"But that didn't dissuade the Kings. They stayed in the zone. It wasn't a little zone. It was a lot of zone. I don't have synergy, so I don't know if the Raptors get zoned more than any other team in the NBA, but it sure feels like it. By the numbers, NBA teams perform worse against zone than they do against man. But the Raptors are not "teams." Whatever energy was left over from Tuesday's record-breaking performance was sapped quickly."
"After struggling against the zone in the first half, the Raptors ultimately solved it in the third, more with force than craft. Scottie Barnes took control of the middle and scored 14 of his tied team-high 23 points as Toronto won the quarter 43-21, and the game 122-109. Ever the stat-sheet stuffer, Barnes added eight boards, seven assists and five stocks."
"On the second night of a back-to-back, the Raptors initially picked up where they left off, coming out guns blazing. Brandon Ingram did the offensive work to start, looking languid as possible while doing so. He methodically drew help and passed out to Sandro Mamukelashvili for a 3, drove and banged a pull-up over Precious Achiuwa, and caught off the aforementioned flare for a 3. Ingram matched Barnes, scoring his 23 points on 15 shots in the game."
Sacramento deployed an extended zone defense that disrupted Toronto's early offense and slowed momentum. Brandon Ingram began efficiently, hitting threes, drawing help and finishing with 23 points on 15 shots. Toronto struggled against the zone in the first half but broke through in the third quarter, outscoring Sacramento 43-21 as Scottie Barnes seized the middle and scored 14 of his 23 points. Barnes also contributed eight rebounds, seven assists and five stocks. Despite Sacramento's continued zone and scoring from Zach LaVine and Malik Monk, Toronto closed out a 122-109 victory.
Read at Raptors Republic
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