TORONTO – Extra accidents. Unfamiliar participant rotations. And the losses proceed to mount for the struggling Toronto Raptors.
On Sunday, it was a 109-97 loss to the visiting Boston Celtics, regardless of being again within the pleasant confines of Scotiabank Area lastly after a six-game highway journey.
Fred VanVleet, who led the Raptors with 27 factors, was requested how he can grasp cohesion with a revolving door of teammates.
“Simply working,” VanVleet mentioned, learning the field rating after the loss. “It in all probability felt the way it checked out instances.”
It seemed ugly.
Marcus Good scored 21 factors to steer the Celtics (11-10), within the Raptors’ first recreation of seven in a row at residence – Toronto’s longest homestand of the season.
Rookie Scottie Barnes added 21 factors and 7 rebounds for the Raptors (9-12), who’ve misplaced 9 of their final 12 video games. Pascal Siakam completed with 18 factors and 7 boards, Svi Mykhailiuk had 12 factors, and Treasured Achiuwa grabbed a team-high 9 rebounds.
Al Horford had 17 factors and 11 rebounds for Boston (11-10).
Barnes was one of many brilliant spots on the night time, his taking pictures evolution on show when he drilled three three-pointers inside a three-and-a-half minute stretch within the third quarter.
“We’ve been telling him to shoot. Nick (Nurse) has been telling him to shoot. I’ve been telling him to shoot,” VanVleet mentioned.
Barnes, who’s taking pictures has been a precedence for Raptors employees since they drafted him fourth general final summer season, shot 4-for-9 from lengthy distance. He believes it’s probably the most threes he’s tried in a recreation since highschool.
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“I made seven threes in a single recreation (in highschool),” Barnes mentioned.
“If I’m open and I’ve received attractiveness, why not shoot the ball?” he added. “It’s probably not one thing that’s so huge, it’s simply if I’m open, simply shoot the ball. All people’s been encouraging me. All of us consider in one another that all of us can shoot so, like I mentioned, if I’ve received open seems simply shoot the ball.”
The Raptors have been residence after a six-game highway journey that noticed them win simply twice. They’ve been hit exhausting by accidents, shedding OG Anunoby to a hip pointer only one recreation into the journey. He’s now missed six straight. The Raptors have been additionally with out Gary Trent Jr. on Sunday, who sustained a deep calf bruise in Friday’s loss at Indiana, and Khem Birch (knee swelling).
Trailing 84-78 within the fourth quarter on Sunday, Mykhailiuk scored 5 straight factors to tug Toronto to inside some extent, however Good had a pair of three-pointers as a part of a 14-2 Celtics run for a 13-point lead with 6:21 to play.
When Josh Richardson stole the ball off Barnes and scored with two-and-a-half minutes to play, followers headed towards the Scotiabank Area exits.
Nurse mentioned his group’s effort couldn’t be faulted.
“I assumed the blokes performed actually exhausting,” he mentioned. “Among the guys that we haven’t seen that a lot of, Yuta (Watanabe), Isaac (Bonga), clearly Justin (Champagnie), I assumed they went in there and did a great job. They tried fairly exhausting, there’s simply a few issues you may’t overcome there.”
The Celtics paraded to the free throw line 31 instances to simply 16 instances for Toronto.
Requested concerning the referees’ whistle favouring the guests, VanVleet mentioned “I promise should you write about it I can’t be mad.
“However until until you may have $25,000 to spare, I’m gonna steer clear of officiating feedback apart from to say it was a tricky night time for us on that finish of the whistle.”
Neither group led by double digits by means of the primary half. The Raptors shot a horrible 4-for-13 from three-point vary within the first quarter, however managed to remain inside 4 factors of Boston, and trailed 27-26 to begin the second.
Boston opened the second quarter with an 8-0 run to take a nine-point lead, however the Raptors battled again to inside some extent with a strong stretch that noticed Watanabe drill a three-pointer, then a steal by Barnes, who launched a court-long cross to a sprinting Siakam who completed with a thunderous dunk. Toronto trailed 54-51 at halftime.
Barnes had three three-pointers and 12 factors in a 3rd quarter that noticed the Raptors tie it up six instances.
Previous to tipoff, the Raptors introduced veteran guard Goran Dragic has left the Raptors resulting from a private matter. GM Bobby Webster mentioned in an announcement that the 35-year-old, acquired within the deal that noticed Kyle Lowry go away for Miami, had the complete help of the membership. Dragic has been used sparingly in favour of the group’s creating younger guards reminiscent of Trent Jr. and Dalano Banton, showing in simply 5 video games.
“Goran is, to begin with, a very good dude,” Raptors coach Nurse mentioned. “Extraordinarily skilled, very smart with all his expertise internationally and all his years within the NBA. He’s an pleasurable man to be round and to educate.”
The Raptors end out the calendar yr with 12 of 15 video games at residence. Subsequent up is the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Nov. 28, 2021.
© 2021 The Canadian Press
