Immanuel Quickley hits game winner as Raptors steal one from the Hornets

The Raptors go from a big team to a small team faster than maybe any other team in the NBA. When they start Jakob Poeltl they’re huge. When Poeltl exits the lineup (and with Mo Bamba recently released) the Raptors immediately shrink to a squad without a single player taller than 6-foot-9. Even the Hornets, without their gargantuan rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner, can pivot to Moussa Diabate if they so choose.

So, the Raptors go small. Only, they can’t go small like the original small-ball architects intended. Sandro Mamukelashvili has done a very good job of providing punch and spacing from the frontcourt, but no man is an island. These Raptors don’t shoot the lights out. They try to guard up, bash and smash, and use their mobility even if it doesn’t come with conventional spacing. This has consistently put a burden on the likes of Scottie Barnes (for years now) and now Collin Murray-Boyles to battle with big(ger) boys.

Somehow, the Raptors have continued to piece together wins, to survive on the glass despite this. In fact, they haven’t given up an above average offensive rebounding performance to a single team since Poeltl’s exit against Brooklyn. You can even look at Brandon Ingram’s career high in defensive rebounding and block-percentage, which is borne out of the Raptors needing more around the basket on defense.

All this to say, the Raptors are a team that is easily defined by their forwards. It extends well beyond the stat lines, which they have to stuff of course, and into some of the less measured effort stuff. Scraping, clawing to keep things afloat, and hoping that some of the shot-making elsewhere helps them to tip the scales. We saw this play out in the first half of the Hornets game. The Raptors, led by Barnes (15 points) in scoring and Murray Boyles (6 rebounds) on the glass hung in, down by 5, despite sporting a truly horrific 2-20 line from downtown.

They fought like hell in passing lanes and on ball to force 12 first half turnovers out of the Hornets. They ganged up near the rim and held the Hornets to a 5/13 performance from there. They grabbed more offensive rebounds. They won all of the battle stats. They were just losing the 3-point duel by 24 points.

It didn’t help that Ingram, whose shot making is always welcome in a tight spot (and these Hornets have put the Raptors in plenty of them this season) left the game after 10 minues with a right thumb sprain and did not return.

It’s not as if the 3-point woes were put to rest at halftime either. The Raptors carried 18 straight misses from downtown into the second half, and the Hornets hit their first two looks from deep to put their tally at 12/25. A shot making deficit to rival any that came before it.

Even as the Hornets torrid 3-point pace slowed, the Raptors didn’t find its feet. The sprint to the end of the third quarter featured traded runs. Basically, whoever was able to get stops and run out could win the corresponding minutes. A game of tug of war, motivated by effort. The refs were allowing a pretty good deal of contact and both sides indulged in the physicality.

Somewhere in the shuffle, the Raptors backcourt picked them up. After a very strugglesome start to the game (and especially for Barrett), the pairing of former Knicks started to score with consistency. It’s not as if the shots got a whole lot easier. It was still a lot of pitch, assess, create. Pitch, assess, create. Only, instead of failing to score… they managed it. Barrett started 2/12 and en route to putting the Raptors up by 3 in the middle of the fourth quarter, put together an 8/9 shooting stretch. Quickley had a triple and a layup in this stretch as well. Firmly in the mix of it all, Murray-Boyles quietly nabbed his career high in rebounds. Not taking many shots, but giving the Raptors extra possession after extra possession to work with.

The Raptors gave themselves a chance to finish. They gave their backcourt a chance to finish.

It was Barrett who dragged them, with isolation buckets on Kon Knueppel, to a 2-point deficit with 1.6 seconds left. It was Barnes who set the screen, Mamu as the trigger man inbounder.

“I usually say Call 5 but it was Call God on that one.” – Immanuel Quickley

Quickley sprinted up court, with a slight curve toward the ball and loaded up… expeditiously to let the ball fly from downtown, and for the win.

With that shot, the Raptors only lost the 3-point battle by 21 points. Turns out, they just need it not to be 24. Despite missing the shot making all game, it was a fantastic bit of shot making that delivered them the win. All the smash and bash hoops. All the defense and hustle. It put them in the position they needed.

Never a normal game against the Hornets.

Have a blessed day.

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