The Toronto Raptors suffered a detrimental lost on Tuesday night at the hands of the No. 1 seed in the East, the Brooklyn Nets. Toronto remains at the 12th spot, but now is two games back of the Washington Wizards, who hold the final spot for the play-in tournament.
With 10 games remaining in the season, it is very much possible for the Raptors to still make a playoff push. However, that will only happen if Toronto sticks to their bread and butter, which has been team-oriented offense and defense.
With the addition of Khem Birch and Freddie Gillespie, the Raptors have filled a much-needed void at center and are witnessing the benefits of those signings. Looking at the way the team is currently playing, one can make the argument that if these two players were acquired earlier, the Raptors would already be in playoff contention.
Hypotheticals won’t get anyone anywhere, but if Toronto continues to play this brand of basketball, they can easily be a playoff team.
Unselfish basketball pic.twitter.com/Qzg6z4OYCF
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 28, 2021
The Toronto Raptors played well against the Nets.
If a few more 3-point shots went down, this game can be perceived in a different light. The loss against the Nets can simply be boiled down to the inability to make shots. The Raptors as a team shot under 40% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc.
Is it likely for Fred VanVleet to continue to go 3-12 from three? Certainly not, and the shooting struggles from Pascal Siakam didn’t aid in Toronto’s efforts to win either. However, when the Raptors were clicking against a Nets team that was still deadly even without James Harden, it was fueled by great defense along with an amazing well-balanced offense.
The Raptors were able to secure the lead for a stretch in the third quarter, and played their best basketball throughout the game within that stretch. The collective defense Toronto was able to play on the stars of the Nets was a bright spot for the Raptors.
Kyrie Irving was held to single digits in points for the first time in 82 games, which is an impressive defensive feat considering Irving is one of the most skillful scorers the NBA has ever seen. Kevin Durant finished with 17 but was only able to attempt seven shots. This was mainly due to the constant pressure the Raptors defense applied to Durant.
The Toronto Raptors took two of three from the Nets.
There was always a second defender ready to jump on Durant, whether that was on the catch or on the drive, Toronto made it a priority to get the ball out of his hands and make others beat them, which happened to be the case.
However, playing against a team that’s as skillful as the Nets and being able to compete the way Toronto did, especially with the struggles of VanVleet and Siakam, is a testament to how well this team plays together.
The upcoming schedule for Toronto will not be easy, as eight out of their last 10 games are against teams that are currently slotted with a playoff spot. However, if there was one thing to takeaway from Tuesday night’s game against the Nets, it was that when Toronto is playing to their potential they can come out victorious in any game they play.
Fans might have their hopes towards the playoffs diminishing, but it is definitely still possible for the Raptors streak of seven consecutive playoff appearances to become eight.