Quick Reaction: Pelicans 106, Raptors 119
| New Orleans Pelicans | 106 – 119 |
Toronto Raptors |
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C+
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B. Ingram 30 MIN, 13 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 5-13 FG, 1-3 3FG, 2-3 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 10 +/- Ingram was solid tonight. Early on he got his mid range jumper going, he got to his spot and knocked down the quick pull up. However, he was struggling to get it going after the first few initial buckets. Something I noticed as well is Ingram makes it a little harder on himself to score, taking contested fading shots, or forcing himself into traffic. He also seemed to get a little flustered dealing with double teams when the Pelicans sent them at him. Ingram has got to take it slow when it comes to the doubles, he's missing the open man and almost shuts down. Going into the final stretch of games, he has to let his game come to him, get to his spots like he did early on. |
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A+
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S. Barnes 36 MIN, 23 PTS, 6 REB, 12 AST, 2 STL, 10-14 FG, 0-0 3FG, 3-3 FT, 3 BLK, 4 TO, 16 +/- POINT GOD SCOTTIE! Barnes was incredible tonight running the point. It felt very relaxed, he took his time, and let the game come to him. Making the easy reads and passes leading to quick buckets. His defense was also incredible tonight, one of the things I love scottie for is that he never gives up on the play. He had a couple blocks tonight showing off just that, either chasing it down or harassing the defender into a bad shot. If there is one thing I would nit pick Scottie on for tonight, is that he should take more threes when open. I do understand that he looks to pass first, however there were some instances where he could’ve took the open three and passed it up. Small nitpicks, but it would be great if he would take the shot from time to time. |
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A
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J. Poeltl 29 MIN, 18 PTS, 11 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 9-11 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 1 TO, 15 +/- The energy when Jakob is on the floor vs off is very noticeable. When Jakob is on the floor, hes making sure to get into box-out position, filling the passing lanes, putting himself in the right position to score. You can really notice when hes off the floor because the team struggles to grab the defensive boards at point. This team truly does flow better when he is healthy and playing to his best ability! |
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A-
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R. Barrett 31 MIN, 18 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 7-14 FG, 2-6 3FG, 2-2 FT, 0 BLK, 2 TO, 26 +/- Barrett was great tonight and played to his strengths perfectly! He wasn't forcing shots, he was making sure to take advantage when his defender wasn't paying attention and finding easy cuts for easy scores. |
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A+
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J. Walter 33 MIN, 18 PTS, 1 REB, 4 AST, 0 STL, 6-14 FG, 4-10 3FG, 2-4 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 22 +/- MR.WALTER! If there was one word I could use to describe Walter would be fearless. He started tonight and you would think he started the whole season. He knows when to attack the basket, and get agressive. He knocked down a few triples as well, showing no fear when he got the chance to let it fly. His confidence on the floor shines though. He also backs it up on the other end of the floor as well, constantly harassing his defender, making it tough to even get shots off. |
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B
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C. Murray-Boyles 12 MIN, 9 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 3-5 FG, 0-0 3FG, 3-4 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 2 +/- CMB continues to prove that the Raptors made the right choice when hes on the court. Running the floor in transition, filling the right lanes, and being a pest on defense. It’s his energy as well that I love the most. He doesn’t give up on both ends of the floor, he’ll fight for every lose ball, hustle for the rebounds, and put his head down to attack when he needs to. |
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B
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J. Shead 24 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 8 AST, 2 STL, 0-4 FG, 0-3 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 13 +/- The statline might not reflect it but Shead was all over tonight. Harassing his matchup or finding the open man. When Shead had the ball the offense flowed tonight, it really just came down to some of his assists couldn’t be finished. Shead was great though keeping the momentum flowing anytime Scottie had to sit. |
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B+
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S. Mamukelashvili 21 MIN, 18 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 7-14 FG, 3-5 3FG, 1-2 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, 9 +/- Mamu did his thing tonight! What I love about Mamu is he doesnt hesitate to shoot, whenever he was found open on the three, he takes it immediately. They aren’t bad shots either, hes open and taking the shots when its given to him. He also knows when to put the ball on the floor and attack the basket. That type of agressiveness is clutch when the Raptors needed a bucket in a pinch. |
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F
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J. Battle 04 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 1 BLK, 0 TO, -9 +/- Jamison did not impress me much tonight. With the minutes he did play he was mainly corner-sitting on offense. No off ball movement, just standing in one corner. We can probably put this on Darko as well, but he has to be moving to get himself open, especially as one of the better shooters on the team. He also had a couple defensive lapses, especially in the pick and roll. In one instance leaving his man open, and in another fouling a jumpshooter on the switch. |
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Inc
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A. Lawson 05 MIN, 0 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -8 +/- Garbage time |
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Inc
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J. Mogbo 03 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 0 TO, -10 +/- Garbage time |
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Inc
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G. Dick 02 MIN, 0 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -7 +/- Garbage time |
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Inc
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M. Fultz 02 MIN, 2 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 1-2 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -7 +/- Garbage time |
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Inc
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A. Martin 02 MIN, 0 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0-0 FG, 0-0 3FG, 0-0 FT, 0 BLK, 1 TO, -7 +/- Garbage time |
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B
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Darko Rajakovic Coach Darko did a solid job tonight especially with the cards he was dealt. My biggest question I would have for Darko is what exactly are we doing with Jamison on offense. I know he’s a catch and shoot guy, and isn’t the greatest defender. But they don’t have him moving around, getting open, he’s just standing in one corner. We could be utilizing him better. |
Your next read: Wolfond: How Rajakovic and Ingram’s compromise has defined Raptors’ season
An obvious point of tension is that the need to get Ingram the ball in his comfort zones imposes a certain tempo modulation, making the Raptors simultaneously a fast- and slow-paced team. They rank third in the league in overall transition frequency, and first in running off of defensive rebounds, but they’re just 16th in average time-to-shot following opponent makes. In other words, when playing against a set defence, their offence tends to take its time. That’s especially true when Ingram’s on the floor, as they play nearly four possessions per 48 minutes slower when he’s out there than they do with him on the bench, which constitutes the largest margin on the team.
The tendency to slow down fully consumes the Raptors in the clutch, when they operate at by far the slowest pace of any team in the league. Indeed, crunch time is when all this burbling stylistic friction comes to the surface. Whether Ingram has failed to meaningfully adapt to Toronto’s style in high-leverage spots, or his teammates have forgotten that they still need to play according to Rajakovic’s principles, the offensive compromise has failed in those situations. The rest of the Raptors become overly deferential, the connective fibre of their offence thinning out as they settle into a four-flat alignment and vacate Ingram’s airspace almost out of habit.
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