptors’ potential interest in Kings’ big man Domantas Sabonis. Not to add any flames to the fire, but he and Raptors’ head coach Darko Rajakovic shared a moment after this matchup. While I do believe Sabonis wouldn’t be a bad player for Toronto’s system, if you’re trading multiple starters (which you have to do), he’s not worth it. Would much rather see other moves around the edges be made at this point in the season.
Top Performers:
- Scottie Barnes – 23 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST, 4 STL, 1 BLK, 8-17 FG, 1-3 3FG, 6-6 FT, +8 +/-
- Sandro Mamukelashvili – 22 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST, 8-14 FG, 3-8 3FG, 3-4 FT, +15 +/-
- Brandon Ingram – 23 PTS, 3 REB, 4 AST, 7-15 FG, 3-5 3FG, 6-6 FT +13 +/-
Raptors overcome slow start to blaze new trails, win 110-98
This game was a slow burn, a veryyyy slow burn. The first quarter ended with a paltry 19-12 score. Both sides couldn’t find the bottom of the net until Mamukelashvili finally got the lid off with a corner three off an offensive rebound. He and Quickley were the only players really able to get anything going as they combined for 15 of the 19 in the frame.
The second quarter saw an offensive boost, both teams scored 31 points and the Raptors had six players contribute offensively. RJ Barrett scored 8 of his 10 points in the second, muscling his way through the paint for his signature floater before tipping in a last second missed jumper from Barnes’ to maintain a seven-point lead. For the Blazers it was the London, Ontario native Shaedon Sharpe who kept their offense chugging, scoring thirteen points in the quarter.
The third quarter saw the Blazers regain some ground behind Jrue Holiday’s turn-back-the-clock performance. He pulled up for a three over a late contest from Barnes and then was left wide-open for another right after. Heading in to the fourth it was a tight contest, the Raptors leading by just two points.
Lately though, the fourth quarter has been Barnes’ time to shine. And in this one he shone bright:
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.
I can’t leave this game recap without mentioning just how incredible the two post plays Barnes made on Clingan truly were. Clingan looked absolutely massive against the Raptors, he stands at seven-foot-two but looked even bigger against the team’s diminished front court. Barnes’ gusto going at him in the waning minutes like that was a sight to behold, and it’s the mentality that has taken Barnes to the next level this season.
Top Performers:
- Sandro Mamukelashvili – 22 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 9-15 FG, 3-6 3FG, 1-2 FT, +25 +/-
- Immanuel Quickley – 20 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST, 2 STL, 9-15 FG, 2-4 3FG, +9 +/-
- Scottie Barnes – 15 PTS, 9 REB, 4 AST, 6 BLK, 6-15 FG, 0-2 3FG, 3-4 FT +9 +/-
Team-best performance dethrones champion Thunder 103-101
Wow wow wow. This was the win of the year. What’s even more impressive is that no individual player played a masterpiece game. The team as a unit however, ran in perfect harmony. All filling in, in places where others fell short. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Incredible stuff.
Toronto’s defensive gameplan saw immaculate commitment from its players. The plan was to swarm the middle, help early and often, and only recover to some shooters, not all. Players like Lu Dort, Jaylin Williams, Cason Wallace, and Kenrich Williams saw half-hearted closeouts if at all. Some of those resulted in burns — Dort hit four triples in the first half — but the tactic saw the four combine to shoot 4-of-12 in total in the first half
There were multiple stretches in this game where it seemed like the Thunder would run away with it. Something we’ve seen them do countless times to other teams this season. In the first quarter the Thunder went up six after Aaron Wiggins hit a corner three, but then Barrett countered with a three of his own. In the third quarter a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spinning layup put the Thunder up five, but then Gradey Dick smacked a corner three to pull within two. In the fourth, the Thunder went on a 7-0 run, or rather Kenrich Williams did. First by drilling a three after the ball pinged around surgically, finding his hands before landing in the bottom of the net. Then, Rajakovic challenged an out-of-bounds call that somehow resulted in two free throws for Williams instead. After Ingram air-balled a jumper of his own, Williams pulled up for a middy over him, bottoms. The Thunder pulling ahead by six.
With under five minutes remaining, the Thunder led by five. It seemed clear that Gilgeous-Alexander would do what he does best, controlling the pace and leading his team to victory. And he tried, but Ja’Kobe Walter was shadowing his every movement, keeping the ball out of his hands.
And then a call must have come from inside the building, a call to end the game. A call for Five. Shead drove through the lane, kicking out to Walter, who quickly swung to Ingram, using the momentum of the rotating defense to start a drive of his own, sucking in the defense before spraying a pass to a wide open Quickley who nailed the three. 98-97. Wiggins missed a three of his own. Then Shead, rejecting an Ingram screen, getting two feet into the heart of the defense, drawing two help defenders, finding Quickley in the exact same spot as before, and whap, the ball flying through the net. 101-97.
The Thunder pulled within two after an air-ball three landed in Chet Holmgren’s hands and he easily flipped it in. The clock now winding down Ingram missed a jumper to potentially seal the game, but after Barnes ERASED a Holmgren pull-up on the other end, the Raptors were firmly in the driver’s seat. Shead was intentionally fouled, but missed both. Luckily for him, Barnes came up clutch once again, tipping the offensive rebound out to Quickley, who drained both free throws to seal the win.
Despite a relatively poor scoring game from Barnes, his two plays at the end represent the winning plays he makes that few players can. Quickley on the other hand, was an elite closer in this one, drilling two of his six threes to put the Thunder away. Season-defining win.
Top Performers:
- Immanuel Quickley – 23 PTS, 11 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 7-14 FG, 6-10 3FG, 3-4 FT, +2 +/-
- Scottie Barnes – 10 PTS, 11 REB, 8 AST, 1 STL, 3 BLK, 3-8 FG, 0-2 3FG, 4-4 FT, +15 +/-
- RJ Barrett – 14 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL, 6-12 FG, 2-3 3FG, +2 +/-
Raptor of the week: Immanuel Quickley
I mean, who else could it be? Quickley was phenomenal on this road-trip, though don’t call it a hot streak. And it’s not just that he’s shooting better (though he is shooting much better), he’s also getting deeper on drives, creating more and better assists, getting to the free-throw line, and last night played excellent defense and secured a season-high 11 rebounds. His play this week is exactly what the Raptors needed from him, and it began with a shift into a role he’s better suited for, an off-the-ball microwave. Quickley began the week with the most efficient forty point game of all-time, and it was with Shead as his backcourt running mate, most of his threes came off the catch. By the end of the week, it was two catch-and-shoot threes that sealed the win over the Thunder. He’s shooting with confidence, and with less of a burden to create for others. That’s the winning recipe that led to his best week as a Raptor, and this Raptor of the week award.
On the week Quickley averaged 25.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per game while shooting 61.1% from the field, 61.5% from three, and 95% from the free throw line. That efficiency is absolutely insane, and while unsustainable, if we can get this version of Quickley more often he will live up to the huge contract he was awarded upon arrival.
Current Raptor of the Week standings:
- Scottie Barnes – 4 times
- Brandon Ingram – 2 times
- Collin Murray-Boyles – 2 times
- Immanuel Quickley – 1 time
- Ja’Kobe Walter – 1 time
Looking Ahead
Wednesday, January 28th – Knicks @ Raptors | 7:30pm ET on Sportsnet
Friday, January 30th – Raptors @ Magic | 7:30pm ET on TSN
Sunday, February 1st – Jazz @ Raptors | 6:00pm ET on Sportsnet
Record Prediction: 2-1, I still don’t think the Raptors have an answer for elite big men, and the Knicks have Karl Anthony-Towns. Also they have not been able to slow Brunson down either, with this being the first game back after a long west coast road trip I wouldn’t be surprised if they drop it.
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Raptors Roundup, thank you for reading! Have a whimsical week!
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