Have the Raptors figured out their Clutch Offense?
From Louis’ piece:
“He’s going through pain, he’s going through sickness at this time,” said Rajakovic of Barnes after the game. “But he showed up big. He showed up to the game… and he completely emptied the tank today.”
So the Raptors saved their soul in this soul-defining game. It took heroics, it took Shead, and it took defence. But it happened. A microcosm: Barnes fumbled away an uncontested dunk with seconds left, but Quickley gathered a rebound moments later, pushed, and dunked with one second left.
For the first time in what feels like weeks, the Raptors managed to face difficulty and overcome it. They had been outplayed for much of the night. They had seen Green get hot and hit some outrageous jumpers. But they didn’t fall apart. They didn’t settle for competitiveness.
An Ingram isolation worked. Barrett drew an offensive foul on Booker, then hit a corner triple. (What was going through your head after that shot? he was asked. “A lot of profanity.”) Their defence clamped down upon Phoenix. Ingram found another bucket. He finished with 36 points, all vital. The Raptors scratched and clawed rather than hit home runs, but their fingernails were just sharp enough.
The Raptors pushed their demise down the road. A challenge met, and a challenge overcome. It wasn’t pretty, but it was the best thing that has happened to the Raptors in weeks. And perhaps, just perhaps, it can constitute a turning point right when the Raptors are in desperate search of one.”
“The improvement in Barrett’s play is coming at a key time as the Raptors have just 19 games remaining in the regular season, they’ll need him to be this good to maintain their playoff seeding and if they want any chance of winning a series, he’s an essential component.
Current Raptor of the Week standings:
- Scottie Barnes – 5 times
- Brandon Ingram – 3 times
- Immanuel Quickley – 2 times
- Ja’Kobe Walter – 2 times
- Collin Murray-Boyles – 2 times
- RJ Barrett – 1 time“
Have a blessed day.
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