Raptors wing core leads them to victory over Grizzlies
With no Ja Morant in the lineup for the Grizzlies — because of suspension — no Ty Jerome, and no Scottie Pippen Jr., they were hard up for offensive creation. The first play of the game was a pick n’ roll featuring Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on ball, and Jock Landale as the screener. It resulted in a turnover. Before the game, Coach Darko was talking about “speed paradoxes” and how playing at 100% limits your ability to do things accurately, and how the Raptors have been searching for their 85% and the right amount of pressure. That it takes work to perfect pressure, and how much of it you exert. All this to say, the Raptors, who are relatively healthy and aggressive, were once again in a strong position to try and overwhelm a limited offensive team.
Offensively, they’ve not done a bad job of creating looks or cashing them. Even when they don’t, they run out a lot and create the easier looks in transition. By the time the Raptors had crept their lead up to 8 points (33-25) it was largely a result of good of their transition play. Their pace of play dictates that a lot of points get scored on both sides of the floor, and there’s work to be done in tapering down the defensive side, but Darko has at least figured out some comfy combinations on the offensive side – with Scottie Barnes & Sandro Mamukelashvili, in particular.
Barnes and RJ Barrett powered the Raptors offense early with 10 points a piece. A lot of what the Raptors were trying to accomplish was moving Jaren Jackson Jr. around the defense, into less impactful areas. Get him to slide far enough away, so they could drive the paint. It went pretty poorly in the halfcourt, but as I mentioned before, the easiest way to keep Jackson Jr. away from contesting the rim, is to leave him in the dust as you bust out in transition. On the other side, it was Jackson Jr. creating a lot of the offense through his powerful, herky-jerky drives, but Santi Aldama was also providing a bit of punch attacking gaps that emerged in the Raptors help defense.
Collin Murray-Boyles had a great run in the middle of the second quarter. A couple transition layups — contested ones, that required good touch to finish — and a big lob that he punched from Brandon Ingram after the Grizzlies overloaded the Raptors star on ball. Nice to see considering the Grizzlies were helping off of him and he was 0/3 on his open 3-point looks to that point. That run preceded Ingram’s mini takeover, that came shortly after they showed his girlfriend, Glorilla, on the jumbotron for the Raptors Red Carpet Welcome. Ingram slithered to the bucket for two very creative finishes.
This also brought Barnes, Barrett, Murray-Boyles, and Ingram to 10 points a piece. Ahh, egalitarian hoops. Barrett would hit an And-1 before the half closed (and the refs missed a goaltending call on a CMB dunk unfortunately) to lift the foursome to 43 points on 32 shots. Not immensely efficient, but moving the chains. The Raptors took a 6-point lead into halftime, 53,47.
8-0 runs are always welcome for your favourite team, and the Raptors opened up the second half with one. A playbook staple of theirs — which I’ve diagrammed many times in article, video, tweet fashion — got Ingram a layup from CMB. Ingram also had a wiggle-wiggle-pump-pump and-1 bucket. Barrett drove a switch before collapsing the paint and finding Barnes for his third triple of the game. Good things were happening offensively. And while the Grizzlies didn’t lack for a response as Jackson Jr.’s size and adaptability while driving the ball remained an evergreen threat, and Caldwell-Pope managed to cash two triples in short order as well, Barrett and Ingram were pushing pace and creating look after look for their team to keep the Grizzlies at bay, and even grew the lead to 15 by the mid point of the third quarter. Through some scraping and clawing over the second half of the quarter, the Raptors took a 13-point lead into the final frame.
We got two really great plays from Barrett & CMB to kick off the fourth quarter. Gradey Dick ran an angle pick n’ roll with Barrett as the roller, they shorted it by kicking out to CMB on the wing, who pinged the ball back in to Barrett as the roller for a dunk. The second play was a straight up pnr between Barrett and CMB where the latter caught on the roll for an and1 finish. The start of the fourth quarter was actually, mostly, defined by the young guns on the Raptors. A lot of possessions where Barrett was helping to lead the bench.
When the Grizzlies pulled a little closer — within 7 — the Raptors ran an out screen for Ingram that Barnes eventually turned into a flare for Shead, and he hit a triple for a 4-point play. Great response. Good play, drawn up by Darko. The Grizzlies pulled closer once more, though. Vince Williams had a nice little run as he lost Barnes on a ball fake to shake loose for a floater, and cashed a triple on the next possession. Basketball will never stop being a game of runs.
The Raptors had the most decisive one, and it started with a pick n’ roll that Barnes finished with his left, and was followed by jump stop in the lane from Barrett after a hard nose drive and a pivot before hitting a layup; finally, it was a Barnes scoop layup in transition that made the Grizzlies hit the timeout button with 3 minutes left, and looking at a 10-point deficit. After the timeout, Barnes pushed pace and hit a lefty jump hook over Jackson Jr. to increase the lead to 12. Three straight lefty finishes for Barnes. Unique.
Some ping-ping-ping passing found Ingram for a layup and then a triple. The death knell for the Grizzlies rang out.
This Raptors team leaned on their core of wing players — Barrett, Barnes, and Ingram — to lead them through the fray.
Barrett was the most affecting and composed running the offense to the tune of 27 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
Ingram was timely and clinical as he inserted himself as a shot maker, providing 26 points on 10/15 shooting (with a big block as well).
Barnes was the everything man. Rolling hard, finishing. Taking triples when the Grizzlies were squishing into the paint. Blowing things up on defense, and guiding the Raptors in transition.
Murray-Boyles, well he needs his own piece after a few more games. Great game from the Raptors newly minted rookie.
3-4! We move!
Have a blessed day.
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