"Even though the Raptors starting lineup had slowly crept back into respectability prior to tonight's tip off (they were a slight positive at +1.3 per 100 possessions, across 229 of them) it was a a return to a lesser form to kick things off. Unable to solve the Pacers, who were staying at home defensively, and slumping from downtown, the Raptors found themselves in a hole early."
"However, the stars of the first quarter, as ever, was the bench. Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jamal Shead, Collin Murray-Boyles and Gradey Dick checked in to go on their big, customary run. This time, like many other times, being spurred on by the shooting and driving of Mamu - who was a livewire on offense. A handful of +11's and +12's later, the Raptors found themselves up by 3 heading into the second quarter."
The Raptors' starting five showed limited effectiveness despite prior improvements, struggling against Indiana's stay-at-home defense and poor outside shooting that created an early deficit. Many possessions were funneled to Brandon Ingram to use his mid-range jumper, and he provided a passable offensive solution. The bench ignited the offense, with Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jamal Shead, Collin Murray-Boyles and Gradey Dick producing a customary scoring run energized by Mamu's shooting and driving. Persistent spacing problems and frequent defensive help on drives (RJ Barrett seeing help on 86% of drives) constrained starter opportunities and fit.
Read at Raptors Republic
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]