At least the Raptors aren’t boring … as they lose to bottom-dweller Pelicans

The Toronto Raptors finally broke their cycle. The last time they beat a team above them in the standings, or lost to one below them, was on January 30, when they lost to the then-below-them Orlando Magic. It had been chalk, chalk, chalk since then, until tonight’s loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. It is ironic that after Toronto’s loss, the Magic have now passed the Raptors in the standings.

If anything, Toronto’s lackadaisical game was defined by compartmentalized and isolated segments. They had little in common.

First came the havoc. When the Raptors’ bench entered the game in the first quarter, things became hectic. When he was on the court, Gradey Dick largely defined how Toronto played, for better or worse. He took a charge. (Good!) Then jab-stepped from the corner, drove middle, stepped back to the elbow, and drilled a jumper. (Good!) Gave up a blowby and missed a pull-up triple on a zero-pass possession. (Bad!) Jamal Shead missed a pull-up triple on a zero-pass possession of his own on the very next possession. Dick stole the ball and found a layup.

In the second quarter, that havoc morphed into the time of Dick. He gave up a blowby but was helped by Scottie Barnes, who erased Zion Williamson at the rim. Dick isolated on Yves Missi and was annihilated. 

Then came the time of the triples. (Not necessarily made triples.) Barnes hit a corner triple, then Dick almost airballed one from the other corner. Immanuel Quickley and Sandro Mamukelashvili hit some triples. Ja’Kobe Walter airballed one. Barnes missed one from above the break after looking to pass and seeing no one open. Initially, the shots were created by sound offensive principles and paint touches. Eventually, there was little going on in Toronto’s offence, so lofting jumpers at the rim seemed the best option. 

Then it was time for Brandon Ingram. He gathered a steal, then drew some free throws. Turned it over on a bad pass after trying to score. Hit a triple. He stole the ball and dunked in transition. He stole the ball, slowed down in the open floor, and promptly turned it over because he didn’t know a defender was coming from behind.

The whole while, through all the milieus of basketball, the Pelicans kept pace. Dejounte Murray drove past most defenders and sparked strong offensive possessions. When Mamukelashvili played center, the Raptors struggled to defend in a shell and were forced to rotate far too much, giving up good looks at the end of the shot clock. Trey Murphy III hit triples, both easy and hard. Toronto’s transition defence slipped, giving up alley-oop dunks. A poor offence scored 60 first-half points against a good defence.

And so the Raptors entered the second half down. This, at least, is something out of the ordinary for the Raptors. This, from last night: 

They lose games if there’s any legitimate reason to lose. They usually put up a good fight, but they always play the good soldier and fall in the end. Asteropaios would be proud of them…

There’s little left for the Raptors to learn. If they are the favourite, they will win. If they are the underdog, they will lose. 

At least the Raptors kept it interesting in a game they were supposed to win! Such silver linings remained afloat in the third, as the Pelicans continued to score off turnovers. The Pelicans continued to attack Jakob Poeltl, as Herb Jones hit some uncontested triples when guarded by the Austrian. Murray attacked in transition and curled a layup around a variety of hapless Raptors. When Mamukelashvili entered the game, the Raptors’ defence didn’t improve. Darko Rajakovic turned to Trayce Jackson-Davis, and the Pelicans continued to score in pick and roll.

This, then, was Toronto’s era of humiliation. Frustrated with his team’s play, Ingram threw a wristband late in the third quarter and received a technical. 

The Raptors launched, then, their final era: the time of the fake comeback. Mamukelashvili hit a triple, but Ingram failed to corral a drive and fouled. He may have been frustrated, but he was unable to boost his team’s play. Shead and Ingram found some triples of their own, as Toronto’s defence finally found its footing and was able to maintain its integrity in the face of drives.

Toronto was down only 10 points entering the final quarter. Quickley immediately cut it to seven with a triple, and the Raptors turned to a zone defence, leading to a turnover. RJ Barrett scurried to a layup in the fourth. Barnes’ defence remained brilliant. Jamison Battle, Toronto’s mandated closer, hit a triple.

The Raptors made a game of it, at the very least. They cut it to two. But Murray poured in mid-rangers over Mamukelashvili, or drove past him and opened the glass for tip-ins. Meanwhile, Toronto created strong triples for Quickley and Mamukelashvili, who missed them. After Toronto’s manic flurry, the lead was once again 10, and Toronto’s comeback was once again proved fake. They never got close again.

At least the Raptors surprised us against the Pelicans? We know they are going to lose to better teams. Perhaps they’ll lose to worse teams, too? It’s hard to blame a single Raptor. None played well enough.

The Raptors are now positioned to try to reach the playoffs through the play-in tournament. They are falling in the standings. They have also been, compared to most other teams, quite healthy, so it’s not like they have an enormous influx of talent waiting on the horizon. Their schedule remains dastardly going forward. Things look bleak.

Murray hit a dagger over Shead after crossing him to the ground, then walked over and screamed in his face. Quickley walked over to say something calmly, but in truth no Raptor bothered to defend one of the team’s off-court leaders.

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