TORONTOR RAPORTS
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Toronto Raptors: Start time, lineups, injuries, and more
Less than twenty-four hours have passed since the Toronto Raptors’ taxing two-over overtime victory in Oklahoma. Is it possible for the Raptors to persevere and win in New Orleans?
In their return to action, coach Darko Rajakovic and the Toronto Raptors will take on the well-rested New Orleans Pelicans after letting one (a 23-point lead!) slip away the previous night.
The Toronto Raptors played an excellent 30-or-so minutes against the Western Conference’s best team. They will have to match the same effort and discipline against the Pelicans — only this time, they will have to do it without RJ Barrett while facing a different opponent style, with Zion Williamson and old friend Jonas Valanciunas looking to inflict some pain in the paint. To make it worse, the shorthanded Raptors will have to dig deep and play through lactic acid to win tonight, as they clearly looked gassed in last night’s 2OT thriller (letdown?) against the Thunder.
In relation to this, Zion leads the NBA in points in the paint with an average of 17.4 PITP per game. He scored 33 points and pulled down eight rebounds a few days ago against the San Antonio Spurs. Zach Collins and rookie Victor Wembanyama were on the court when the Pelicans scored almost half of their 121 points in the paint.
In Barrett’s absence, the Raptors’ chances of winning tonight would depend on how well Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley performed. After missing three games because of a thigh injury, Quickley made a comeback. Last night against the Thunder, Coach Rajakovic put a lot of pressure on him in the fourth quarter and overtime. He finished with 19 points and 11 assists. Despite having a strong final stat line of 19 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds, Barnes did not play a part in the fourth quarter or overtime. Barnes would need to desire “it,” but Coach Rajakovic needed to do a better job of enlisting his support.
The Raptors are thin in the frontcourt, and Zion has embarrassed the Raptors a few times already. They will need to have a solid defensive game plan and be disciplined enough to execute that said game plan. The Pelicans aren’t known as a transition team, but once you have players like Zion on the open floor, it’s hard to stop a freight train at 200 kilometres per hour.
Above all, coach Rajakovic needs to improve how he uses Scottie Barnes in his offensive schemes. Barnes doesn’t have to be used like Carmelo Anthony every play, but he should be used more effectively than he was last night, particularly in crucial situations. It takes more than just planning plays as the coach to involve Barnes. In addition, Barnes needs to be approached personally by Coach Rajakovic, who could say something like, “Hey, it’s time to be aggressive, or do you need a hug?”
How to Watch:
Sportsnet at 8:00 pm ET
Lineups:
Toronto: Immanuel Quickley, Gary Trent Jr., Bruce Brown, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl
New Orleans: CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, Jonas Valanciunas
Injuries:
Toronto: RJ Barrett (out – knee), Jontay Porter (out – back), Markquis Nowell (out – 905), Javon Freeman-Liberty (out – 905), Kira Lewis Jr. (out – 905)
New Orleans: Malcolm Hill (out – NBA GL), EJ Liddell (out – NBA GL), Dereon Seabron (out – NBA GL)
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