Quick Reaction: Raptors 118, Spurs 125

Battle played like Agbaji last game. As soon as he started to heat up, he found other ways to launch. He came off a flair screen, threw a boomerang pass to Shead, and splashed. In the second, when San Antonio started to run him off the line, he resorted to his mid-range. Then, in the third, he used the gravity of his mid-range to draw two out, and found Mogbo for the easy flush. His biggest 3 ball came in the fourth when he capitalized on a second-chance opportunity. His quick release will continue to help this franchise in 2025-26.

He scored in bunches even if he shouldn’t have played 37 minutes. He scored in every way possible – down low, a fadeaway over Sandro in the post, turnaround baseline jumpers, you name it. He had at least two great hit-ahead passes, too: one to Shead off a defensive board and another to Castleton. He was on the court to bail the Raptors out, and almost did that. My only complaint is his constant arguing with the refs. There was one specifically where he kept arguing at a non-call even after the team got back on the defensive end of the floor.

He’s always willing to push his comfort zone. He attempted 3s, blew a two-handed dunk, but also worked on his dribble drive. His coast-to-coast play, where he dished the ball off to Barnes, was impressive – he wasn’t afraid to put the ball on the deck and make decisions.

He had a quiet 14 points. He applied ball pressure in the game, even on that moment-shifting triple by Keldon Johnson. Agbaji played solid D, contesting that shot.

He did a great job setting up his teammates, even guys like Castleton. He continues to make the effective yet simple play – attacking the paint, then touching it, and either dumping the pass off or spraying to his teammates.

It took him a while to get going. He showed great decision-making inside the arc after catching the hit-ahead pass from Barnes. He took it all the way inside and drew the and-1. He also made the right choice to dribble from the short corner and post Champagnie up, which ended in a splendid left hook. He’s still learning, however. He seemed confused when setting a pick for Shead in the fourth. Also, he made a big mistake defensively – either he didn’t get the memo or was a step too slow in reacting to Wesley cutting from the wing, which allowed an easy bucket.

Hit two important free throws in the fourth quarter. Half of his points came from the line. Defensively, there was one specific play where he got completely owned by none other than the older statesman, CP3, where he pushed Lawson away like a pylon. Let’s hope Lawson gets stronger in the off-season.

Let’s hope his knee is ok.

He didn’t have a choice but to play Barnes for that long. Temple was out early and Castleton fouled out of the game. One notable part of him coaching Game 82 was his passion, his furiousness at a missed defensive assignment when the game was still 14-12. Battle’s failure to guard the corner 3 led to an easy Harrison Barnes triple, and he immediately called the timeout. Hopefully, the focus on defence towards the end of the season will set the foundation for next season.