BOUCHER’S SCORING NIGHT RUINED BY RAPTORS’ LOSS
TORONTO’S DEFENCE GOES MISSING IN ACTION DURING ATLANTA STOP, WRITES FRANK ZICARELLI.
The state of the centre spot has become the centre of attention as the Toronto raptors continue their road trip in Memphis Monday night.
Sunday was an off day for the raptors, whose defence was woefully off the night previous when the host Atlanta Hawks lit up the road-weary raps.
Atlanta had its best shooting night of the NBA season, finishing with a season-high 56.8 per cent from the floor (42-for-74) and 52.8 per cent from 3-point range (19-for36), going 29-for-33 from the line (87.9 per cent).
“I thought that was our best win this year, in terms of efficiency, shooting, moving, playing together,” Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said about the 132-121 win.
“I thought our defensive intensity was good to see, the spirit. I thought the spirit of our guys was really tremendous. And for me, that was really encouraging to see.”
Atlanta recorded 31 assists, one shy of its season high.
The 132 points were the most surrendered by the raptors this season.
Chris boucher had a career scoring night but 121 points weren’t enough. Kyle Lowry was not able to play in transition.
The loss snapped Toronto’s three-game win streak.
The most damning number belongs to centre Aron baynes. The box score showed 0 in rebounding.
baynes, who has, in fairness, played well of late, was on the floor for 15 minutes, his lowest total since a loss in Indiana on Jan. 25. baynes had one game last season when he failed to haul down a single rebound, four O-fers during the 2018-19 season.
Perhaps Saturday night’s zero was an aberration.
The raptors didn’t lose the game because baynes was ineffective — it was poor defence combined with Atlanta’s impeccable shooting.
The two, of course, go hand in hand.
baynes needs to be that serviceable ‘big’ the raptors envisioned when they signed him in free agency. There are no illusions in terms of what baynes is or no mistake in what he isn’t.
He has to set screens, swing the ball, make the occasional shot and rebound. To play minutes and not record a single board isn’t good and neither is the two turnovers on a night when baynes had two points.
Alex Len was waived after seven uneventful and underwhelming games and the obvious need for size continues, even if small ball continues to be the norm around the league.
Toronto’s best lineup, the one suited to close out games, is a roster featuring Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Norm Powell, Fred Vanvleet and Lowry.
depending on matchups, boucher becomes a viable option.
you can’t expect boucher to play almost 33 minutes, like he did in Atlanta, or flirt with a 30-point night.
He recorded 10 rebounds in the loss and went to the line 13 times, the same amount of shots he heaved from the field.
It was boucher at his best, baynes at his worst. Somewhere in the middle is what the raptors require from their centre position as opposed to this wild disparity.
“I would rather have 10 points in a win than 29 in a loss,” said boucher. “At this point, we’ve just got to figure out a way to get our wins in.
“It’s always better to celebrate a win than somebody having a career high.”
Following his franchise-record 54-point night against the Magic when he drilled 11 of 14 threes, Vanvleet has gone a combined 4-of16 from distance in his past two games. He also dished off 10 dimes in Atlanta, the third time this season he has recorded a double-digit assist night.
Vanvleet acknowledged how the raptors were off, even though they did get off to a nice start in the first quarter.
“I just didn’t think we were sharp enough,” he said. “especially defensively, we gave up three 30-point quarters and that’s not going to get it done, especially on the second night of a back-to-back.
“We had a chance and we had our chances to win the game but giving up 132 I don’t know if you can live and survive playing defence that way.”