"The Raptors started out the game against the Lakers by fighting a math problem. They were getting slammed in the 3-point battle. It's not like they don't often overcome that math problem often, through other means, but this wasn't a "shoot more threes" problem. It was a "make more threes" problem. The Lakers came out, house ablaze, at 4/6 from downtown, whereas the Raptors were a far more frigid 1/7."
"Regardless of league wide trends, the Raptors were in an 11-point hole early on (24-13). Brandon Ingram's bump and wiggle game was inch-worming them to some points to hang in, but... the game is about a bucket. It's true that the Raptors have had the worst offense in the NBA since RJ Barrett sustained his knee injury, and it's even harder to navigate offensive possessions without the dependable, wheel-greasing, screening of Jakob Poeltl who was out of this game to manage his lower back injury."
"Yes, they did benefit from Austin Reaves being off the court, but credit has to be given to Collin Murray- Boyles who turned the water off on any driving game from the Lakers forwards. Be it from Jake LaRavia or even... LeBron James (who started 0-6 from the field). A bit of shot making from Gradey Dick, some lanes being filled by Murray-Boyles (they combined for 15 points on 6 shot attempts before subbing out in the middle of the 2nd quarter)"
The Raptors fell behind early as the Lakers started 4/6 from three while the Raptors were 1/7, creating a make-more-threes problem rather than a shoot-more-threes issue. The team faced compounded offensive difficulty with RJ Barrett injured and Jakob Poeltl sidelined for a lower-back issue, leaving screening and offense generation spotty. Brandon Ingram kept the Lakers afloat with individual scoring, but momentum shifted when the Raptors' bench made defensive stands and hit shots. Collin Murray-Boyles limited driving lanes, Gradey Dick added timely shooting, and the bench combined for efficient scoring to pull the Raptors back into contention.
Read at Raptors Republic
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