Raptors Comeback Falters As Defense Can T Contain Doncic Mavericks

A chance for Pascal Siakam and the Toronto Raptors to test themselves against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks to see Toronto’s high-level, high-pressure defense that has yielded an astounding 41 opponent turnovers and an even more impressive 84 fastbreak points in past two games? It doesn’t get much better in early November. Unfortunately, the Mavericks were the better team as they withstood a furious fourth-quarter comeback from a 15-point deficit to start the quarter to win 111-110 — the final score a bit flattering for Toronto, who then threatened but he made it. within one possession with three seconds left by OG Anunoby. The Raptors played their third straight game without Fred VanVleet due to back tightness and lost Pascal Siakam to a scary groin injury late in the third quarter. Toronto is now 5-4 on the season, while Dallas improved to 5-3. The Raptors allowed Dallas to shoot 50.6 percent from the floor while converting just 44.3 percent of their own shots. Toronto had an 18-6 edge in offensive rebounds, while each team was 21-for-25 from the line and committed 19 turnovers. Dallas was 12 of 34 from deep, while Toronto was 11 of 34.

What to do about Doncic

The Raptors had to do something. The 23-year-old entered the game with an absurd line of 36.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 9.0 assists. It seems unlikely that he could keep up that pace, but if he puts up a PER (player efficiency rating) of 36.1, he’ll surpass Nikola Jokic’s all-time record of 32.85 sets last season as he won his second straight his MVP award. Toronto opted to double cover him at almost every opportunity. Whoever the starting point guard was — Scottie Barnes got the assignment early, Precious Achiuwa and OG Anunoby also took turns as the Raptors tried to keep the 6-foot-6 point guard’s size for the Mavericks — stuck with Doncic even after trying. to put them in the pick-and-roll. Easier said than done. Late in the first quarter, Doncic blocked Barnes and called on Maxi Kleber – who was being covered by Chris Boucher – to set a screen. Barnes and Boucher dutifully doubled back only to see Doncic spin dribble between them and throw a cross-court pass to a wide open Tim Hardaway Jr. in the corner for a three-pointer. On the next possession, Doncic pretended not to use the screen, went back the other way to use it and began rolling downhill with his right hand. The Raptors didn’t pull a double, and Doncic simply went to the rim for the layup. And when he didn’t do that? Doncic lived at the free throw line. Late in the third quarter, he was in isolation against Achiuwa – as good a defender in these situations as there is in the league. Doncic made about six different dribble moves, trying to get Achiuva to bite, but he didn’t. Finally, with the shot clock winding down, Doncic went to his monopod and let it fly about 20 feet in the air. Only netting was resting on the road through the rim. Perfect defense and it didn’t matter. Hard cover. Doncic finished with 35 points, eight rebounds and six assists while shooting 10-of-15 from the floor.

Siakam is there

It’s hard to overstate how high the Raptors star set himself when he said he wanted to be a top-five player in the NBA at the start of training camp. In Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant there are at least four previous MVP winners in their prime and capable of winning one more. Then there’s Doncic, who has been first-team All-NBA for three straight years, and let’s not forget Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid. The list goes on. But Siakam makes himself heard. Against the Mavericks, he went off for 17 points in the first half – one better than Doncic – scoring points on a night when the Raptors otherwise struggled on offense. His defense was also on point. He was on his way to another big night – he had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists before he got hurt, so he was well on his way to another triple-double, and more than holding his own against Doncic. The only hope now is that his injury is just an adjustment rather than something more serious and he doesn’t miss much time, if at all. The problem is that the Raptors have a back-to-back against Chicago, the start of five games in seven days, so we’ll see. [brightcove videoID=6314991252112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

Porter Jr. shows what he can offer

Otto Porter Jr. showed some of the smarts he’s known for early in the second quarter when, late in the shot clock, he spotted the Mavericks’ Spencer Dinwiddie bouncing the ball to a nobody against Dalano Banton. Porter made a move toward the ball, faking a double, but stayed in the passing lane, and when Dinwiddie tried to pass it back to Porter’s man, the younger Raptor put his gloves on for a deflection that led to a Dallas clock violation . He later had a steal that led to a fastbreak and triple as Raptors head coach Nick Nurse played him with a mostly starting lineup minus Gary Trent Jr. so Toronto could keep shooting the floor while Trent Jr. he was resting. So there are signs of what Porter Jr. will be able to deliver. as it enters the game. He was also on the floor as the Raptors went on a run early in the fourth quarter, his second three cutting the Mavericks’ lead to eight when Doncic sat. But once again the Raptors’ best bench player was Chris Boucher, who offered generous doses of enhanced skill and patience to go along with his energy as he put up 17 points, grabbed nine rebounds and posted a team-best +20 in his 29 minutes. .

OG continues to steal

Not all of the Raptors came to play against the Mavericks, but Anunoby played his third straight outstanding game, highlighted by yet another display of incredible defense. As we’ve pointed out before, steals are evidence of good defense in and of themselves, but at a certain point, they become evidence of a player who is locked into the assignment and has the combination of speed and size to simply erase possessions. Anunoby is that guy right now. It was his third straight game with five or more steals and the seventh time in nine games that he recorded multiple steals. But Anunoby’s offense — lackluster through the first four games when it shot just 38.5 percent from the floor — was composed by its defense. Scored 27 points for Toronto against Dallas on 11-of-21 shooting. He is now averaging 18.6 points per game and shooting 38 percent from deep. It was a shame that his attempt to strip the ball from Doncic in the final minute ended up putting the Mavericks star at the line for a pair of game-tying free throws.

Let’s hope Barnes is okay

The Raptors’ sophomore star sprained his right ankle late in the offseason and then rolled it again in the first half of Toronto’s opener against Miami last week. He’s only missed one start, and he’s certainly looked good after that: in four games before last night, since returning to the lineup, Barnes has averaged 16.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 53 .3 percent shooting, including shooting 48 percent from three on more than five attempts a game. But Barnes twisted his right ankle again in the first quarter last night, and while he remained in the game, he appeared to jam his ankle again trying to save a loose ball before halftime. He looked to be on his way to his weakest outing of the season…. But he then scored 11 points in the game’s final 13 minutes and finished with his first career triple-double as he added 11 rebounds and 10 assists, though his five fouls and 4-of-12 shooting were uncharacteristic.

title: “Raptors Comeback Falters As Defense Can T Contain Doncic Mavericks " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-09” author: “Lorraine Beckstead”

A chance for Pascal Siakam and the Toronto Raptors to test themselves against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks to see Toronto’s high-level, high-pressure defense that has yielded an astounding 41 opponent turnovers and an even more impressive 84 fastbreak points in past two games? It doesn’t get much better in early November. Unfortunately, the Mavericks were the better team as they withstood a furious fourth-quarter comeback from a 15-point deficit to start the quarter to win 111-110 — the final score a bit flattering for Toronto, who then threatened but he made it. within one possession with three seconds left by OG Anunoby. The Raptors played their third straight game without Fred VanVleet due to back tightness and lost Pascal Siakam to a scary groin injury late in the third quarter. Toronto is now 5-4 on the season, while Dallas improved to 5-3. The Raptors allowed Dallas to shoot 50.6 percent from the floor while converting just 44.3 percent of their own shots. Toronto had an 18-6 edge in offensive rebounds, while each team was 21-for-25 from the line and committed 19 turnovers. Dallas was 12 of 34 from deep, while Toronto was 11 of 34.

What to do about Doncic

The Raptors had to do something. The 23-year-old entered the game with an absurd line of 36.1 points, 8.9 rebounds and 9.0 assists. It seems unlikely that he could keep up that pace, but if he puts up a PER (player efficiency rating) of 36.1, he’ll surpass Nikola Jokic’s all-time record of 32.85 sets last season as he won his second straight his MVP award. Toronto opted to double cover him at almost every opportunity. Whoever the starting point guard was — Scottie Barnes got the assignment early, Precious Achiuwa and OG Anunoby also took turns as the Raptors tried to keep the 6-foot-6 point guard’s size for the Mavericks — stuck with Doncic even after trying. to put them in the pick-and-roll. Easier said than done. Late in the first quarter, Doncic blocked Barnes and called on Maxi Kleber – who was being covered by Chris Boucher – to set a screen. Barnes and Boucher dutifully doubled back only to see Doncic spin dribble between them and throw a cross-court pass to a wide open Tim Hardaway Jr. in the corner for a three-pointer. On the next possession, Doncic pretended not to use the screen, went back the other way to use it and began rolling downhill with his right hand. The Raptors didn’t pull a double, and Doncic simply went to the rim for the layup. And when he didn’t do that? Doncic lived at the free throw line. Late in the third quarter, he was in isolation against Achiuwa – as good a defender in these situations as there is in the league. Doncic made about six different dribble moves, trying to get Achiuva to bite, but he didn’t. Finally, with the shot clock winding down, Doncic went to his monopod and let it fly about 20 feet in the air. Only netting was resting on the road through the rim. Perfect defense and it didn’t matter. Hard cover. Doncic finished with 35 points, eight rebounds and six assists while shooting 10-of-15 from the floor.

Siakam is there

It’s hard to overstate how high the Raptors star set himself when he said he wanted to be a top-five player in the NBA at the start of training camp. In Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant there are at least four previous MVP winners in their prime and capable of winning one more. Then there’s Doncic, who has been first-team All-NBA for three straight years, and let’s not forget Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid. The list goes on. But Siakam makes himself heard. Against the Mavericks, he went off for 17 points in the first half – one better than Doncic – scoring points on a night when the Raptors otherwise struggled on offense. His defense was also on point. He was on his way to another big night – he had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists before he got hurt, so he was well on his way to another triple-double, and more than holding his own against Doncic. The only hope now is that his injury is just an adjustment rather than something more serious and he doesn’t miss much time, if at all. The problem is that the Raptors have a back-to-back against Chicago, the start of five games in seven days, so we’ll see. [brightcove videoID=6314991252112 playerID=JCdte3tMv height=360 width=640]

Porter Jr. shows what he can offer

Otto Porter Jr. showed some of the smarts he’s known for early in the second quarter when, late in the shot clock, he spotted the Mavericks’ Spencer Dinwiddie bouncing the ball to a nobody against Dalano Banton. Porter made a move toward the ball, faking a double, but stayed in the passing lane, and when Dinwiddie tried to pass it back to Porter’s man, the younger Raptor got his gloves for a deflection that led to a Dallas clock violation . He later had a steal that led to a fastbreak and triple as Raptors head coach Nick Nurse played him with a mostly starting lineup minus Gary Trent Jr. so Toronto could keep shooting the floor while Trent Jr. he was resting. So there are signs of what Porter Jr. will be able to deliver. as it enters the game. He was also on the floor as the Raptors went on a run early in the fourth quarter, his second three cutting the Mavericks’ lead to eight when Doncic sat. But once again the Raptors’ best bench player was Chris Boucher, who offered generous doses of enhanced skill and patience to go along with his energy as he put up 17 points, grabbed nine rebounds and posted a team-best +20 in his 29 minutes. .

OG continues to steal

Not all of the Raptors came to play against the Mavericks, but Anunoby played his third straight outstanding game, highlighted by yet another display of incredible defense. As we’ve pointed out before, steals are evidence of good defense in and of themselves, but at a certain point, they become evidence of a player who is locked into the assignment and has the combination of speed and size to simply erase possessions. Anunoby is that guy right now. It was his third straight game with five or more steals and the seventh time in nine games that he recorded multiple steals. But Anunoby’s offense — lackluster through the first four games when it shot just 38.5 percent from the floor — was composed by its defense. Scored 27 points for Toronto against Dallas on 11-of-21 shooting. He is now averaging 18.6 points per game and shooting 38 percent from deep. It was a shame that his attempt to strip the ball from Doncic in the final minute ended up putting the Mavericks star at the line for a pair of game-tying free throws.

Let’s hope Barnes is okay

The Raptors’ sophomore star sprained his right ankle late in the offseason and then rolled it again in the first half of Toronto’s opener against Miami last week. He’s only missed one start, and he’s certainly looked good after that: in four games before last night, since returning to the lineup, Barnes has averaged 16.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 53 .3 percent shooting, including shooting 48 percent from three on more than five attempts a game. But Barnes twisted his right ankle again in the first quarter last night, and while he remained in the game, he appeared to jam his ankle again trying to save a loose ball before halftime. He looked to be on his way to his weakest outing of the season…. But he then scored 11 points in the game’s final 13 minutes and finished with his first career triple-double as he added 11 rebounds and 10 assists, though his five fouls and 4-of-12 shooting were uncharacteristic.