Losing to the Memphis Grizzlies used to be the kind of result that would leave Raptors fans shaking their heads. However, Toronto missing four key players and Memphis arriving as the NBA’s best road team, this one was a little easier to stomach. Still, that doesn’t mean there weren’t frustrating moments.
The Raptors were without Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and Kawhi Leonard for the second straight game, while Collin Murray-Boyles also missed the action with an illness. Toronto turned to Kyle Anderson to fill the hole at power forward, giving the team its sixth different starting lineup in just 10 games.
It was hardly an ideal situation, especially against a Memphis team that has made a habit of winning away from home. They entered this match up with a perfect 4-0 record on the road, and had won four of their previous five games in the Six.
Still, this game was closer than the final score suggested. Toronto had its chances, got some unexpected scoring from unlikely names and made a push in the fourth quarter. However, the Raptors couldn’t get enough stops, couldn’t consistently knock down shots from deep, and ultimately let a winnable game slip away.
For the fourth time in five games, Toronto failed to reach the 30-point mark in the opening frame. Yet somehow, the Raptors still walked away from the first 12 minutes with a 26-25 lead. A big reason for that was Shead, who came out firing.
Usually, the first thing that comes to mind when talking about Shead is his playmaking. He’s the guy looking to get everyone else involved, not necessarily the one expected to carry the scoring load. But with so many regulars unavailable, he took matters into his own hands early and put together another masterful start.
Shead scored 13 points in the first quarter and went a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. It was the first time all season he’d made at least three three-pointers in a game, and he managed to do it before the first quarter was even over.
Unfortunately, RJ Barrett couldn’t provide his usual first-half scoring punch. Barrett has generally been a reliable source of early offence for Toronto this season, but this was a night he’d probably like to forget. He managed just six points in the first half, shooting 2-for-8 from the field and an equally frustrating 2-for-6 from the free-throw line.
Those same struggles continued after halftime. Barrett finished with 19 points, three rebounds and two assists, but needed 21 shots to get there. He shot 7-for-21 from the field, 1-for-6 from three and 4-for-9 at the line. It was just the second time this season Barrett failed to reach the 20-point mark.
Toronto needs him to be aggressive with so many key players out, but the efficiency simply wasn’t there. Missing free throws only made things worse, especially in a game where the Raptors were trying to find enough offence to keep pace with Memphis.
Memphis came out of halftime with a strong start to the third quarter, threatening to pull away just as Toronto was trying to find its footing. Enter Jamison Battle. Battle was electric in the third, scoring 14 of his 18 points in the quarter while shooting a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and 4-for-4 from three-point range. Every time Toronto needed a basket, Battle seemed to have an answer. His shooting kept the Raptors within striking distance and prevented Memphis from turning its advantage into an insurmountable lead.
Unfortunately, the hot streak didn’t carry into the fourth. Battle went 0-for-4 from the field. That wasn’t the only shooting problem the Raptors had to deal with. Toronto entered the game shooting just 31.5 percent from three-point range, ranking 27th in the league. The Raptors actually improved on that mark against Memphis, shooting 34 percent, but that’s hardly a number to celebrate.
Outside of Battle and Jamal Shead, who ended the game knocking down four triples, Toronto struggled to get much production from beyond the arc. When one team is making shots at a high rate and the other is still trying to find its range, the margin for error becomes pretty small. And Memphis certainly took advantage.
Toronto’s defensive identity has been one of the team’s biggest talking points, but it wasn’t nearly good enough against Memphis. The Grizzlies found multiple open looks from the perimeter, making Toronto pay for breakdowns throughout the night. Memphis shot 53.2 percent from the field and 47.1 percent from three, knocking down 16 of its 34 attempts from deep.
That’s a particularly rough number considering the Grizzlies entered the game ranked fifth in the NBA in three-point percentage at 37.8 percent. They were already a good shooting team, but Toronto allowed them to operate well above their usual level.
Jerami Grant was one of the biggest beneficiaries. He shot 6-for-9 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range, finishing with a season-high 17 points. Jaylen Wells was just as dangerous from beyond the arc, tying his season high with four made threes on five attempts. He finished with 14 points.
What’s even more frustrating is that Toronto actually won the turnover battle, forcing Memphis into 18 turnovers while committing 14 of its own. You’d expect that to be an advantage for the Raptors, but they failed to make the most of it. Memphis scored 26 points off Toronto’s turnovers, while the Raptors managed just 16 points off the Grizzlies’ mistakes.
Despite trailing by eight entering the fourth quarter, Toronto wasn’t ready to pack it in. The Raptors opened the final frame with an 11-5 run, cutting Memphis’ lead to 94-92 and putting themselves right back in the game. It was the kind of response Toronto needed after allowing the Grizzlies to gain momentum coming out of halftime.
Shead played a big part in that push. His shooting touch had cooled considerably after the break, but he continued to find ways to influence the game with the ball in his hands. After scoring 13 points in the first quarter, Shead managed just seven points over the rest of the game, finishing with 20. He shot 2-for-8 from the field in the second half, but his playmaking never disappeared.
In fact, he saved some of his best work for the fourth quarter, recording six of his 11 assists in the final frame alone. Even when his own shots weren’t falling, he was creating opportunities for his teammates and helping Toronto get back within striking distance. It was Shead’s second consecutive double-double.
Unfortunately, Memphis called timeout, regrouped and restored some separation. Toronto couldn’t sustain its run, and the Grizzlies did enough down the stretch to keep the Raptors at arm’s length.
While there were some negatives in this one, at least there were still a few positives to take away, and Jakob Poeltl was near the top of the list. Coming into the match up, I was curious to see how Poeltl would fare against Zach Edey, the 7-foot-4 Canadian centre. Edey’s size presents a different kind of challenge, but Poeltl more than held his own and arguably outplayed him.
Poeltl finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, a steal and four blocks while shooting 75 percent from the field. Edey, meanwhile, finished with eight points, nine rebounds and three turnovers. It was also nice to see Slo-Mo, who did a decent job filling in. Starting in place of the absent CMB, he finished with six points, two rebounds and two assists on 3-for-4 shooting in 16 minutes. Neither performance was enough to swing the result, but both provided some useful contributions nonetheless.
Memphis improved to 7-3 and remains the NBA’s only team without a road loss. Toronto fell to 5-5. Next up is a match up against the Boston Celtics on Nov. 11, and if recent history is any indication, Toronto won’t have an easy time in that one, either. The Celtics have given the Raptors even more trouble than Memphis in recent years.
