Toronto Raptors
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How the Raptors continue redefining their identity with win over Magic
Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-s...redefining-their-identity-with-win-over-magic
Good teams play the schedule in front of them. The Toronto Raptors have struggled with that this season. But it isn’t too late to rewrite how fans and pundits look back on this iteration of the team.
After an emotionally draining comeback victory against the Golden State Warriors, the Raptors welcomed the Orlando Magic into their building for the second game of their back-to-back on Monday.
It took a false start or two but the Raptors ultimately defeated the Magic 107-106, suggesting that unwritten chapters remain in the story of a team that refuses to limit itself as a play-in contender.
With the win, Toronto improved to 2-6 on the second end of a back-to-back. The Raptors had entered the game on a three-game losing streak in games without rest.
Stranger things have happened, but something is brewing in Toronto, and its cultivation must continue.
Here are four more takeaways from another electric Raptors comeback victory.
The right side up
The Raptors seemed caught in a forever loop. No matter how hard they pushed, they remained stuck dealing with a 10-point deficit. The tide finally began to turn when Ja’Kobe Walter hit the deck for a loose-ball steal midway through the fourth quarter. On the following possession, Walter’s effort drew an illegal screen on the Magic offence. Walter also earned a deflection late in the game, which led to another Orlando turnover. His 10 points officially extended his streak of double-digit scoring to a season-high three games. There’s excitement for that side of the ball. But for Walter to also contribute defensively is an encouraging sign in the sophomore’s overall development. He’s figuring out how to change games, especially when RJ Barrett is out.
Rookie Collin Muray-Boyles returned from illness and also played a significant part in the Raptors’ comeback win. The defensive dynamo confirmed post-game that he had been quarantined from the team, leading to less preparation and a lengthy ramp-up to find his second wind early in the game against Orlando. But once he found his footing, Murray-Boyles picked up where he left off and finished with 12 rebounds, with seven of them coming on the offensive end.
The Raptors coaching staff is beginning to lean into more minutes that pair Murray-Boyles with Scottie Barnes, and the early results are tantalizing. Raptors fans can certainly get used to watching two defensive geniuses play off each other for years to come.
The bridge
There’s something simple about comparing Jamal Shead to one of the greatest Raptors of all time in Kyle Lowry. It’s not that Shead belongs anywhere near that kind of label or expectation, but he’s writing a similar love letter to Toronto sports fans who adore a blue-collar athlete.
It could be the way he consistently draws the illegal screen. Or the way he seizes the moment. And it’s definitely also how he throws up a push-shot during paint drives.
Shead still occasionally takes on too much offensively, but it’s difficult to blame him on nights when the Raptors struggle from the field.
He doesn’t shy away from the low points of a game, and it’s why Shead finished with a team-high 19 points, to go with four rebounds and five assists.
Squint and it makes sense to see Lowry’s silhouette. Of course, it was Shead who tied the game at 102-102 after he finished a contested layup over Anthony Black to send the home crowd into a frenzy.
Escape from past reputation
The Raptors trailed 29-18 after 12 minutes and it’s because they had a rebounding problem. The Magic entered the matchup averaging 16.2 second-chance points, good for seventh-best in the league. Toronto had already conceded nine points after the first frame.
Enter Mo Bamba.
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic made the obvious decision to throw the newly acquired Raptors into the fire and the results couldn’t have been more chaotic.
On the Raptors’ first possession, Immanuel Quickley threw a lob up for Bamba, but the big man slipped and landed awkwardly on his back. It didn’t necessarily inspire confidence amidst the sold-out crowd inside the Scotiabank Arena. But the rollercoaster had only begun.
In four fascinating minutes, Bamba blocked three shots and failed to snare a single rebound. While it wasn’t entirely Bamba’s fault, as he was far too busy contesting any shot attempt in his airspace, the Raptors conceded six offensive rebounds while he was on the court.
His journey with the Raptors will be a fun watch.
Scoring sorcerer
This is an assumption, but this might not be Gradey Dick’s favourite season of his young NBA career. Caught in a vortex of inconsistency with Ochai Agbaji and Walter, Dick has struggled with reduced playing time and a shorter runway on the court.
But with the Raptors starting the game colder than Canadian winters (3-for-14 from the field and 0-for-4 from three), Dick channelled whatever confidence he weaponized last season. He finished the first half leading the team in scoring with 15 points.
His offensive outburst included two three-pointers. Dick had gone 1-for-11 from beyond the arc in the last five contests. When the third-year Kansas product plays with certainty and intent, he provides the Raptors with the pack-a-punch type of skillset a contending team needs from the bench.
Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-s...redefining-their-identity-with-win-over-magic