The Toronto Raptors beat the Chicago Bulls 113-104 behind Fred VanVleet , Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby and a historic night by Christian Koloko.
CHAPTERS
0:00 – Intro
0:35 – 2 Key Stats
1:57- 3 Key Takeaways
6:37- No I in T-E-A-M
7:50- Player of the Game
Apart from a stretch in the third quarter where the offense and defense unravelled at the same time with DeMar DeRozan on the bench, the Raptors dominated the game for most of the second half, laying to rest the myth that the team would be winless or listless without their ALL-NBA star Pascal Siakam who is expected to miss between 2 weeks to a month with a groin injury which is being termed a right abductor strain.
Despite a rusty Fred VanVleet who had been out for 3 games with a back strain, and Scottie Barnes limping every 5 minutes as he nurses a mild right ankle sprain, the Raptors rallied in a total team effort.
Otto Porter Jr added 3 steals, Thaddeus Young grabbed 8 rebounds in 15 minutes, and Chris Boucher was his normal self. The Raptors weathered another bad night from the team’s second leading scorer Gary Trent Jr. as they proceeded to put the hurt on the Bulls who were without Lonzo Ball and Zach Lavine.
36 Comments
I respect the obstacles but I also recognize the opportunities that are found within them. Here’s a chance to develop the young players. Heck, put Scottie on the shelf and let him heal if needed. Koloko, Banton, Champagnie, OPJ, Thad, Achiuwa need some time to find their rhythm and approach the latter part of the season with confidence. They will be needed in the last half of the season and playoffs.
Bulls went on 16-2 run when Fred sat down. Nurse does have trust issues. He is treating every game like game 6 vs Golden State.
I thought Koloko was overrated and look raw on offense in Summer league. But he’s strong on D and adds that rim protector/shot blocker we need. Haven’t seen the 3 point shooting yet.
Player of the game obviously Fred.
Good video has usual.
OG needs to take Ballet or Dance classes.🕺🏾🕺🏾NN just doesn't like young players unless they're blue-chip lottery picks. I still maintain they would have beat the Celtics in the bubble if he sat down decrepit Marc Gasol for either Bouche or Hollis Jefferson.
I was a distance runner for years. OG is a bit flat-footed/doesn't move from the toes first, which is optional when balance is concerned. It's tough/almost impossible to change this much.
The other thing I like about Christian is his demeanor…his maturity and his intelligence. And he isn't overly emotional and he doesn't chirp at the refs when he is getting tagged with the obligatory rookie foul calls….I think in years to come he will have the respect around the league in much the same way as David Robinson.
It's been said but bears repeating. NN is going to run this team into the ground if he doesn't start spreading the minutes throughout the bench. It's painful to watch scottie limping around and not getting pulled. We have depth this year, let's us it already
I agree with OG having off balance everytime he drives to the basket
OG and Precious both have similar problems when trying to back players down into the paint. Alvin pointed it out in the broadcast after a Precious offensive foul. You don't try to go through the player on the first bumb, you bump him to back him up and give yourself better position to either shoot or back down some more. I know it sounds easier than it is to do, but I agree, there has to be someone on the club to help them work on this…instead of creating the same error over and over again. I refuse to believe that any player in the NBA can't learn to do this. : )
I do enjoy seeing OG at the top of the steals per game list, but he had a few moments last night where he went for the steal in the passing lane, missed, and his man got into the paint for a pass. Is OG looking for steals a little too much? Otherwise he had another great night.
coffee grabbed
Q- Could Koloko become a future AllStar? What could his ceiling be?
Mailbag Question…
What should the Raptors do about Malachi Flynn as the time to make a decision on him with this team in my opinion is quickly running out. Maybe you see it another way.
Great Analysis as always. Love your videos. Yes i wouldn't mind losing a few games so that players like Banton, Flynn, Dowtin get some quality game experience. We dont want our stars to grow old soon by playing too many minutes. Love the energy O.G. and Koloko bring on the defensive end and we can see the veteran presence of Otto and Thad helping the team. Not to forget the energy Boucher brings to the team.
great video man, I don't always agree with your takes (pretty infrequent actually, 1 out 10?), but even when I don't agree I still fully see and understand your point of view, and the points you're making are always super valid. You obviously have a great bball mind and see things I simply cannot follow when watching games, but I improve the more I watch your videos, and I thank you for that. question for you, do you think that Koloko, by 2nd half or last 3rd of the season, if he continues on this trajectory, there is a shot that he begins to get starts in games where our normal starting 5 are all healthy?
In a vacuum we have a lot of talent on this team and the bench is full of good players. However in a team scenario very few of these guys are able to create their own opportunities, much less opportunities for others. We only have one true serviceable pg in fvv. Scottie works better in tandem with one of Pascal or Fred. In his current form he's unable to leade an offense by himself. This is why these three always play heavy minutes. Whenever Fred and Pascal are sitting we dry up on offense and start bleeding points.
they won, but they didn't "destroy" anybody
I agree with your OG take. He gets so clumsy in the paint, and his soft touches never go in. He’s gotta relax in there
Impressive as usual 🙂
There are basically two options for the raptors. Play the game to win and get a top seeding which from any interviews I have seen is the goal. Second option is to hope you can make up ground later in the season to reach your goal.
NN is so focused on winning battles while risking losing the war! Not a smart coach. He will shorten Scottie, FVV and Siakam’s careers. So sad!
Honestly was shocked to see Scottie get 40 minutes on that obviously bum ankle, Nurse has to split up minutes better
I said it in the summer and I’ll say it again. When you see a player winning DPOY and MIP please pay attention.
Not a physiology major, me, but could it be the case that OG's strength training has impaired his balance? Tai Chi also opens the hips and is good for balance. Anything.
Scottie's ankles, too. Skating, maybe, to strengthen them?
Nurse is being reckless with the rotation minutes played by Fred, Scotty, Pascal and to a lesser extent OG
NO FRED VANVLEET SLANDER. HE IS THE OUR POINT GOD, AND THE VOICE OF THE RAPTOR ON COURT 🤍🖤🤍
The Raps need a shot blocker, so they draft a good one in the 2nd round. The Timberwolves want a shot blocker, and mortgage their future to get a dud. Which org, is better, lol?
Things you can count on. Death. Taxes. OG has at least 2 steals. OG has at least least 1 awkward fall per game
Masai uncovers a gem. Again.
Completely agree with your Point Guard take. It makes no sense.
I was actually think this last night. Best player comp for Koloko is Mutombo
You are super negative. Makes watching your videos at times almost unbearable.
Whilst I believe the younger guys can play some minutes to talk shit about nurse for playing Barnes and fvv is dumb. To say they should play less minutes and not worry about the win is also dumb. Get the win now so you don't have to later. They won yesterday so today they can take it easy… Or later in the season they can focus on being healthy for post rather than making top 6
In order for Toronto to win the NBA championship Pascal will have to be healthy. That doesn't mean they can't go on a run. The only positive that can come out of this is finding out who can really play important minutes off the bench. I am looking forward to the development of a bench that can play with cohesion and confidence. If is a long season..The most important thing for Pascal is he comes back with full health and not to early..
They should rest Barnes or lessen his min until that ankle heals.
One thing though I did not like how Fred hog the ball way too much. I hope next game Fred does not do that all the time and maybe go off bal OG post up and give him an open 3 instead of Fred taking so many contested shots.
Koloko playing with poise and great purpose. He knows his role and has a great feel for the game. He does what he needs to do on offense and puts his defensive imprint on the game whenever he's in the game. It's awesome that he got those alley-oops in pick n' roll, showing that he knows how to play the right way.
Koloko, player of the game definitely for me, turning defense into fast breaks. Hind sight, I think Nurse wanted the team and VV had the confidence without Siakam that's why he played VV and Scottie long minutes, and coach challenge early too wrt VV foul.