"It started casual, not so much a hectic display of arms and limbs as a calm passionless devotion to proper positioning. If the Toronto Raptors against the Washington Wizards were a horror movie villain, they were zombies. The old-fashioned, ambling kind. Not particularly fast, but always there whenever you turn around. Not every night is going to be playoff intensity. But that doesn't mean they have to be letdowns."
"Good teams have identities. Great teams have multiple. The Raptors may not necessarily be in that latter category (although ... they may be?), but they are starting to show an adaptability that prior iterations of this group has lacked. Coming into this contest, Toronto had been a team that won by supercharged half-court offence. That wasn't a strength in this one, at least in the first half. So the Raptors had to find an advantage."
"Sandro Mamukelashivili picked up his third or fourth pick-six of the season. He tipped away a pass to his man and tore down the court for a full-speed layup before the help could catch up to contest. He isn't nearing OG Anunoby territory, but by my eye test he has the most steal-to-uncontested-layup possessions since Anunoby was a Raptor."
The Raptors began the game with calm, positional defense, relentless in presence rather than frenetic activity. Their usual supercharged half-court offense was ineffective early, so they shifted to suffocating defence to create advantages. Individual defensive plays created momentum: Gradey Dick navigated screens and forced a shot-clock violation, Scottie Barnes guarded the ball, and Immanuel Quickley helped on a late double. Sandro Mamukelashivili generated a turnover and converted a full-speed layup, creating high-value transition chances. Brandon Ingram contributed with a weak-side swat and a steal that led to a quick assist and another transition score.
Read at Raptors Republic
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