"Though they've 'only' been 8-4 (now 8-5) since Jan. 1, they've still boasted a net rating of plus-9, had a top-five offence and defence, and won the possession game with aplomb. Toronto keeping pace was exceptional. And beating the Thunder at their own game - winning the possession battle, taking care of the ball, controlling the pace - was miraculous. It was a great game plan that was perfectly executed."
"Walter - a guard - slipped a screen, caught the ball falling out of bounds, and found Barnes in the dunker spot for a layup. Shead threw a seeing-eye pass to a slipping Mamukelashvili that took an angle I haven't seen a Raptor point guard attempt since one Kyle Lowry. In the third quarter, he cut baseline on an Ingram post-up, caught it, and slung an immediate behind-the-back pass to Walter for an easy corner triple."
The Toronto Raptors secured a signature win in Oklahoma City by defeating the injured defending champions while missing both big men. Scottie Barnes produced a pivotal one-on-one block against Chet Holmgren and Immanuel Quickley knocked down two clutch threes. The Thunder remained statistically elite since Jan. 1, but Toronto matched them by winning the possession battle, protecting the ball, and controlling pace. Multiple role-player plays — including Walter finding Barnes, Shead's seeing-eye pass to Mamukelashvili, Ingram creating for Walter, and Barrett's offensive rebound — combined into a complete team performance that could influence front-office decisions.
Read at Raptors Republic
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