10 things: Raptors use total effort against Trail Blazers to snap losing streak

Here are 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors‘ 117-104 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

1. For the first time all season, it can honestly be said that every single Raptors player was able to contribute. Toronto got contributions across the board to outlast Portland in a game that featured wild swings and comically bad officiating. The starters started poorly on defence, allowing the Blazers to waltz in for two layups and two open threes to start before Nick Nurse called an early first timeout. Toronto then locked in, including an impressive defensive stretch where Portland didn’t score a field goal over nine minutes between the first and second quarters. As with all games involving Damian Lillard, the fourth quarter produced nervous moments but the Raptors closed it out to snap their dreadful losing streak.

2. With all due respect to the players on the roster, the Raptors are not built to win games on talent. This is very much a roster that succeeds by outworking and outhustling their opponent, and they lose if they don’t. The Raptors’ total commitment to the win was evident throughout, holding the Blazers to multiple five-minute scoring droughts while also pressing them into 22 turnovers, but their intensity was most evident in the fourth quarter. Pascal Siakam dove on the floor to win a loose ball off Lillard, then rotated over at the basket for a spectacularly timed swat on Lillard a few plays later. Scottie Barnes won a key offensive rebound around three Blazers defenders, which set up Siakam to draw a foul. Fred VanVleet tailed the play tightly and ate a bone-crunching screen from Jusuf Nurkic to force a key turnover in the last two minutes. When the leaders of the team are playing with that much force and intensity, it sets the tone for the rest of the group and it defines what the Raptors are about.

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3. Siakam bounced back after a pair of subpar showings against New York and Milwaukee. He was noticeably more energized in his approach, and while he missed a few chances down the stretch, his approach to the game was unquestionably positive. Siakam was strong to start, scoring 13 points in the first quarter to push the Raptors past their initial malaise, and showed good patience and measure in his approach. Portland used a shorter defender in Josh Hart for the defensive assignment, while the 7-foot Nurkic was permanently stationed at the rim, but Siakam managed to find space in the middle of the paint with short jumpers to shoot over top of the defence. Siakam was equally as committed on the defensive end, most notably as a defender against Lillard in the fourth where he collected a steal, a block, and forced Lillard into an airball.

4. Fred VanVleet finally delivered the fourth quarter heroics that had been noticeably missing this season. VanVleet had an epic sequence in the fourth with a triple off a kickout from Barnes, followed by a stop at the basket as the last man back against Lillard who missed the layup, then with VanVleet trailing the play for a second triple which turned a tight three-point game into a nine-point edge while forcing Portland into calling timeout. VanVleet has spoken repeatedly in recent weeks about not being able to find a rhythm this season, and about how he cost the team multiple games by not being able to connect on late threes. Outside of the clutch run, VanVleet managed the flow of the game well as a secondary ball-handler beside Siakam, including multiple drive-and-kick sequences to find OG Anunoby in the corners and Barnes on the roll to the basket. With his four triples, eight rebounds, seven assists, and zero turnovers, this was the most balanced game of the year for VanVleet.

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5. Barnes saw an aggressive drop coverage for the third time in four games, with the opposing centre sagging deep into the paint and essentially ignoring him. Unlike in the previous losses to Indiana and Milwaukee, Barnes was aggressive throughout in beating the coverage in a variety of ways. He started out trying to shoot the open jumper, both from midrange and from three, but he didn’t rely on settling especially since Nurkic made no adjustments to Barnes’ occasional jumpers. Instead, Barnes served as a screener and distributor, allowing his teammates to attack the space instead for open jumpers. Barnes was also featured more in pick-and-rolls, often with VanVleet as the handler, where Barnes would catch it on the move for either a strong take at the rim, or for a kickout to the corner. Defensively, Barnes did the dirty work of battling with Nurkic, while also occasionally switching out on the perimeter, and was fairly effective in both regards.

6. Barnes’ two-way showing wasn’t without controversy, however, as he was caught in a halftime dispute with veteran Thad Young. Barnes downplayed the incident post-game, saying that he and Young talked it out, but it’s hardly nothing whenever a dispute visibly spills over to the floor. The 16-year veteran was specifically brought in for his leadership, and this is what that looks like.

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7. Young was productive in limited minutes as well, especially in the second half. He stood in for a pair of charges, finished a roll to the basket off a pocket pass from Siakam, won a tip-out offensive rebound which produced a three on the recycled possession, and corralled a steal for a hit-ahead assist. Young also showed great mobility at centre to step out to the three-point line in guarding against Portland’s explosive guards.

8. Christian Koloko had one of his best games of the season. Koloko was the first substitute off the bench and made an immediate impression by forcing Lillard into a miss at the rim, then sprinting down the floor for a clever give-and-go with Siakam. Koloko was also the backbone of the bench during a key stretch in the second quarter where the Blazers were held without a basket for six minutes. Nurse tabbed Koloko to return in the fourth once O.G. Anunoby fouled out, and it paid off with Koloko collecting a putback and an emphatic block on Lillard’s dunk attempt. Unfortunately, the officials whistled Koloko for his fifth foul in 13 minutes, and also slapped him with a technical for protesting his clean play.

9. Precious Achiuwa had his best outing since injury. Achiuwa is understandably rusty and needs time to get back, but he was a liability in recent games with his mistakes standing out the most for the second unit. Achiuwa looked more like himself Sunday, making his signature plays such as a block at the rim, a runout in transition where he beat two defenders for the layup, and a lob dunk to go along with his usual dose of athleticism on both ends. When he is fully up to speed, Achiuwa addresses so many of the Raptors’ issues at centre.

10. Nick Nurse said the second unit “hit the lottery” in how they won the first half. Nurse made an uncharacteristic move going with only Gary Trent Jr. as the lone starter around four bench guys to open the second half. Nurse had three shot blockers in at once with Koloko, Achiuwa, and Chris Boucher to guard in a zone while Trent Jr. and Malachi Flynn funneled drivers towards help. Offensively, it was largely Trent Jr. who got the play calls, but he did set up Flynn for two wide-open threes while Flynn also worked the pick-and-roll for two layups. It remains to be seen if this group has a lasting impact together, but it would be a huge relief if they did. None of Toronto’s starters approached 40 minutes and they were the fresher team down the stretch which undoubtedly contributed to the win.

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