Raptors run out of gas in loss to LeBron and the Lakers
When the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers met last at Scotiabank Arena on Nov. 1, the game got off to a very different start. LeBron James sunk every triple he took and Anthony Davis was unstoppable inside the arc. On the other hand, the Raptors didn’t make a 3 and struggled to get anything going on offence on the way to a 43-19 first quarter drubbing.
Sunday night in Los Angeles was a different story. The Raptors came out of the gate hungry and won the opening frame 34-26. Immanuel Quickley drove, drawing defenders to the paint, and found Agbaji above-the-break for a 3. Gradey Dick was chased off a Chicago action by Daulton Knecht and banked in a fader. The Raptors ran hard both ways in transition, winning 8-2 in fastbreak points. In the first half the Raptors outrebounded the Lakers 26 to 11 and led 55-53.
Eventually, all of this came unraveled. On the fourth game of a West Coast road trip, second night of a back-to-back, facing a veteran Laker squad, Toronto lost its legs. The grit that punctuated the beginning of the game fell away to muddled offence and turnovers.
They ultimately lost the game 123-103, their fourth straight and league leading ninth total. But by now, it should be fairly apparent that the goal of this season isn’t predicated on wins. If the Raptors end up in the cellar and get one of the top picks, great. If they get healthy and manage to go on a run to the play in, that would be fun. But either way, the true meaning of these basketball games is found in the details. It’s in Gradey Dick taking a leap as a scorer. Ochai Agbaji putting it together and coming into his own as a true NBA rotation piece, RJ Barrett continuing to refine his undeniable ability to find the paint.
And Barrett is like the predator, the paint his prey.
He stalks, patiently probing and calculating before he makes his move. He doesn’t strike like lightning, it’s more mechanized, automated. His destination, inevitable. And yes, he can do so with either hand.
His shot wasn’t dropping – he went 1-of-7 from distance – but Barrett was doing what he does best; using his strength and momentum on the way to making all three of his 2-point attempts and 4-of-5 free throws in the first half, leading all Raptors with 13 points. He finished with 18, shooting 5-of-8 from inside the arc and 7-of-9 from the line.
It’s been pointed out by Samson Folk recently, what makes the difference is the explosion towards the rim that comes from Barrett’s last step. Once he is in the tightest of spaces, seemingly out of room, he jettisons around defenders in the restricted area.
Barrett was one of six Raptors to score in double-digits – all five starters and Chris Boucher.
Boucher was tremendous off the bench yet again, with his want and willingness to finish possessions giving the Raptors some much needed scoring punch. It’s not just that he hurls up 3s and takes it to the cup with reckless abandon, but also that he hits the 3s and puts the ball in the cup a lot of the time. As a bonus, the six-foot-nine forward also made a couple good passing reads, finding Barrett cutting baseline and making a nice lay-down to Pöltl.
Speaking of Pöltl, he was back to regularly scheduled programming in this game, gracefully finishing lay-ups, push-shots, and turnaround hooks. He finished with a 14-point 10-rebound double-double. The Austrian big-man’s attempts to slow Davis were admirable, that is until the league’s leading scorer met Pöltl with a colossal block in the third quarter, and was poked in the left eye in the process. Davis left the game and did not return.
The Raptors shot more efficiently from 3 than the Lakers, but the volume still isn’t there (they rank 27th with 32.5 3-point attempts per game). Toronto went 10-of-29, with top shooters Dick and Quickley attempting three and four, respectively.
Agbaji is certainly helping in this area. After struggling from 3-point range last season with the Raptors, the six-foot-five wing looks automatic now. Every time he releases the ball, it feels like it’s going in. Agbaji went 4-for-5 in the game, and is now shooting 47.7 percent on the season and 61.5 percent from the corner! Considering his previous track record as a shooter, he will in all likelihood come back to earth a bit. But if he is somewhere in between his abysmal results last season and his current hot stretch – let’s say roughly league average on a diet of mostly corner 3s, that would have Agbaji in excellent standing bearing in mind everything else he brings to the table.
Dick started off the second half burying 3s on back-to-back trips, and Quickley kept the hot streak going with his lone triple of the night. The quick burst of hell-fire from deep put the Raptors up 64-55 and caused a swift Laker timeout.
As the quarter progressed, the Raptors offence stagnated, and James and Austin Reaves started to pick apart Toronto on the other end. James slung cross-court passes to open corner shooters, and his driving dominance was on full display. He made his way to the paint with ease and tossed a perfect jump-pass to a wide-open Reaves for a corner 3, finished an off-balance floater in the lane, and threw down a big two-handed dunk. In what could potentially be James’ final game against the Raptors, we saw a little bit of everything and he finished with a 19 point, 16 assist, 10 rebound triple-double.
In the end, Los Angeles’ star power shone too bright. While the Raptors’ best players are still figuring out what to do with a late lead, James’ execution is automatic. The Raptors have a long way to go before they are able to hang with the best.
