#three-point-shooting

#three-point-shooting

Aaron Gordon's 10th and final made 3 on Thursday night at Chase Center felt like the final dagger. It came with 26 seconds left in regulation, putting the visiting Denver Nuggets up by three and punctuating a career night for the 12th-year forward. But the biggest perimeter fireworks show in Gordon's life happened to come against the greatest shooter of all-time.

Before Vincent could even think about getting off his fifth three-pointer, Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg smothered him. Vincent stumbled and fell, scrambling to keep control of the ball. He did and passed it to a teammate. When Vincent got to his feet and got the ball back, the fans began to shout, "Shooot it!" So, Vincent did, nailing his fifth three-pointer over the outstretched hand of the 6-9 Flagg, drawing more cheers from the pro-Lakers crowd.

CMB nearly notched a triple-double, putting up 12 points, seven rebounds, and six assists along with two blocks in 23 minutes of action. One of the biggest highlight plays from the night was when he blocked Malik Monk's three-point shot, then leaked out for the and-one dunk in transition. Brandon Ingram led all Raptors with 21 points in 23 minutes. He added 6 rebounds,

After Raptors Media Day, I like to think Brandon Ingram is just as excited as anyone in Toronto to get the ground running with his new team. He's been out of action for nearly a year ( last game played on December 7, 2024), focusing on rehab and getting back into peak shape. We all know how talented Ingram is on offense, especially in isolation and his patented mid-range game.

We still have just over a month and some change before the Raptors suit up again for a critical, yet still very much experimental 2025-26 season. With that comes a ton of questions about how well they will perform, considering the new-look team, ownership seemingly applying pressure, and GM Bobby Webster fully entrusted as Toronto's top boss. Some outlets, like ESPN which I highlighted a couple of pieces back,

That first season when he came over from the Blazers had me 100% sold on the Gary Trent Jr. stocks, and I was passionate enough to tell everybody about it. But I slowly realized, and I think the Raptors organization did too, that Trent Jr. wasn't quite going to be the continuous developmental piece that was initially hoped. Trent might have hit his ceiling as a spark plug, but largely streaky shooter,

Jamison Battle deserves all the praise he can get. The Raptors took a chance on him as an older, undrafted prospect from the 2024 class, and when Toronto needed an offensive spark, Battle proved he was more than capable of knocking down the three. Battle finished his rookie campaign averaging solid stats: 7.1 points on 42.9% shooting, a stellar 40.5% from three, 88.9% from the free-throw line, and 2.7 rebounds.

Nets finished just 5-for-25 from deep, emphasizing their inability to hit 3-pointers and their reticence to attempt them, which was concerning for coaches.