Toronto Raptors Roundup: Should We Be Concerned?

Toronto Raptors Roundup is a weekly segment where we fill you in on all the games, highlights and stories from last week. Here’s what you missed from the eighth week of the season.

The sky is not falling. The Toronto Raptors are still one of the elite teams in the NBA. But the losses this week did point out some areas of concern that the Raptors are going to need to shore up, especially once the games start to matter more. Rebounding, three-point shooting and execution in crunch time have been troublesome and have cost the team some wins.

And then there’s Kyle Lowry. His three-point shooting has reached unthinkable lows and he is shying away from taking shots. His inability to attack the rim, to make threes and to be that second scoring threat have Raptors fans beginning to worry.

Lowry and the Raptors have plenty of time to work these things out in time for the playoffs, but it is becoming obvious that these are real areas of need. With a schedule that is getting increasingly difficult in the coming weeks, expect a few more losses if the Raps can’t execute better.

Game Recap

Denver at Toronto

Nikola Jokic and the Western Conference leading Denver Nuggets are the real deal. If you didn’t think so before, you did after the Raptors 106-103 loss to the Nuggets on Monday night.

Jokic finished with a triple-double, scoring 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 15 assists in 36 minutes of play. The Nuggets also showed off their depth getting decent contributions from Jamal Murray (21 points), Juancho Hernangomez (15 points) and Malik Beasley (15 points).

Nick Nurse commented on Jokic’s strong play and the Raptors efforts to slow him down after the game.

"“I was kind of hoping we’d be able to disrupt him with little bit more pressure. We worked hard on him, we tried to put him under some duress with the ball but it just didn’t faze him.”"

Said Pascal Siakam of Denver’s effort,

"“They wanted it more than we did. We didn’t bring the energy we usually have.”"

The Raptors were brutal from downtown shooting 11 for 41 from deep. Kawhi Leonard stood out for the Raptors scoring 27 points in a losing cause.

Philadelphia at Toronto

In a marquee matchup, broadcast across the U.S. and Canada, the streaking 76’ers came to town to play against the league-leading Toronto Raptors. It was the first time the new look ‘Jimmy Butler Sixers’ have played the Raptors and there was much anticipation as to how the teams would matchup.

Kawhi Leonard was outstanding in his duel with Jimmy Butler scoring 36 points and nine rebounds. He shot 13 for 24 making five of six from deep. He also had five steals and a couple of highlight reel plays that brought the house down.

It is becoming clear that the Raptors depth, or the Sixers’ lack of it, is one area in which Toronto has a real advantage. After Philly traded away some key role players and shooters to acquire Butler, they are left with a great starting five but face a significant drop off when the bench comes on the floor.

The Raptors took advantage of Philadelphia’s 18 bench points (J.V. had 26 points off the bench by himself) and their 21 turnovers to come away with the 113-102 victory at home. Philadelphia is now 0-2 vs the Raptors this season.

"“We leave disappointed,” coach Brett Brown said. “We also leave, we feel, a bit smarter about what it’s going to take to beat the best team in the NBA right now.”"

Toronto at Brooklyn

Someone needed to tell the Raptors they were playing Golden State or that they were on ESPN because they looked dreadful at times. They desperately needed something to get them going in a disappointing OT loss to Brooklyn 106-105.

The Raptors were dismal on offence, particularly from three, shooting 6 for 29. To make matters worse, they were outrebounded 60-41. Their bench was unable to provide any relief, getting outscored (37-28) by the Nets.

Leonard was fantastic again, as he has been all week, including several hustle plays that helped keep the Raps alive this entire game.

Milwaukee at Toronto

We should now officially be concerned about Kyle Lowry. He scored zero points in 34 minutes of action. Not one point in one of the most anticipated games of the year. This is only the third time he’s been held scoreless as a starter. Not only was he missing threes but his inability to attack the rim is becoming as much of a concern.

The rest of the Raptors, however,  fared better, spreading the scoring out, with Leonard (20), Ibaka (22), Siakam (17) and VanVleet (19) all scoring in double digits. Three-point shooting, a real concern of late, was slightly better, as the Raps shot 34-percent.

However, the well-coached Bucks played extremely well, getting double-digit scoring from five players, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez, who each had 19. They shot nearly 40% from deep.

The Raptors had a chance to tie it late, but Leonard missed a deep three and the Bucks put it away with two free throws. The Bucks will leave town pleased with their 104-99 victory. Toronto will not, and will need to bounce back as they play the hot Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.

The Week Ahead

Toronto at Los Angeles

The Raptors will play the Clippers for the first time this season next week and will meet a team that has surprised many with their success.

Tobias Harris, recently awarded Player of the Month, has helped lead the Clippers to a 15-6 record over the first two months of the season, with averages of 21.7 points and 8.7 rebounds. The Raptors will be in tough on the road against a good squad and with the “Kawhi to L.A.” hype machine in overdrive.

Toronto at Golden State

With Stephen Curry back, look for the Warriors to be seeking revenge on their home court. A recent win against Milwaukee has the Steve Kerr led team still the class of the West.

The Warriors are back to shooting the lights out from three after a start to the season that saw them shooting far fewer threes than they ever have in recent years. The Raptors will have to look to find their own stroke from deep if they stand a chance in this one.

Toronto at Portland

The Trailblazers have come back to Earth. After a blistering start, the Blazers sit in seventh place in the West. Several shooters have been stuck in slumps while the defence has been slumping.

Only Damian Lillard has been effective as of late. C.J. McCollum was out with an ankle injury but returned Saturday. The Blazers have said he will be in a minutes restriction until the ankle is back at full strength.

Toronto at Denver

Since the Raptors last played the Nuggets, Denver has suffered a couple of key injuries. Gary Harris will miss up to four weeks to rehabilitate a right hip injury suffered against the Raptors, while Paul Millsap broke a toe in Friday night’s loss at Charlotte and will be out for an extended period of time.

The Nuggets still have Jokic and Murray and a very skilled, deep team that the Raptors know well after their loss a week back. The Raptors will hope to come out strong and bring a better energy than the did the last time they played the Nuggets.