It’s no easy feat to take two in a row from any team in the NBA. It’s a deep league with the best players in the world. The Raptors were trying to finish their work with the Magic and continue to build a buffer of wins in an ultra competitive Eastern Conference.
Mentality and adjustments help define double-headers, per the coaches.
“I think it’s both.” Coach Darko said of the changing game plans and changing mentalities to beat a team twice in a row. “Especially the mental part. Obviously you win a game and it’s human nature to feel good about things.”
“I hope it’s an accurate thing.” Coach Sweeney said of the difficulty to beat a team twice in a row. I think any time you play a team back to back, like in the playoffs, you see something and try and make adjustments and corrections. I think that’s part of it.”
Did Sweeney like anything in the film from Wednesday? “Yeah, some. I thought we were playing well, but when Jase (Richardson) got in foul trouble I think we lost some of our consistency. Our standard, we weren’t able to maintain it. There’s definitely some corrections to make.”
This tracks with the Raptors ability to completely overwhelm opposing teams’ ball handling, and especially when they don’t have many guard handlers. After all, this is a team that leads the NBA in steals and deflections. Even more impressive, the gap between 1st and 2nd in the NBA in deflections (Raptors & Celtics) is the same distance as team 2nd and 21st. A very bothersome defense indeed. But, significantly less bothersome against these Magic a second time around.
Early on the Raptors opted to “weak” (send to his left) Franz Wagner on his drives and initiation possessions. This meant they were typically overloading him with help defense, only his decisions were sharper to start in this one than they were to start in the first of the double header. Desmond Bane also started off hot from downtown and led the Magic out of the gate with 9 points on 3 shots. The Raptors on the other end were firmly entrenched with the idea of bludgeoning the paint. Only one attempted three out of their first 15 shots.
The first Poeltl stint wasn’t successful (although he was playing with more force today than any other day so far this season). The Murray-Boyles stint was, but short lived as he was assessed 2 fouls in 3 minutes. Trayce Jackson-Davis checked in, hoping to provide the same type of spark as he did last game, but that was short lived as well. Poeltl checked in to close out the first quarter and found his footing. A hard charge to the bucket for free throws (he’d hit both), a more physical presence at the rim and on the glass. A bevy of screens set, including the one that freed up Quickley for the Raptors first triple of the game. Poeltl brought it, and it was a needed nudge to bring the Raptors back within couple possessions of the Magic (27-31).
Encouraged by Poeltl having a bit more oomph to open this one, Coach Darko opted for a Poeltl/Graves frontcourt to open the second quarter. A wash, that stretch. The Raptors gave up some easy backside breakdowns to the Magic. On offense the process was pretty slow and wasn’t able to create advantages or stack them. They mostly stuck to posting Barnes and hunting ORBS. Slow pace, middling returns. If you’re thinking that this is a lot of talk about Poeltl? I know! But, he was the Raptors big box score producer in the early portion of the game and he’s a player they’ve been waiting to get activated. The Raptors as a whole were looking for more answers on offense, which looked worse than usual because the Magic had forced them into more half court possessions.
Just when it felt like the Raptors had found a pace they liked, and a lineup they thought could be more disruptive on defense, a soft third foul sent Murray-Boyles to the bench with just 8 minutes under his belt.
Barnes’ sticktuitiveness on offense is really what kept the Raptors afloat in the first half. Forced to play slow. Forced to look for answers. The Raptors looked to their star to create from the post against mismatches in the half court. It wasn’t wildly successful, but it kept the Raptors above water. They were facing an Orlando team that was shooting above 60% from downtown (winning the battle 24-9) and absolutely living at the free throw line. The Magic (and the refs frankly) slowed the game to a crawl and were winning the shot making war.
Both teams started off the second half by entering the ball deep into their wings. Both teams emphasized more 3-point volume coming out of the gate. For the Raptors? That volume came via Quickley, who they started to spam the ball to. For the Magic? They got the volume from everywhere and came by it a little bit more holistically. The Raptors were toying with higher lines in the gaps to try and dissuade the Magic, but the Magic were working with a very healthy offensive process early on that forced Poeltl into space often where he had to navigate rollers and drivers simultaneously. The team around him had trouble accounting for Carter Jr.’s pressure on the glass and potential to pop out to the 3-point line.
The Raptors got a big, positive swing out of Poeltl/Murray-Boyles front court that was flanked by Barrett-Walter-Shead. More defensive playmaking on the floor, a lot of capacity to push, and a triple from Murray-Boyles & Barrett respectively brought the Raptors back within 4 at the midway point of the third quarter. Still, the Raptors could never really get away from the breakdowns. They pressured the ball with vim & vigor, would stay connected for long portions of possessions, but the Magic were still getting loose for looks in the dunker spot or downtown. After a missed layup from Barnes and a couple iso buckets for Bane, the Magic extended their lead again. Runs answering runs, things of that nature. The quarter would close with Barnes hitting his second buzzer beating middy of the game and pulling the Raptors back within 7.
At the start of the final frame it was a battle of buckets: Magic vs Barnes. When I tell you the Raptors were wholly dependent on Barnes, I’m not overselling it. Long possessions with many dribbles. Bodies banging into each other. Barnes rising up at the end of it all for bucket after bucket. Barnes circled the Magic and watched them exchange 3 different defenders on him before taking Bane 1-on-1 for a bucket and the first 40 ball of his career. A BLOB ATO from Coach Darko led to an open triple from Quickley who banged a triple for the Raptors first lead since who knows when. Maybe the start of the game. 102-100.
However, the Magic’s more democratic offense sustained a little better in the middle of the quarter. Barnes hit a stamina wall (how could you not?) and the Magic continued to probe and fend off the Raptors help to find open players who would go on to make shots. The Raptors put together a titanic run to step out front, but the Magic answered back and were up by 6 after a short stint where Barnes was resting. The Raptors put their starters back in the game with 4 minutes to go. Ready to rock in clutch time.
Be it missed layups, buttered fingers, or the slow churn and payoff on offense that the Magic kept finding success in, the Raptors lost the rope in this one. They took on the tidal wave of threes from the Magic (I’d be surprised if they have a better shooting game all season) and responded with one of Barnes’ best games as a pro. It wasn’t enough. No man is an island, even when you score 41 points, and the Raptors couldn’t muster a good enough team performance in this one.
“When you lose you have to react.” Coach Darko told me before the game. “I learned this from Coach Pop, he was always saying that every team is gonna react to losing a game. Only great teams react after winning a game. So, we’re in that mode after winning the last game that we gotta react.”
The Raptors had a reaction, but not a successful one.
Have a blessed day.
