Disjointed Raptors cobble together win over Jazz

Not all wins are created equally. Sure, they count the same in the standings, but as a believer in process over results, that’s irrelevant to me. The process that led to this Raptors’ win was ugly. Against any serious basketball team the Raptors would have been blown out. Unforced turnovers, defensive miscues, lack of offensive execution, this game had it all.

Considering how the game started, I’m shocked that we’re talking about how disjointed it ended up being. Immanuel Quickley opened the scoring with a catch-and-shoot three which was quickly followed with a three from Lauri Markkanen. After that a flood of threes came in for the Raptors, RJ Barrett drilled one from the wing, Scottie Barnes put one in from the corner, Brandon Ingram followed it with one of his own. Sandro Mamukelashvili then added on with another from the same spot as the previous two. The Raptors jolted out to a 17-8 lead early. The Jazz made a small run but after another three from Mamukelashvili and a final one from Jamal Shead the Raptors took a 28-23 lead into the second quarter.

This was a strange Ingram game, he seemed out of it a little bit, and perhaps that was due to his All-Star snub, or maybe I’m just reading too much into nothing. Regardless, his offense was muted last night. He didn’t have the same penchant for his jumper, and settled with passes on far more possessions. Now, passing isn’t a bad thing, but when the Raptors went without a field goal for an extended stretch in the second, some classic Ingram shot-making would have hit the spot.

Instead, Barrett was one of the main drivers of Toronto’s offense in the first half, and he finished with a team-high 12 points at halftime. But after a three from former Raptor Svi Mykhailiuk, and an incredible self alley-oop from Markkanen out of a double-team, the Jazz look a five point lead in to the half.

In the third quarter, the Raptors seemed to take one and a half steps forward, and one step backwards as they tried to cut in to the Jazz lead. Quickley hit a three in transition to go up one, and then fouled Isaiah Collier on a drive before losing the ball to a three-quarter court trap, putting the Jazz back up by two. Collin Murray-Boyles finished his second layup in as many minutes, and then the Raptors left Collier wide open for three. The Raptors truly had no answer for Collier, who had a season-high 19 points, he was far too strong and quick for any of the Raptors’ guards and yet all of the wings were preoccupied with Jusuf Nurkic and Markkanen so they were unable to offer relief.

And so the back and forth continued, Barnes drilled a short corner jumper, and then Quickley threw an ill-advised between the legs drop off pass straight into Ingram’s legs. Even Ingram continued to struggle, bobbling back-to-back dribbles while sizing up for a jumper before he eventually gained some confidence with back-to-back buckets. Still, for every bucket the Raptors labored to score, they gave an easier one up on the other end. The Jazz scored 48 of their 100 points in the paint last night, yet somehow the Raptors took a lead into the fourth quarter.

Side note: The bench shooting guard situation is getting out of hand. Ja’Kobe Walter and Gradey Dick seem to be Darko Rajakovic’s go-to guys, but then for some reason he threw Jamison Battle out there for just a small three minute stint and in the second half put Ochai Agbaji in for two minutes. If you want them in the rotation they need more minutes, splitting things up in that way doesn’t accomplish anything. I’m really hoping the trade deadline can bring some clarity to that situation, because I’m tired of watching it.

This season, the Raptors have the third best “clutch” win percentage in the league, though they are one of the five least efficient teams in those same situations. Their wins are defined by the same characteristic that earned Barnes his second All-Star appearance: Swarming, overwhelming, locked-in, tenacious defense. The Raptors currently own a top-eight defense, but when it comes down to the clutch, they have the best defense in the league. They have a 96.0 defensive rating. That’s not just best in the league, but is equivalent to the 15th best defensive rating of all-time. Obviously it’s not that simple, we’re comparing a small sample of fourth quarters to full seasons, but given most of those records were set in the 1970s, it’s impressive.

That ability to lock in when it matters the most has driven Toronto’s winning this season, and it earned them the win last night too. They held the Jazz to just 16 points in the fourth, and squeaked enough offense out to secure the win. Ingram fully returned to form late as he up faked before laying one in with his left and then forcing a Nurkic miss with a tough contest at the rim. He clinched the game with a pull up jumper from the short corner to put the Raptors up seven. It may not have been the type of shot making we’ve grown accustomed to from Ingram but he still made winning plays on both ends down the stretch to seal the win.