10 things: Raptors bench finally steps up in rout over Kings

Here are 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors‘ 124-101 win over the Sacramento Kings.

One — That was a very satisfying win by the Raptors to close out their seven-game homestand. It was almost the perfect game, where every single player got into the game and scored, there was no stress whatsoever as to a comeback, and the game was over quickly since the refs allowed it to breathe. The only regret after this one is that the Kings are in the West, because it would be really nice if the Raptors could play them more than twice a year. After their first beatdown last month, the Kings fired head coach Luke Walton. And after tonight’s loss, they held a team meeting, but what is there really to discuss? The Kings stay the Kings.

Two — The Raptors were dominant once again on defence. Granted, it was the Kings who started the game by committing some of the silliest turnovers you could possibly imagine, but the Raptors were on them all night. Sacramento’s guards could barely get any space, as the Raptors limited De’Aaron Fox to mostly midrange jumpers and ran Buddy Hield off the line while holding promising sophomore Tyrese Halliburton to only two shot attempts.

By forcing the Kings into 17 turnovers and limiting them to 47 per cent shooting within the paint, the Raptors were able to buff their lead by consistently playing in transition. The only way the Kings hurt the Raptors was on the offensive glass, where Alex Len collected eight offensive rebounds while Tristan Thompson and Marvin Bagley each had three apiece, but that’s understandable given the Raptors’ lack of centers at the moment. Otherwise, it was another sharp showing from the frontcourt of Chris Boucher, Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes.

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Three — This was the best showing of the season from the Raptors’ beleaguered bench. All season, it has been the second unit that has been the weakness, including their most recent game where they combined for 10 measly points against the Knicks. But not only did four reserves score in double-digits tonight, but the bench lineups actually did better than the starters in terms of breaking the game wide open in the first half and extending the lead.

It was exactly the performance that Nick Nurse would have wanted on the front end of a back-to-back, as he was able to rest his starters for the entirety of the fourth quarter. For once, the reserves came in and played with confidence, with several players playing outside of their comfort zone and taking initiative on offence rather than always looking to defer to the starters.

Four — This was a really strong showing from Dalano Banton before he left the game at halftime. Banton was the key figure for the second unit when they broke the game open, with Banton recording six assists in his nine minutes. He scored or assisted on eight of the Raptors’ 11 baskets during a stretch between the first and second quarter, which saw their lead grow from three to 15 points. Banton was especially productive attacking downhill and making passes along the baseline, as once he found Svi Mykhailiuk for a corner three, hit Justin Champagnie with a wraparound pass for a cutting layup, and then set up Yuta Watanabe for three.

His performances have been up and down this season, as there are many games where Banton hardly makes an impression, and then there’s showings like this one where he changed the whole complexion of the match. It’s just a shame that Banton left the game at halftime with what the team described as a non-COVID illness, and that he’s unlikely to travel to Brooklyn.

Five — Yuta Watanabe played a perfect game in his role. His defence was strong throughout, forcing the Kings into settling on contested looks, and he was incredibly active on the glass collecting 10 rebounds for his first double-double. He also poured in 14 points on the rare night where Watanabe was willing to reach deeper into his scoring skillset. He pulled up for a midrange jumper after freezing his man with a crossover, used a spin move in traffic to get himself clear for the layup and was aggressively looking to take it to the basket on his drives.

There’s more skill in his game beyond catching and shooting from the corners, and Watanabe should have the latitude with the second unit to showcase his abilities. He is unselfish and pass-first by nature but the team needs him to right that and be more aggressive.

Six — Malachi Flynn made the most of his opportunity with Banton out for the second half. Flynn scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, including a flurry of smooth pull-up jumpers after he toyed with his defender using his handle. Flynn even got to the basket for two contested finishes at the basket, and that was the main reason why VanVleet was limited to a season-low 26 minutes. The Raptors have mostly asked Flynn to be a microwave scorer this season, and it mostly hasn’t panned out, but there is some ability there. He can definitely score in bunches.

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Seven — Justin Champagnie is quickly earning Nurse’s trust as a reliable bench contributor. He is obviously undersized as a backup center, but that would never be his role if the Raptors were healthy. Still, Champagnie has been reliable defensively, showing good discipline in pressuring without fouling, and especially when the Raptors shift to a zone coverage to mask their lack of size, Champagnie has been sharp in communicating within the zone and being in the right spots.

Offensively, the corner threes are about the only looks he can reliably make from the perimeter, but he does a really good job of creeping behind his defender and working the baseline for cuts and putbacks. There’s a useful player there.

Eight — Scottie Barnes shows you something new every game. Tonight, it was the shot-blocking, as Barnes set his career-high with five blocks in 32 minutes. Barnes has been asked to play more interior defence recently since the Raptors are without both of their centers and he has delivered. His timing has been sharp, as he almost looks to be a step late at times, except it’s a trap for the opponent since he knows he can always make up ground quickly with his seven-foot-three wingspan.

The only thing Barnes needs to be careful with is avoiding fouls, as he will be taking on more contact in this role as a help defender. The key for him is to stay down as much as possible, since it’s difficult for defenders to shoot over the top of him.

Nine — It’s no surprise that Chris Boucher is thriving with the starting lineup. There’s no doubt that he can be productive offensively, but the issue has been his shot selection especially when given more freedom in the second unit. Since joining the starters, Boucher has been able to play within a defined role, to slip between the gaps as defences hone in on the more established scorers, which has simplified his role to the point where he only needs to run hard to the rim at the right times to get a basket.

Boucher filled the lanes energetically in the first half, and even built up the confidence to make two threes in the second half. The challenge now is for Boucher to try to replicate this with the bench when the Raptors eventually get their guys healthy.

Ten — Nurse continues to use zone defence to great effect. Similar to the Knicks game where Derrick Rose was giving them problems by getting downhill, it was Fox who was giving the Raptors issues with his speed. By shifting to the zone defence, the Raptors were able to stack the lane and dissuade Fox from playing in his comfort zone in the pick-and-roll, which effectively ended any hopes of a comeback from the Kings in the second half. The Raptors have had far more time to practice during this homestand, which has likely given Nurse more time to implement additional coverages which have helped their defensive turnaround.

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