Raptors hand keys to Scottie Barnes again in record setting obliteration of Magic
“Small sample size.” was Darko Rajakovic’s response to a question before the game about Scottie Barnes’ run of play as the on ball decision maker of late. So much of the on-ball stuff with Barnes has been diamonds occasionally mined from the rough. Considering Barnes’ coach has proclaimed his star player will be a Finals MVP, the face of the NBA and more, why has the mining been few and far between? Has there been too much rough? Every game without Immanuel Quickley, or any missing initiators of the Raptors offense, is an opportunity for Barnes to prove something.
Without Brandon Ingram out for the game, the first stint was distinctly “Barnes Ball.” with Barnes providing 6 points (off two separate pull up triples) and 3 assists. A very limited offensive run for the team at 14 team points across 14 possessions and almost 7 minutes, yes, but a widening of the sample size that Rajakovic referred to prior to the game. What came after, with a transitional lineup that didn’t feature the Raptors all-star, and then Barnes’ eventual return to the lineup, was a helter-skelter 24-0 run for the Raptors. Fuelled by turnovers, some Sandro Mamukelashvili, and two straight Barnes dunks in transition, the Raptors launched themselves into a huge lead at 38-20. Over 5 minutes of scoreless basketball for the Magic. They had 12 first quarter turnovers.
“It’s tricky because they do such a great job of it.” Coach Jamahl Mosley told me before the game of the Raptors forcing turnovers. “They don’t give you one set way of doing it. One time you can bring the ball up the floor, and you think you’re by yourself and suddenly Scottie’s flying from the baseline to trap the ball. The next time down you’re in the post, you think you’re alone and all of a sudden RJ’s coming to double the ball out of nowhere. There’s not really a full structure to how they do it. They read off each other, they play off each other very well, and they fly around and cover for each other. So, we just needed to make sure we went through as many scenarios as we could before the game. But also, helping our guys understand at any moment, it’s live, so we have to be prepared to be outlets for each other.”
The Raptors kept turning the Magic over, and kept running. At the 9:20 mark of the 2nd quarter they had already accumulated 22 points on the fast break against the Magic’s zero. The Raptors 31-0 run against the Magic across quarters was actually the largest such stretch since the NBA started tracking the stat in 1997. History. Very fast basketball, and a stark contrast to some of the pacing they see with Brandon Ingram. To cite Joe Wolfond’s piece on Ingram & how he’s fit with the Raptors so far: “watching him gradually nudge those possessions along can be like watching someone try to coax honey out of an upturned jar.”
Fast, deep play moved the Raptors through the second quarter against a Magic team that seemed completely inept in terms of stopping them. It was nice to see the 905 guys come in to make a couple jumpers, but the complete inability to track Mamukelashvili as he kept popping up as a cutter to score points in the halfcourt was dumbfounding. In general the Magic were selling out to Raptors players that most good defenses pay very little mind to, and as a result they bled points on the back end. They were staring down a 70-43 deficit at halftime.
Near the start of the 3rd quarter, a play that encapsulated Mosley’s fears about the Raptors manifested. Barnes was containing the ball near the sideline, and Jamal Shead jumped the ball handler. The ball handler panicked and tried to identify an outlet, but Ja’Kobe Walter jumped that pass as well for a pick-6 dunk. Circling sharks. The focus left Barnes. He wasn’t the only straw stirring the drink any longer, despite the fact that he had gone north of 10 assists for the 4th game in a row. The Raptors were getting all the looks they wanted, be it in the half court or in transition. Hell, they ran Poeltl off a screen into the paint for a touch 5 feet from the basket. Basically an unimpeded deep post catch for a 7’1″ player with great touch. How do you allow that without significant resistance? Barnes brought the ball up the floor, hit one small cross and ran to the rim for a dunk. There was no secondary help provided. On a set, half court defensive possession. A few plays later he did it again, only this time for an and-1. Despicable defense.
A 45-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, 113-68. Barnes would set a new career high in assists (15) with 12 minutes of the game remaining. Insanity.
The fourth quarter kicked off with a dunk from Shead where he took off just below the dotted line. Gradey Dick was running high pick n’ roll. Jonathan Mogbo was getting post-ups. AJ Lawson continued to score. The Raptors were playing a pick up game until the buzzer sounded. The Raptors ran away with it by more than 50.
“It really is 905 basketball out there.” – 905 in arena host, Esfandiar Baraheni
Have a blessed day.
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