Grades from Toronto Raptors grim loss to Portland Trail Blazers

After controlling most of the game, the Toronto Raptors came up short against the Portland Trail Blazers. How did everyone grade in defeat?

Following on from an impressive victory against the Brooklyn Nets on the road, the Toronto Raptors hosted the Portland Trail Blazers in their first home game of 2020. Hopefully, Nick Nurse’s men could start off the new decade with a home win.

For the first 36 minutes of the game, that seemed more than inevitable. The Raptors controlled the game from the word go and led by nine points heading into the fourth quarter, and it was Kyle Lowry who led the way with 22 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the field. It was Lowry who needed to step up the most, having to fill the void of Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet — who was ruled out of the game due to a hamstring injury before tip-off.

The Raptors would only have two starters in double-digit points for the game, with Serge Ibaka knocking down 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. Throughout the game, though, the Raptors controlled the glass thanks to the energy of their bench, but it wasn’t enough to see the game out.

Poor execution down the stretch, along with a masterful fourth-quarter performance from Damian Lillard, was enough to turn the game on its head and give the Trail Blazers an unlikely victory. The Raptors needed more from the rest of their starting lineup, but a lot can be pinned down to the injuries.

However, this was still a tough loss to take, and one that really didn’t need to come about. How did everyone grade in the game?