Raptors film room: Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley clutch vs Thunder

That was the Raptors’ best win of the season. They went into Oklahoma City and beat an (albeit injured) defending champion while missing their two big men. Scottie Barnes had a clutch block 1-on-1 versus Chet Holmgren. Immanuel Quickley knocked down two clutch threes.

The vibes are tremendous, and I broke them down here:

Here’s Louis Zatzman, who agrees with me that that was the Raptors at their best:

Recently, the Thunder haven’t been the unbeatable juggernaut that terrorized the league for the first few months. But they still have been an exceptional team. Though they’ve ‘only’ been 8-4 (now 8-5) since Jan. 1, they’ve still boasted a net rating of plus-9, had a top-five offence and defence, and won the possession game with aplomb. Toronto keeping pace was exceptional. And beating the Thunder at their own game — winning the possession battle, taking care of the ball, controlling the pace — was miraculous. It was a great game plan that was perfectly executed. 

There were moments of winning on the margins that made up the hull of Toronto’s weatherworn boat. Walter — a guard — slipped a screen, caught the ball falling out of bounds, and found Barnes in the dunker spot for a layup. Shead threw a seeing-eye pass to a slipping Mamukelashvili that took an angle I haven’t seen a Raptor point guard attempt since one Kyle Lowry. In the third quarter, he cut baseline on an Ingram post-up, caught it, and slung an immediate behind-the-back pass to Walter for an easy corner triple. Barrett beat three Thunder for an offensive rebound and laid it back in. Those are winning moments from a winning team.

That’s what it takes to beat the champs. Not just beat them. Steal their flow. The Raptors were more Thunder than the Thunder. That reflects exceptionally on everyone, from the coach on down to the stars on down to the role players. This is the type of game that dissuades a front office from making sizeable trades.

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