THE Raptors may have found the start of something they’re not used to this season: good momentum. After losing four out of five games to start the month of March, the Canadian team has indeed just won a second victory, once again satisfactory in the way.
After a 15-point victory against the Nuggets, Nick Nurse’s men won by 17 points against the Thunder (128-111), never an obvious opponent to maneuver this season.
Complete, the performance of the Toronto players limited OKC’s recently supersonic attack – the second best in the league since January 1 – to 43% on shots and in particular 13 losses of ball for 18 assists. Offensively, as against Denver, it was a good collective score, with six players who exceeded 15 points, Pascal Siakam offering himself the unofficial title of man of the match with his 28 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists, 28 assists distributed and a percentage of success which was close to 50%. Without forgetting that the residents of the Scotiabank Arena also flew over the battle for the rebound, with 66 catches against 47 (including 18 offensive rebounds which brought 21 points on second chances).
If the Top 6 is just a dream and even 7th place Miami seems out of reach, the Raptors can hope to steal 8th place from the Hawks and thus avoid having to win two games in “play-in”, if they manage to confirm soon that this potential good dynamic is sustainable until the end of the season.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The awakening of Pascal Siakam. In delicacy with his feelings in attack since the beginning of the month, “Spicy P” signed a complete and effective super performance, with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists without the slightest loss of ball, which should revive him in a good dynamic. , more stable, as it has been alternating hot and cold lately. Adroit behind the arc (3/5), we saw him particularly confident when he attacked the circle, notably collecting 8 passages on the free throw line (ie more than… in his last four games combined). The Raptors must hope that this level of play is his standard again, because they will clearly need him at his best to finish this last stretch of the season as well as possible, while the club can still hope to steal the 8th Eastern Conference Square in Atlanta.
– Precious Achiuwa in the closet. Not particularly valuable (no pun intended) lately, and therefore less and less used, the young Nigerian interior was awarded a “DNP” last night. While Nick Nurse is constantly strumming with his rotations, it is thus the rookie Christian Koloko who took his minutes off the bench on position 5, in relay of Jakob Poeltl. And the young Cameroonian did no better, with 0 points and 3 rebounds in 12 minutes. Already pointed out earlier in the season by his coach, the investment of the former Memphis college seems to be a problem.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Gary Trent Jr. After three completely failed games (18 points at 5/29 on cumulative shots over the last three outings), the back of Toronto, definitively installed in a role of joker offensive off the bench since the “trade deadline” last month, has found his sights, and more broadly his sensations and his rhythm. With 23 points (4/7 behind the arc), 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, “GTJ” was indeed brilliantly illustrated and played a central role in the victory. A confidence boost, for sure. Note that he alone scored 23 of the 32 points from a bench, once again exasperating with offensive inefficiency…
✅ OG Anunoby. Very good against Denver during the Raptors’ previous outing, particularly in defense against Nikola Jokic, the British winger is clearly in a dynamic and, last night, he easily confirmed his role as the firefighter on duty in this team: 17 points 6/9 on shots, 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Sober and efficient, like this +14 to +/-.
✅ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In a fairly discreet evening in attack for his team, “SGA” still made his match with 29 points at 12/19 on shots, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, without making any frills.
⛔️ Will Barton. The veteran, freshly landed in the Canadian squad, more broadly embodied the (too usual) concerns of scoring from the Raptors bench: 3 points at 1/6 on shots in 11 minutes, and curtain. For the moment, his integration into Nick Nurse’s rotation leaves much to be desired.
THE FOLLOWING
– Raptors (34-36): reception of the Wolves, on the night of Saturday to Sunday (00:00).
– Thunder (34-36): Suns reception, Sunday evening (8:30 p.m.).
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