10 things: Raptors knock off another tough opponent to extend winning streak

Here are 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors‘ 125-114 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

One — What else is new? The Raptors knocked off a red-hot opponent in the East by making more plays in the clutch. It was another wire-to-wire win where the Raptors had the Hawks at a safe distance, going up by 16 in the fourth quarter before weathering a last-second push from Atlanta to collect their fifth win in a row, while winning four times over five days before a much-deserved weekend off. The Raptors are the giant killers of the East, and they have one of the easiest schedules remaining.

Two — Atlanta went on a barrage with four late threes to cut the lead down to three points before the Raptors responded. It started on defence with Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam combining to swarm John Collins into a miss at the basket, before VanVleet threw a quick hit-ahead pass to Scottie Barnes, who had the smaller Trae Young in the post. On the next trip down, Young thought it was wise to isolate OG Anunoby on a switch, only for his stepback three to be swatted by Anunoby’s 7-foot-2 wingspan. The play once again found its way into VanVleet’s hands, where he drove into the lane, drew three defenders to him, before whipping it out to the corner for a Gary Trent Jr. triple. A few plays later, Anunoby blocked Young again, this time on a reverse layup, before Anunoby pitched it back to a trailing Barnes for three from the top to ice it. The Hawks made it close, but the Raptors had this game all the way.

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Three — Siakam continues his stretch of total domination with 33 points overall including 21 in the first quarter alone. Siakam’s isolation game is razor sharp these days, with the midrange jumper to counter against bigger defenders, and the post-up game to handle smaller forwards. Atlanta shifted to a zone to try and avoid Siakam getting one-on-one chances, only for him to bang in three triples in the first quarter. He got whatever he wanted against a Hawks team that should be well-equipped to slow Siakam on paper, but he’s finding counters to everything. After the first quarter, Siakam shifted more into a finishing role, playing the two-man game with VanVleet and Anunoby to get his points efficiently within the flow of the offence.

Four — NBA commissioner Adam Silver needs to think long and hard about who he will name as Kevin Durant’s injury replacement at the All-Star game. Siakam is firmly in that mix, especially since Silver would need to choose a frontcourt player, as the only other competitors in the group would be Jarrett Allen or perhaps Jaylen Brown. Siakam’s case is simple: He’s been the best player on the Raptors as they have ripped through the East over the past month, averaging 23 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block since returning from COVID-19 after Christmas. Siakam is even better than he was when he was named an All-Star starter back in 2020.

Five — VanVleet outplayed his All-Star counterpart. Young is special in his own right, particularly with his ability to pass and with his exceptional touch on floaters, but VanVleet was up to the task. VanVleet’s expert handling in the pick-and-roll was just as good, especially since the Hawks were left to guard 1-on-2 with Young disappearing on every screen, which gave VanVleet ample room to pull-up from three, hit the midrange, or get into the heart of the defence to draw double teams before firing it out for threes. The biggest difference between the two players is defence. Young was unable to hit a single three because of the disciplined pressure that VanVleet applied to the ball, while VanVleet got to every spot he wanted on the floor. And when it came time to take over, VanVleet scored 13 points and recorded four assists for another 11 points in the third quarter to push the Raptors ahead, before closing out strong with his playmaking in the fourth.

Six — The Raptors are routinely getting easy offence through two simple plays. One, they always send one of their forwards — usually Anunoby or Barnes — to sprint ahead and seal smaller defenders in transition, which is a smart way to capitalize on their size advantage on the perimeter as Barnes was able to score on Young late in the fourth. Two, the Raptors have all been drilled to present themselves in the post on timely cuts while someone is attacking in the post or driving down the lane. Even VanVleet at just 6-foot-1 was sneaking into the dunker spot for timely layups. These are clear signs of the Raptors building chemistry since it all depends on timing and working in tandem.

Seven — Boucher delivered two perfect shifts off the bench. In Chris Boucher‘s first stint, he flashed behind the defence for a layup from Siakam who drew most of the attention. Then, Boucher crashed the glass and got himself a putback behind the defence, while also securing key defensive rebounds. When he returned in the third quarter, Boucher scored a putback off a missed foul call on VanVleet’s drive, nailed a corner three off a drive-and-kick sequence from VanVleet, and he executed a perfectly measured closeout against Bogdan Bogdanovic at the arc where Boucher resisted the itch to jump, smartly closed down the space, and forced Bogdanovic to shoot over length, which forced an airball out of the Hawks. Boucher finished the night with 11 points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes without missing a single shot while creating most of them through his own individual hustle.

Eight — Nick Nurse continues to get great results from his all-forward lineup. It features Siakam and Anunoby as the primary creators, while Barnes, Precious Achiuwa, and Dalano Banton round out the group. Offensively, they are admittedly reliant on outside shots from iffy shooters (Achiuwa nailed a three from each corner to make it work) but the most devastating attribute is their defensive versatility. Nurse is fielding five quick and springy defenders, all with 7-foot-plus wingspans, all with the ability to guard inside and out, and who can all rebound and push the break. Atlanta’s bench unit is quite strong compared to league average, and yet they could generate nothing to start the fourth quarter and found themselves overrun by length.

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Nine — Birch is understandably rusty after missing so much time this season. Just like the win against Chicago, Nurse gave Khem Birch a low leverage five-minute run in the second quarter to allow him to find his legs, and he was shaky as you would expect. Birch gave up an and-one as the smaller DeAndre Hunter muscled right past him for a layup, and was late to contest on Young’s scoop shot off the glass. Birch has proven to be a productive player when he is healthy, and is worth being patient with. However, it will be tough for Birch to crack the rotation again when Boucher and Achiuwa are playing at their current form. Although Birch is the most polished and measured of the three, the other two are capable of playing with so much hustle and intensity that Birch might not match even if he regains peak conditioning.

Ten — The front office should have a pretty good sense of what the team’s needs are ahead of the deadline. The Raptors are short a true 7-foot big to contend with the likes of Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo (although their help defensive schemes have stymied them in the past) and a third guard who can create offence and run the second unit. The starting five will be untouched, barring a blockbuster trade, and if the Raptors are willing to put picks on the table, some bench help should be very attainable. This group is clearly on the upswing, they have found their identity, and are deserving of reinforcements.

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