Raptors film room: one of the worst losses of the season

The Raptors got outplayed by DeMar DeRozan and Precious Achiuwa in an all-important game. Yes, they didn’t have Brandon Ingram and Immanuel Quickley but they couldn’t take care of business against the lowly Kings.

Here’s the recap:

Here is Mikai Bruce on the recap:

The second half is where DeRozan made his mark on this game, scoring 26 of his 28 points during this time period. DeRozan looked as good as ever in the second half, and it was his clutch scoring that sealed this game for Sacramento. His mid-range touch was sharp, he threw in many crafty finishes, and he just had whomever was guarding him at his mercy. He even knocked down a couple of triples, including a dagger corner triple with a minute left to extend Sacramento’s lead to 6. DeRozan shot 10 free throws in the second half, another reason why his scoring totals ballooned so much, and he did it in the classic way that he always has, by getting defenders in the air and punishing them for being undisciplined. 

This was a night where Barnes absolutely needed to take over as a scorer, and use his size to impose his will on the Kings defense. Sacramento wasn’t doubling him every possession, and he had ample opportunity to attack smaller defenders downhill, but on many of these looks he settled for a short mid range jumper instead of taking it all the way. This method worked out a couple of times, but most of the time it didn’t. Barnes had some really rough misses at the cup as well, looks that he can finish in his sleep but for whatever reason did not fall last night. Barnes does plenty for this team, but with a couple of the offensive weapons being out last night, he needed to do more as a scorer. 

Last night’s loss was closer than the final score suggests, but Toronto should have never been in that position against a team like Sacramento. For a team that is supposed to be high level on defense, allowing DeRozan and Achiuwa to combine for 56 points and close you out is a tough pill to swallow. With last night’s loss the Raptors have dropped back down into the play-in, and depending on how the teams around them play the rest of the way, they could wind up staying there. Their next game is in Memphis against the Grizzlies, and on paper it looks like a game they should win decidedly, but after last night, all bets are off.

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