Raptors bench nearly pull a comeback

The table was set for a Jamison Battle – Ja’Kobe Walter – Jonathan Mogbo – Jamal Shead – Chucky Hepburn lineup. They were all subbed in with the Raptors up two with 6:02 left because it’s pre-season basketball, bayybee. 

It was Battle and Hepburn’s first time on the court all gain and boy, did they impress in limited minutes, even if it took them a while to get going.

The Raptors’ aggressive pressure-heavy, switch-heavy defence is who they are, but, at times, gambling left them exposed to open shots. Battle reacted to an open Anferee Simons a little too late, who cashed a triple to make it 102-94 with less than three minutes left. Being a step too slow defensively cost them in the third as Boucher cashed an open corner three (he played with an extra chip on his shoulder, blocking Barrett on the other end and stared down his former team’s bench).

Mogbo got beat off the dribble by Xavier Tillman, who got downhill after a get action initiated by Raptor killer Payton Pritchard (though he wasn’t today). That marked a 12-0 run by the Celtics. 

After some helter skelter basketball – Mogbo and Chucky Hepburn trapped Simon in the backcourt and Shead got the steal. But Baylor Scheierman anticipates the pass to Mogbo and picks it off only to lose it himself – 3s from Shead, Hepburn, and Battle nearly saved the day.

Shead who has proved himself a worthy catch-and-shoot three-point shooter hit one in transition. Another late-game Celtic turnover got flipped into a Hepburn triple. It was looking like another late-game thriller we’ve become accustomed to watching in pre-season.

Battle’s two 3s, especially with a deep one off an out-of-bounds play with nine seconds left, tied the game, but Tillman’s Poeltl-like push shot dashed the hopes of another comeback over the Celtics.

We got a glimpse of the Quickley – Barrett – Ingram – Barnes – Poeltl starting lineup, too. IQ’s speed got him to the line, and his ability to do so helped get the Raptors their first lead in the second quarter. Barrett and Poeltl were their usual reliable selves. Ingram bailed out the Raptors on offense and was the go-to guy when it came to iso ball. He led all scorers with 20 points. Scottie was continuing to “experiment” or “settle” depending on how you see it, but had an underwhelming offensive night to say the least. 

Ja’Kobe Walter, who’s struggled this pre-season, tried to answer late in the fourth quarter, hoisting an off-the-dribble 3 in a stagnant half-court offense way too early in the shot clock. He used Mogbo’s screen and Tillman dropped, but hey, it’s pre-season, so seeing the sophomore experiment was promising to watch.

Ochai Agbaji was a star in his role and Mamu continued to impress. Off the catch, Mamu’s handle and burst allowed him to get downhill and touch the paint multiple times. He broke down Josh Minott and also threw a beautiful pass to Mogbo in the paint.

Again, this is pre-season, so not all of this can be extrapolated, but two things stood out. One, there was a play in the first quarter where Agbaji didn’t crash the boards and stayed in the left corner, allowing the middle to open up as Luka Garza grabbed the board and instantly threw a pass to Jaylen Brown to initiate a fast-break. This play didn’t result in a bucket, but it gave insight into the importance of corner crashing for good transition defence, something Joe Mazzulla spoke about after their previous pre-season match-up. 

The second is more of a question. Neemias Queta gave the Raptors’ potential starting lineup trouble inside in the first half. He grabbed a game-high 12 boards (at least two offensive boards on Poeltl and one on Ingram), but if we are still thin inside, how will the Raptors continue to adjust? Scottie B’s defence – more than his offence – will be crucial.