Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Raptors Find Strength in Numbers, Clinching Victory Over Bulls Without Pascal Siakam
Scottie Barnes paused for a moment on the right wing as he stared down Alex Caruso sagging slightly off of him in defense. Barnes has faced the same decision on a nightly basis this season: Take the shot the defense is giving you or get to the bucket and take the shot you want.
This time Barnes put the ball on the court, lowered his shoulder into Caruso's chest, and powered through the 6-foot-5 defender for a layup at the rim. Two possessions later, he did it again, driving into Caruso and drawing a foul under the bucket.
Barnes has struggled with his aggressiveness this season. He opened Sunday night's 113-104 victory over the Chicago Bulls with three straight missed jumpers. But with Pascal Siakam out for at least the next two weeks, Barnes has no choice but to get aggressive and step into a role he's not accustomed to.
"The game is slowing down for him. He's looking more calm and assertive," said VanVleet of Barnes who finished the night with 19 points on 8-for-19 shooting with 10 rebounds, and four assists. "He's going to be a special player. He's just figuring it out as we go along."
Barnes doesn't necessarily have to carry Toronto's offense. He's such a skilled passer that his aggressiveness can create opportunities for others. In the second quarter, for example, he drew a double team while posting up Patrick Williams and then found Fred VanVleet behind the arc for three. He then put the Raptors ahead in the fourth quarter with a skip pass to VanVleet for another catch-and-shoot three-pointer.
VanVleet will be there for the Raptors as he was on Sunday. The notion floating around that Toronto is better off without its All-Star point guard was quickly discredited against Chicago as the 28-year-old led Toronto with 30 points and 11 assists. He was masterful in his return from a back injury, taking advantage of his off-ball skills to nail five three-pointers.
Then, in crunch time, VanVleet nailed an off-balanced jumper and connected on the and-1 foul to put Toronto up four with less than four minutes to play. He sealed the deal minutes later, finding Barnes and O.G. Anunoby for a pair of dunks to put the Raptors up nine.
Koloko Hosts Block Party
Christian Koloko has been nothing shy of remarkable to start this season. He's stepped into a starting role for Toronto and become a defensive difference-maker almost on a nightly basis.
Against Chicago, he nearly out-blocked the Bulls on his own, recording four blocks in the first quarter and six in the game, one shy of the Raptors' rookie record. That kind of shot-blocking prowess allows Toronto to get extra aggressive defensively, double-teaming players like DeMar DeRozan, knowing that Koloko can clean up mistakes inside.
On the offensive end, Koloko is coming along too. VanVleet found him three times for alley-oop finishes as he finished the night with 11 points and seven rebounds to go with his game-high six blocks.
"He's given us that lob thread in the screen and roll which we haven't had for a while," said Raptors coach Nick Nurse. "That's important because it does start freeing up other things, especially the ball handler a little bit more, right, coming off there to do something and he played good."
Dragic Still Loathed
Raptors fans are never going to forgive Dragic for his brief tenure in Toronto. He was booed from the moment he checked in Sunday night and it continued every time he touched the ball. The lone respite from the jeering came anytime Dragic missed a shot, which was quickly met by a chorus of cheering, of course.
Up Next: Chicago Bulls
The Raptors will be right back at it Monday night with a rematch against the Bulls at 8:45 p.m. ET.
