Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Raptors Bank Early-Season Victory vs. Cavaliers Thanks to Breakout 4th Quarter
These early season games are going to come back to matter.
Take last year, for example. The Toronto Raptors started the season 9-13, dropping winnable games early as they looked to find an identity and work into a groove. At the season's end, it came back to haunt them, finishing just three games back of the second seed in the conference before falling in the first round to the Philadelphia 76ers.
This year, the Raptors took care of business to open the year. In an early season measuring-stick game against the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers, the Raptors found their offensive groove late, turning a dreadful shooting performance into a breakout 32-point fourth quarter en route to a 108-105 victory at Scotiabank Arena.
"It didn't feel anything like last year just around here in general," Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. "They were ready. I thought just in general, just their body language and the communication they were having, they were really locked in in the morning prep and as well tonight."
It wasn't perfect though. Donovan Mitchell looked borderline unstoppable for stretches in the third quarter and defensive lapses allowed the Cavaliers to take an eight-point lead as the Raptors' offense went quiet. But while the half-court offense predictably struggled, Toronto made the most of transition opportunities.
Four three-pointers to open the fourth quarter opened the door for a Raptors comeback before O.G. Anunoby found Scottie Barnes under the basket for a fastbreak chance to put Toronto up for good with just over three and a half minutes to go.
"Opening night last year I don’t think it went too well, we lost that game," said Scottie Barnes reflecting on Toronto's 15-point loss to the Washington Wizards to open last season. "Get a W to start this season so things are gonna be different. I’d say our continuity this game and the way things went, I feel like it went really well."
Siakam Begins All-NBA Campaign
Pascal Siakam made it clear he wants to be a top-five player in the league this season and his All-NBA campaign certainly started off on the right foot Wednesday night. He was Toronto's lone reliable scorer throughout, keeping the Raptors' offense ticking in the second quarter while everyone went else silent.
He picked on Caris LeVert repeatedly, beating him with a pair of spin moves before stepping back and nailing a jumper in the second quarter. In the fourth, he went at LeVert again, bullying him for clutch buckets down the stretch en route to a 23-point, 11-rebound performance before he fouled out with 16 seconds to go in regulation.
Koloko Sees Early Action
The biggest surprise of the night game came midway through the first quarter when rookie second-round pick Christian Koloko walked to the scorer's table to check-in. He immediately made a difference for Toronto, using his size to clog the paint and slow Cleveland's undersized guards. At one point in the third quarter, he even stepped out to the perimeter holding his own against the crafty LeVert who couldn't wiggle away from the 7-foot-1 Koloko, eventually putting up a contested mid-range jumper.
Most notable, though, was how the Raptors used Koloko on the offensive end. They repeatedly ran pick-and-roll with Koloko setting screens to free up VanVleet. When The Cavaliers' bigs sagged too far off, VanVleet stepped into a deep pull-up jumper or found outside shooters when Cleveland began rotating. The pick-and-roll usage stood in stark contrast to last season when the Raptors ran pick-and-rolls on just 18.4% of their plays, the third-least in the NBA.
"Those might have been our first pick-and-rolls since UCLA this summer," said VanVleet. "We don’t get many pick-and-rolls these days. So when we get ‘em, we’ve got to find the rhythm and the flow. Just having a traditional, screen-and-roll five is refreshing.”
Koloko's first career regular-season bucket came on a free throw after getting fouled by Jarrett Allen while contesting an offensive rebound. He followed it up two quarters later with a put-back dunk for his first career field goal.
"I think he’s gonna be important for us and I think that - yeah, he’s just gotta keep his focus and understanding what we want from him," Siakam said of Koloko. "He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes - I mean, obviously he’s gonna make mistakes he’s a rookie - but, he’s pretty smart, and yeah he’s gonna help us, I think."
Starting Lineup & Rotation Chatter
Toronto went with the usual suspects to open the game as expected. Raptors coach Nick Nurse said he seriously considered making a change, presumably swapping Gary Trent Jr. and Precious Achiuwa, but eventually decided to keep Trent in the first group.
Precious Achiuwa was the first to check in off the bench in the first half but was replaced by Koloko as the first sub in the second half. Toronto then rolled out Dalano Banton, Thad Young, and Juancho Hernangomez in the next groups. Malachi Flynn and Justin Champagnie did not play.
"I thought Dalano showed great confidence out there," Nurse said of Banton. "He was really good defensively. He really had an impact defensively."
Highlight of the Night
Anunoby had a slow start to the night Wednesday but came alive late with 10 points in the fourth quarter including a pair of crucial three-pointers. His highlight of the night, though, came courtesy of his chase-down block of LeVert in the third quarter.
Up Next: Brooklyn Nets
The Raptors will have the day off to practice before heading to Brooklyn to take on Kevin Durant and the Nets on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. ET.
