Raptors' Late-Game Loss to Nuggets: A Revealing Lesson or a Fatal Flaw?
A much-welcome lesson that will hopefully be learned, or a further example of how far the Toronto Raptors must travel before they are truly and legitimately playoff-ready? Put in another way: "Is the glass half empty, or half full?" This season was sold as a continued development of a core group that had yet to play as a unit for a sustained stretch, which kind of flies in the face of the amount of money the franchise has invested.
For those who buy into that approach, the Raptors have succeeded more often than they have failed. In an Eastern Conference that isn’t as deep as the West, an argument could be made that an opportunity was presented to the Raptors, who have been sparked by the play of Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram.
Adversity and Resilience
When adversity hit, the Raptors have shown an ability to bounce back, the most recent evidence provided when they followed up an embarrassing loss in New Orleans by beating Phoenix and Detroit at home before tipping off a five-game road trip with a victory in Chicago. Along comes a date in Denver and a late-season moment of truth arrives.
No one can question Toronto’s competitive level, intensity and ability to execute, but one can question how the Raptors closed out Friday night’s game against the host Nuggets. This was as close to postseason basketball the Raptors have played before the actual postseason begins.
Cluttered Eastern Conference
Given how cluttered the East has turned, the Raptors can finish as high as the fifth seed, where they stand entering the weekend, or as low as the fifth slot. The stakes are quite high for the Raptors team, despite its recent play, that can end up in the play-in tournament. Sixty-nine games in the books with 13 tips that await, it can go either way.
What’s clear is that the Raptors were schooled by the former champion Nuggets in the Mile High City Friday night as a three-game win streak was snapped. A 41-point third quarter was among the very best 12 minutes Toronto has played this season against a desperate Denver team.
Crunch Time Exposures
Crunch time exposes teams, or it serves to validate a team’s legitimacy. While the Raptors never took a possession off, their execution down the stretch was not good. When a poor defensive switch or failure to identify shooters beyond the three-point arc leads to a basket, when trips to the line aren’t converted, concerns are raised.
Denver would end the night by going on a 6-0 run en route to a 121-115 win, which underlines the evening’s thin margins. Nikola Jokic was held in relative check, but his presence was undeniable. Jamal Murray emerged as the game’s best player, a fearless and confident scorer who saved his very best when the game was on the line.
Did the Raptors Earn a Moral Victory or Get Exposed?
It’s why they must learn from their defeat as Toronto’s road show hits Phoenix for a Sunday night matchup against a Suns team that lost to the host Raptors last week. Phoenix will also be playing the second game of a home back-to-back. Toronto’s bench has been tightened, which is the right move to make, knowing the second unit’s lack of depth and knowing the NBA’s second season looms when a nine-man or even a tighter eight-man rotation is required, all dependent on health and foul trouble.
Persistent Issues: Size and Shooting
What stood out Friday night were the two biggest issues that have plagued this unit for what seems to be the entire season – lack of three-point shooting and size. Size would have helped late in the fourth quarter when the Nuggets cashed in on second-chance opportunities. Shooting would have helped to help offset Tim Hardaway Jr.’s sizzling three-point stroke.
Hardaway Jr. is precisely the type of player the Raptors must somehow get their hands on, either through internal development or by adding such a coveted piece this summer. He’s a veteran who can light it up when he’s shooting in rhythm. Hardaway Jr. made seven three-pointers en route to scoring 23 points off the bench for the Nuggets.
To put that into context, Toronto’s starting unit, excluding Jakob Poeltl for obvious reasons, went a combined 6-for-21 from distance. Not good and it simply won’t cut it as the regular season winds down to make way for the postseason.
Individual Performances and Team Dynamics
Barnes played well, but he shouldn’t be taking six threes, the most he’s heaved since the loss in the Big Easy. During Toronto’s three-game win streak, Barnes hoisted a combined one three-ball. Ingram was virtually forgotten in the opening half Friday, a development that defied credulity, knowing he’s the Raptors’ best offensive player.
Poeltl played 35 minutes and posted a double-double in the loss, but he couldn’t convert at the line late and would commit an away-from-the-play foul. The Nuggets haven’t been playing at a high, but they did have their proverbial backs to the wall when facing the Raptors, who took a nine-point lead into the final 12 minutes.
Denver's Experience and Desperation
Denver’s experience and desperation fueled the Nuggets, who held the Raptors to 9-for-21 shooting in the decisive fourth period. Toronto was outplayed when the game was on the line, but its execution became compromised. Losing to good teams in late-game sequences isn’t new and it resurfaced Friday night.
One can point out Toronto’s third-quarter masterpiece, Poeltl’s play and how second-year Ja’Kobe Walter continues to be a valuable asset coming off the bench. At the end of the day, success is measured by posting more points than your opposition. This stage of the season, moral victories have no meaning.
If the Raptors can learn from Friday’s loss, the balance of the season should inspire optimism. If Friday night was symptomatic of past failures, more lost nights loom.
