All right, time for some fun.
That may as well be the Toronto Raptors‘ theme as they head into the final quarter-ish of a season that has had more downs than ups, more valleys than peaks.
Trade deadline drama? Gone.
Roster? Better. Deeper.
Health? Full gas.
Something to play for? Jobs, money, a chance to play in the post-season, the Raptors have all of that, and heading into Thursday night’s game against the visiting New Orleans Pelicans, they had 23 games to prove their worth, by any measure.
“[We have] a lot of games coming quick. I’m looking forward to it,” said Raptors head coach Nick Nurse. “What is it, a six-and-a-half, seven-week sprint [to the playoffs]really? Lots of games, lots of great competition … I wouldn’t say we’ve played great basketball, but we’ve played pretty good for a stretch here, pretty good. If we can propel that forward a little bit, I think we have a lot to look forward to.”
The Raptors’ 115-110 win over the Pelicans in front of a lively crowd on Caribbean Heritage Night showed why as they got contributions from nearly every corner of the roster while producing one of their better defensive efforts of the season.
The win was the Raptors’ third straight and sixth in seven games, and if they haven’t come against the NBA’s best, they at least serve as a source of momentum and proof of concept.
Confidence is growing and it’s evident on and off the floor.
Winning, it turns out, is enjoyable.
“That is what you play basketball for at the end of the day, because you want to win,” said Raptors centre Jakob Poeltl, whose arrival at the trade deadline has been the source of so much optimism. “You don’t just want to win a (single) basketball game. You want to win to get to the playoffs, to get the Finals, to win championships and stuff like that. So, yeah, that is what makes it fun at the end of the day.
The Raptors’ task isn’t easy. After Thursday night, they only have nine more home games and are about to play seven of their next eight on the road — a critical stretch that includes games against Cleveland, Chicago, and Washington (two), which could have playoff and seeding implications if Toronto is going to be serious about this.
In all, they have the league’s fifth most difficult schedule to finish the season. The Raptors started the night in 10th place in the East, 4.5 games out of sixth.
But the Raptors – who improved to 29-31 with the victory — were in control for the entire game against a quality opponent, not something that they’ve been able to say too often. They led by 12 points in the second quarter and started the fourth quarter up 15, sparked by a spectacular full-court dunk by Chris Boucher, where he took off from just inside the free-throw line and then came back to block a three-point attempt at the buzzer.
Meanwhile, Pascal Siakam scored 17 of his team-high 26 points with a near-perfect 12 minutes of basketball in the third (5-of-5 from the floor, 6-of-6 from the line, an assist and one turnover) to give Toronto what seemed like a comfortable cushion.
But the Pelicans (30-30) are fighting for their playoff lives, too. They cut the Raptors’ lead to seven midway into the fourth and looked to be making headway by going with a smaller lineup, swarming Siakam on every touch and scrambling out to shooters on the pass.
But something had to give and it was the Pelicans’ ability to rebound defensively with so many bodies and motion. Poeltl made them pay. He scored nine straight points in a two-minutes stretch late in the fourth on three putbacks after offensive rebounds, a lay-up on a dive to the basket and then brought the Scotiabank Arena crowd to a roar with a block on a dunk attempt by the Pelicans’ Herbert Jones.
“They they brought [Larry Nance Jr.] because they wanted to blitz Pascal with the speed and athleticism and Jak made them pay for that,” said Nurse. “That’s what you need to do when they’re making a counter move, your counter move is you stay big and you got to make them pay down there and he did.”
The flurry kept the Raptors’ lead intact even as the Pelicans kept answering, with Brandon Ingram scoring 14 of his game-high 36 points in the final seven minutes. Another Ingram jumper pulled the Pelicans closer in the final minute before Gary Trent Jr. hit a triple with 12 seconds left to give the Raptors the breathing room they needed.
Poeltl finished with 21 points (on 9-of-11 shooting), a career-high 18 rebounds (seven on the offensive glass), three steals and a block in his 30 minutes of floor time. Trent Jr. and Scottie Barnes had 18 points each, with the latter – playing at point guard with Fred VanVleet out (personal reasons) – chipping in three assists and three steals.
It’s fitting that the Raptors had a date with the Pelicans to start their push. It was their meeting with New Orleans back on Nov. 30 that signalled things with the Raptors might be more concerning than a slow start and some injury concerns.
The Pelicans had Zion Williamson in the lineup then and the oft-injured fourth-year star was playing his best basketball — his 33 points, 10 assists, four steals and two blocks only begins to capture it. The Raptors were overwhelmed both by talent –even though the Pelicans were without Ingram and CJ McCollum — and effort. They fell behind by 27 at halftime and never competed. A bad loss in Brooklyn followed and then a six-game losing streak not long after that.
Both teams are different now. The Pelicans, who were at the beginning of a run that saw them briefly reach the top of the West, have come back to earth with injuries to Williamson and Ingram (he missed 29 games with a toe problem) robbing them of their momentum as they struggle to stay in the playoff picture.
The Raptors, of course, now have Poeltl to finally answer for bigs like former Toronto centre Jonas Valanciunas, who has had some huge games against (16 and 13 in 26 minutes in November but a quiet 12 and 12 on Thursday) his typically undersized former team.
“At least we got somebody that can kind of look him in the eye maybe a little bit,” said Nurse before the game.
But Poeltl’s contributions showed up in all kinds of ways, early and late.
The Raptors jumped out to a 23-19 lead after one quarter and a couple of elements stood out besides both teams showing a considerable amount of post-all-star rust.
Poeltl did have an impact as far as Valanciunas was concerned as he held the Pelicans centre to two just two field goal attempts in the first quarter — he missed both — and challenged a number of other Pelicans forays at the rim as New Orleans shot just 33 per cent from the floor and 4-of-9 in the paint. Poeltl also gave hints at how he can unlock some offence as well, making some nice passes out of the high post, including a lovely find of Siakam on a backdoor cut for a lay-up.
“He’s a smart player. I trust him when he’s out there on the floor. So I’ll just throw it to him, if he deep seals, he can put it up or even if it gets an elbow catch, or even at the top of the key, he can go right into the next action,” said Barnes. “He’s a smart basketball player.”
He’s also proving a handy source of offence. The Raptors were up 54-45 at half as Poeltl – who scored 30 points on 15-of-17 shooting in the Raptors’ last game before the break — led Toronto at half with 11 points and nine rebounds on 5-of-6 shooting.
Having one more quality starter has also made the Raptors’ lineup longer and deeper. Even with VanVleet a late scratch for personal reasons, the Raptors always seemed to have options. There was a great play early in the second quarter where Precious Achiuwa — the Raptors’ backup centre for now — swatted a McCollum lay-up attempt off the backboard and Boucher took the loose ball and sprinted into a fast break that ended with a pin-point pass to a speeding O.G. Anunoby for a dunk.
The Raptors got excellent backup point guard minutes from Jeff Dowtin Jr. (five points, three assists in 19 minutes), who played ahead of Malachi Flynn. A bench-heavy unit kept the Raptors’ lead intact to start the second quarter and by the time Siakam checked back in midway through the frame, the Raptors were up 12 on the strength of a pair of triples by Barnes and Trent Jr.
“It feels like there have been some games where that first group has gone and built an eight-, nine-point lead and it’s just vanished — late in the first, early in the second, late in the third and early in the fourth. Just vanished,” said Nurse. “We’re hoping that with an addition of a player and a couple guys healthy back that we’ve just got better units out there. Better, more experienced. They should go out there looking to extend the lead, not just hold water.”
The Raptors can’t exactly say smooth sailing ahead, but they have a favourable wind and some wins to show for it. Might as well see where it can take them.
