It’s no secret that the Jazz are tanking this season. So, the Raptors definitely have to take their 143-127 win with a grain of salt—although Ace Bailey did his best to keep the game interesting with a 37-point effort. Still, the Raptors would never be able to put up that many points without Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, and Jakob Poeltl against a team that takes playing defense a little more seriously than the Jazz.
Nevertheless, the game came just at the right time for the Raptors. With a tanking opponent and three starters out, Darko Rajaković could give his reserves plenty of minutes and allow them to work through some issues that had been plaguing them all month and gain some confidence.
Getting players like Sandro Mamukelashvili, Jamal Shead, and Collin Murray-Boyles back into a good rhythm could be invaluable down the stretch, as the Raptors continue in a closely contested playoff race.
Sandro Mamukelashvili hit a couple of threes
At 6’9”, one of Mamu’s biggest assets is his ability to space the floor. He was one of the Raptors’ most reliable 3-point shooters off the bench for most of the season, but he struggled mightily in March before this game. He went 9-34 in the first eleven games this month.
With Poeltl out, Mamu was able to step into the starting lineup and play 32 big minutes. He took six 3-pointers and made three. The Raptors shot the three uncharacteristically well at 54%, which is not a testament to the Jazz’s defense, but just seeing the ball go through the net a couple of times should boost Mamu’s confidence and get him back on the right track shooting-wise.
Jamal Shead recorded a career-high 15 assists
With Quickley out, Shead stepped into the starting point guard spot and played 29 minutes. While he still didn’t shoot the ball well, he impressed with his playmaking and hit a 3-pointer for the first time since the Raptors’ 122-115 win over the Suns earlier this month.
Shead still only made two of his six field-goal attempts and went 1-4 from three, but at least he was able to sink a few shots and impact the game in other ways.
Collin Murray-Boyles returned from a lengthy absence
Rookie Murray-Boyles had to miss a string of games with a thumb injury. Returning against the Jazz allowed him to ease back into action without a ton of pressure.
He finished the game with 9 points on 3-5 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 5 blocks. He was the only bench player to finish the game with a positive +/-.