Bench Mob awaits countermove
Success in series opener led by Wright’s shooting gets Wizards’ attention
When substitute Raptors guard Delon Wright entered Saturday’s playoff opener against Washington, he noticed the Wizards had left him open for a three-point shot. So he knocked it down. When they gave him room to shoot another trey, he made that, too.
By then the 25-year-old felt his confidence growing, so when he had to sidestep to free himself to put up another three-pointer, he did it in rhythm and drained that shot as well.
Wright finished with18 points, leading a crew of off-the-bench contributors who helped fuel Saturday’s win. He and C.J. Miles combined for 30 points, compared with 28 for the allstar duo of DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry.
Entering Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal on Tuesday, Wright expects the Wizards to adjust how they address a Raptors’ second unit that helped decide Game 1. But he also knows when Raptors subs perform like they did Saturday, they give the club flexibility other clubs envy.
“They’d probably rather live with me scoring,” said Wright, who averaged eight points a game during the regular season. “I wouldn’t say they took away Kyle and DeMar, but they trapped them and made other guys make plays. Guys like me, Fred (VanVleet) and C.J., we have to make shots and be that extra outlet.”
Last summer, the Raptors front office overhauled a squad that reached the conference semifinals, reasoning a deeper playoff run would need a higher tempo and more three-pointers. In July, they traded for Miles hoping the veteran guard would help speed the transition to a modern brand of basketball.
Saturday night, the Raptors and Wizards both totalled 41 field goals, but where Washington made eight three-pointers, Toronto converted 16.
Miles scored 12 points — all on three-point shots. After Sunday’s practice he stressed that the second unit’s contribution and the club’s three-point efficiency both spring from a new identity now firmly entrenched.
“They’ve been battle-tested all year, so you’ve got to let them get a shot at this,” Miles said. “Those guys have put in a lot of time just to be ready for game situations. You might not call certain guys shooters, but it’s part of their skill set. The shots we get in our offence, we work on them every day. We drill them every day.”
Later, head coach Dwane Casey described the club’s second unit as a “luxury.”
As the playoffs progress and teams shorten their rotations, Casey pointed out that the Raptors’ depth allows him to continue to spread the burden among 11 regulars, rather than burdening star players with more high-leverage minutes.
Casey might also have VanV- leet available for Tuesday’s Game 2. The backup point guard is still listed as day-to-day with a sore shoulder, Casey said, but was on court during the final phases of Sunday’s practice.
Saturday night, Casey enlisted third-string centre Lucas Nogueira for a critical stretch of the fourth quarter — and felt comfortable with the move.
“His feel for the game is quicker than just throwing a rookie out there,” Casey said. “We trust Lucas at any point in the game, in any situation, because of his shot-blocking ability and his ability to make the right decision.”
Nogueira, who averaged 8.5 minutes per game during the regular season, logged nine minutes Saturday. That stretch included a rebound and an assist on a key three-pointer from Miles.
The 25-year-old Brazilian isn’t sure what Casey will need from him on Tuesday night, but whatever it is, he says he’s prepared to deliver on short notice.
“I’m always there sitting on the bench, drinking coconut water and watching the game,” he said. “They say ‘Lucas, go ahead,’ and I just go play.”