Is Jamal Shead Leading A New Bench Mob?

The Toronto Raptors lost their 5th straight game tonight against Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons 123-113. Cunningham finished with a triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 17 assists (and eight turnovers) in the win for the Pistons, who are now about .500.

This was the Raptors’ 16th loss in 17 games, and they’re now tied for the second-worst record in the NBA.

That said, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Raptors. They played well, for the most part, before stumbling in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, failing to score a field goal and missing a bunch of free throws to seal the deal for Detroit.

Immanuel Quickley tried to pull off the miraculous, pouring in 25 points but shot 7/20 from the field and forced his looks offensively. Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett combined for 26 points on 9/30 shooting from the field.

The real spark for the Raptors was their bench. Chris Boucher, Bruce Brown, and Jamal Shead combined for 38 of the Raptors’ 42 bench points tonight, with Boucher leading the charge in a 1st quarter comeback.

Still, it felt like the rookie Shead was the real catalyst throughout the night, orchestrating the Raptors’ offense, playing fiesty defense, and looking like a guard worth investing in for Toronto.

Ultimately, Toronto couldn’t stop Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley, who combined to make 11 of their 13 three-point attempts, and Tobias Harris, who contributed 17.

Ochai Agbaji was available for the game but did not play.

If you’d like a more detailed analysis of how Jamal Shead impacted the game or how Barrett and Gradey Dick’s defensive struggles led to the Raptors’ loss, you can watch Esfandiar Baraheni’s full breakdown on the Raptors Republic YouTube Channel and subscribe for more videos like it.

Enjoy!

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