Raptors lack bench assist in loss to equally-desperate Lakers

LOS ANGELES — It was a battle of two ninth-place groups, every with designs on larger issues this 12 months, every decided to make use of the ultimate month of the season to show to themselves and everybody else that they have been proper all alongside, that they’re a very good group, able to massive issues.

If it means clawing their means out of the play-in event to do it? So be it.

Sadly, after an extended street journey that featured a variety of good basketball, some glorious particular person performances and a few controversy, the opening the Toronto Raptors are in retains getting deeper. Toronto fell 122-112 to the Los Angeles Lakers, who’re proving that even with LeBron James injured they need to be a group to be reckoned with. The Lakers weathered a formidable begin from the Raptors and an excellent third quarter in addition to good particular person performances from O.G. Anunoby and Scottie Barnes and gained going away regardless.

Toronto led 5 to begin the fourth quarter and by as a lot as 9 halfway by the third, however the Lakers’ (largely) bench unit went on a 15-6 run within the opening minutes of the fourth quarter to maneuver in entrance after which prolonged that lead as soon as the starters hit the ground.

It was newly acquired D’Angelo Russell — making his simply first begin after lacking six video games with a sprained ankle and simply fifth as a Laker after coming over from the Minnesota Timberwolves — sparking Los Angeles as he drilled his fourth and remaining triple with 2:47 left within the recreation to place the Lakers up 12 and the sport out of attain, capping off a 16-point fourth quarter and 28-point, 9 help evening.

However it wasn’t the Lakers stars who have been the Raptors’ greatest drawback. James (foot) stays out for an additional couple of weeks and Toronto held Davis — who got here into the sport averaging 34 factors over his final 4 begins — to simply eight factors, with Anunoby doing the heavy lifting in a formidable exhibiting. As a substitute, it was Dennis Schröder, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura with 23, 18 and 16 factors off the bench, respectively, that Toronto couldn’t match as their bench unit scored 12 factors in complete – Gary Trent Jr. was scoreless (0-of-9) in 21 minutes, the primary time with the Raptors he’s been shutout. In all, there was not sufficient to assist massive nights from Anunoby (31 factors on 12-of-14 taking pictures) and Barnes (32 factors, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists).

“I’m at all times upset that they will’t get any stops,” Raptors head coach Nick Nurse mentioned of his bench lineup. “We held them to fifteen within the third and so they get 15 within the first 4 minutes of the fourth. [It] was a story of two lineups, actually. Guys performed actually, actually nice basketball for plenty of stretches, simply didn’t get sufficient performed.”

The Lakers shot 56.3 per cent kind the ground and are only one recreation out of sixth place within the tightly packed west at 33-34, whereas the Raptors fell to 1-4 on their street journey and head dwelling at 32-36 and a pair of.5 video games behind seventh-place Atlanta after taking pictures 50 per cent from the ground in opposition to the Lakers.

For the third straight recreation — going again to their losses to the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets — the Raptors have been the higher group within the first quarter. The urgency has been there, it simply hasn’t translated into wins as Toronto has misplaced three straight and 4 out of 5.

“Our mindset is at all times the identical,” mentioned Barnes. “We actually need these video games actually unhealthy. We now have them many of the recreation, and we simply can’t shut it out. Our mindset is identical: maintain making an attempt to remain collectively, maintain taking part in collectively, we’ve acquired to grind. Each outing we need to win these.”

They return dwelling in eighth place, simply as they have been after they left on their street journey, however slipping to tenth place is an actual risk and the benefit over Eleventh-place Chicago is only one recreation. However the Raptors stay decided.

“We gotta win simply to get in. We need to get in, we need to have an opportunity,” Nurse mentioned. “Although we’re down the standings a little bit bit, we don’t really feel like there’s an enormous hole between us and a variety of groups on this league. I don’t suppose we’re afraid of too many groups. The primary factor for us is to proceed to give attention to getting higher, taking part in higher, getting some wins and get within the event after which we’ll see what occurs.”

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The Lakers are studying from the identical playbook, however they’ve been capable of put their hopes into motion. They got here into final evening’s recreation 7-3 of their previous 10 video games and second within the NBA in defensive score for the reason that all-star break.

“We now have to return out every single day and be the perfect model of ourselves. There’s not a variety of video games left, however sufficient for us to make up floor,” mentioned Lakers head coach Darvin Ham.

And the defence? “It’s all of these guys simply shopping for in. And the inspiration we’ve preached since Day 1 is to remain aggressive and that’s the place it begins. Our system is detailed, however it’s easy in nature,” he mentioned. “They don’t have to face there and take into consideration 13 totally different coverages for 13 totally different offensive situations to strive guard. It permits them to be aggressive and use their instincts.”

It took a minute to get up, nonetheless, and the Raptors — able to go from the bounce — took full benefit. Toronto went up 25-10 halfway by the primary quarter after Anunoby hit the second of a pair of consecutive threes to provide him 10 factors earlier than the sport was six minutes previous.

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Three early Lakers turnovers helped the Raptors trigger as properly and Jakob Poeltl stored discovering seams within the L.A. defence on his solution to eight first-quarter factors. However the Lakers’ commerce deadline strikes — along with bringing D’Angelo Russell to play level guard instead of the departed Russell Westbrook — have been additionally about including high quality depth. It confirmed when Los Angeles went to their newly outfitted bench and went on a 21-10 run bolstered by Schröder — now coming off the bench behind Russell — Hachimura and Reaves, together with 4 Raptors turnovers.

Issues solely acquired worse within the second quarter, or a minimum of the second half of the second quarter. After Pascal Siakam’s second three of the half put the Raptors up by six with 5:55 to play, the Lakers began to roll and the Raptors to wobble. Toronto gave up a 23-9 run with Russell taking up the sport for a couple of essential minutes, discovering his solution to the rim for a pair of lay-ups, hitting a step-back three over Fred VanVleet and helping on three extra scores. The Raptors’ paint was out of the blue large open with Toronto’s starters unable to deal with a combined compilation of Lakers starters and bench items. The flurry gave the Lakers a 70-62 lead on the power of a 39-point second quarter during which they shot 67 per cent from the ground.

However the Raptors got here again after the half with the identical urgency they began the sport with and once more it was Anunoby doing a variety of the harm. Along with greater than holding his personal on Davis, Anunoby was locked in offensively. He scored 14 factors within the first half of the quarter as Toronto got here out of the gate with a 22-5 run during which Anunoby’s contributions have been the next: a 3, a pair of free throws, a steal and an help on a fastbreak, a steal and a fastbreak layup, one other lay-up, a dunk on an alley-oop and a three-point play off a turnaround jumper. In all: 14 factors, two steals and an help within the first six minutes of the quarter, all earlier than Davis had cracked double figures in factors or rebounds.

At that time Anunoby was 11-of-12 from the ground for 29 factors. Sadly, nobody else was prepared choose up the place he left off. VanVleet’s three was the one Raptors subject aim for the remainder of the interval because the Lakers have been capable of trim Toronto’s result in 5, 90-85, to begin the fourth.

However the momentum didn’t final, and the sport started getting away from Toronto in all of the acquainted methods.

“We’ve simply acquired to do higher speaking defensively, guarding the ball, preserving the ball in entrance, having that depth once we come into the sport,” mentioned Barnes, who was usually anchoring the bench lineups. “I’ve acquired to be a greater chief after I’m on the market, for positive. We’ve simply acquired to maintain speaking defensively and maintain getting higher.”

The Raptors now head dwelling for a while after taking part in seven of their previous eight video games on the street, a stretch during which they went 3-5. They’ll must put some wins collectively earlier than later, however that’s not a brand new story.

Extra from Sportsnet

Scottie Barnes has career-high 32 however Raptors lose to Lakers

VanVleet’s outburst results of long-built-up frustration on a number of fronts

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