Raptors put up fight against Spurs, lose a close one

Last night the Toronto Raptors gave one of the best teams in the NBA a run for their money. The Victor Wembanyama led San Antonio Spurs currently sit at second in the west and they are regarded by everyone as a contender. Although Toronto did not pull out the win, they did show glimpses of being a great team, and they showed why their defense is such a force to be reckoned with. This was a close game all the way to the final buzzer, but a few key plays led to San Antonio holding on and pulling out the win.

Wembanyama was kept in check for the majority of the night, and it was Raptors rookie sensation Collin Murray-Boyles who led the charge against the Texas phenom. CMB was very physical with him, using his size and frame to push Wembanyama out of the paint, and make him uncomfortable when he tried to attack off the dribble. Wembanyama may have had the height advantage in this matchup, but CMB had the size advantage, and he knew it. A thumb injury limited CMB to just 15 minutes, but Wembanyama was still kept in check throughout the game, at least on offense. 

Defensively, Wembanyama did what the entire world knows he can do, and he did it during all of his minutes. Toronto leaned heavily on midrange jumpers due to the looming Frenchman in the paint. Brandon Ingram, a notable midrange artist, was comfortable with this development, as he is used to finding pockets in the midrange area to rise up for jumpers. Wembanyama would sag off of his man in order to roam into the paint to help, so Toronto knew their best bet would be baseline and free throw line extended mid range shots, which Scottie Barnes and Ingram provided. 

Devin Vassell was a constant thorn in the Raptors side, whenever the ball found him he was cashing in a jumper. He went 5-6 from three and he knocked down plenty of mid range looks as well. Immanuel Quickley looked very comfortable last night, Jakob Poeltl being healthy and moving well, he was setting great screens for him to get downhill, and he was running handoffs to get downhill and get to the floater as well. 

This was Poeltl’s best game since he returned from his back injury, he was moving very well on both ends of the floor, and he just looked like the Poeltl of old for a night. He put in plenty of putbacks and short push shots, and Toronto really needed this release valve offense. 

Things were looking great for Toronto headed into the fourth quarter, they had amassed a 12-point lead, taking advantage of the non-Wembanyama minutes. Rajakovic opened the fourth with a lineup of Jamal Shead, Sandro Mamukelashvilli, Murray-Boyles, RJ Barrett, and Ja’Kobe Walter and this lineup did not have the offensive capabilities to extend Toronto’s lead. San Antonio closed the gap on the lead during the early goings of the 4th quarter, they began to put together stops and they were finally hitting their threes. 

The closing sequence of this game was like a fight between two heavyweights, both swinging with all they have in order to turn the tide of the battle in their favor. After a contested corner three from Wembanyama, it was Poeltl who got the game within one possession with a couple of rim looks that Toronto needed desperately. After a mad closeout from RJ Barrett, De’Aaron Fox ran off the line, recovered a loose ball and put in a floater from behind the backboard which miraculously dropped in as light as a feather. 

When Fox tried to use his blistering speed to extend San Antonio’s lead further, Barnes stopped in and not only contained his drive, but he ripped the ball out of his hands with force, as if he was ripping the game itself away from the Spurs. This amazing play triggered a fast break and Ingram dished it to Poeltl for what seemed like a good look for a reverse layup. Wembanyama met Poeltl on the other side of the rim and snatched this layup off the glass and took back control of this game. 

What followed was a battle of free throws, Toronto missed some and San Anonio missed some, and when it was all done, Toronto had a chance to tie the game with a three. Darko Rajakovic called a brilliant out-of-bounds play which led to Ingram flying to the opposite corner where he had a pretty good look for a three after a great pass by Mamu. This three clanked off the side of the backboard after Ingram was forced to reload and with that, the game was over.

Although they lost, it is games like this that give you hope for what this team can do. San Antonio is on a different level team-wise than Toronto, but for a night, Toronto showed that they can hang with the league’s best.

The post Raptors put up fight against Spurs, lose a close one first appeared on Raptors Republic.