"It was 40-33 for the Raptors when you could see a boisterous Barnes backpedaling down the court, big cheesin' for the world to see. He had just thrown a pass down to Collin Murray-Boyles for a layup to tally his 5th assist in 15 minutes of play. He was happy to find Murray-Boyles for an easy look to reward how much work the young rookie had been putting in on the glass. Similar to other games in this recent stretch, CMB had been fighting and giving his life to the matter of rebounding."
"I reflected upon the Raptors of the past with Nick Nurse before the game. Talking about his team's mad dash for turnovers, offensive rebounds, transition buckets, and the possession battle. Some of the NBA's most important trends right now, only earlier. "I wish I could say I was doing it to be a pioneer, but it was a necessity. The truth is"
Raptors have been undersized this season and have faced roster limitations as Jakob Poeltl's back injury was downplayed, managed, and ultimately surrendered to. Injuries to RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram compounded the shortage of size and contributed to offensive limitations. Coach Darko praised the smaller group for competing against bigger squads. Barnes produced heavy offense, tallying points and assists while finding Collin Murray-Boyles for layups. Murray-Boyles fought for rebounds and generated extra possessions that fueled Barnes' scoring. The team continues to rely on turnovers, offensive rebounds, transition buckets, and possession control.
Read at Raptors Republic
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