Raptors’ late game execution leads to third straight Summer League win

Toronto remains in the running for the championship as they pull off another victory, with Ja’Kobe Walter and Jamal Shead at the helm

The Toronto Raptors stepped on the court for their third Summer League contest, this time facing the Denver Nuggets. Despite a slow start, a myriad of fouls, and a chippy they emerged with their third straight win, 101-97.

Initially, this felt like the most challenging game for this squad so far. The whistle didn’t go their way and visible frustration was written all over the Raptors’ faces after some of the calls. In the first half, Denver got 18 free throws to Toronto’s 5. The discrepancy was largely due to the aggression of the Raptors’ defence, but the frequency of the whistle discouraged a lot of what has been working for them so far in Summer League.

Off balance and unable to do what they excel at, they started to make mistakes on the offensive end as well, taking ill-advised shots and stalling instead of making the right pass.

Basketball is a game of adjustments though, and coming out of the locker room that’s exactly what Toronto did. Their defensive effort, now more disciplined, allowed them to go on a 19-0 scoring run, building a comfortable lead. Their ability to force turnovers and get out and run in transition wreaked havoc for Denver. The whole tone of the game had changed.

A significant shift in momentum to start the fourth quarter was the final challenge for this Summer League squad, but they took that in stride as well, sticking to their game plan and maintaining their lead until the final buzzer.

Denver falls to 0-3 in Vegas, but had strong 3-point shooting in the first half, especially from Boo Buie III. In the final minutes it picked up again, with their corner 3-point shooting getting them back into the game. Overall, Curtis Jones was their best performer, who made a variety of tough and well-timed shots. He finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds. Spencer Jones and Tamar Bates also chipped in, with 13 and 14 respectively.

Toronto had excellent performances from almost everyone who checked into the game. Ja’Kobe Walter had another phenomenal offensive performance, leading all scorers with 26 points. His mix of long range, pull-up, and at-the-rim shots exhibited his developing abilities as a three-level scorer. He also had 7 steals in this game, a component of his solid defensive performance as well. Late in the game he also was able to make solid shots, being a big part of the victory tonight. Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles finished with 10 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. A.J. Lawson also had an excellent birthday performance, with 19 points and 7 rebounds.

While there is a silver lining for every player and the team’s performance as a whole, I’ve narrowed it down to three major ones:

• Jamal Shead’s basketball IQ and ability to facilitate were on full display in his minutes tonight. He struggled to score on his own in the first half, especially from long range, but was able to get everyone else their shots with some extremely well timed passes. The way he was able to navigate pick-and-roll situations was also encouraging, especially as his floater game continues to develop. In the second half, his scoring opened up, dropping 16 points tonight to go with his 8 assists. His defence was just as important, and it was nice to hear rookie Chucky Hepburn shout him out during a timeout for his mentorship. Shead’s ability to defend on all levels should easily become tone-setting for the team. Steals, deflections, forced turnovers, drawn fouls, and just his presence at times changes the tone of the game. Denver certainly felt his presence, as his plus/minus for this game was +11.

• While their defence has been the biggest talking point of Summer League so far, just as vital to their game has been their effort. Any 50-50 or loose ball leads to bodies flying, quick hands, and an unwillingness to be denied the ball. Darko joined the broadcast, speaking of the character of the team that Toronto is constructing. He talked about how connected they are and their desire to win. Effort is an important part of that and to see this from the rookies can help set the blueprint for the rest of the team. No possession is lost, no clock is too late to heave a shot and hit (yet another) buzzer beater.

• The late-game scoring struggles and decision making errors have been a plague for the Raptors over the last couple of years. As the year went on, they made improvements, but for a young team it’s such a challenge to execute under the high-stress conditions of the final minutes of a close game. Now, in back-to-back games this has been the situation for the Raptors youngest players, and yet they have risen to the challenge. There were still missed free-throws, unfortunate fouls, and defensive miscommunications, but they persevered, and they held onto the lead.

The fourth and final prescheduled game for the Raptors in Summer League will be Thursday, July 17 at 10pm ET on Sportsnet. Tune in to see if they can remain undefeated and play for a spot in the Summer League Championship.