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Spurs

For years, the Toronto Raptors have prided themselves on culture. It was never just about talent or star power. It was about identity, accountability, and a belief that development could bridge the gap between good and great. That formula delivered the ultimate prize once, and even through the inevitable transitions that followed, the foundation never truly disappeared.
Now, after seasons of inconsistency and questions about direction, Toronto is starting to look like itself again.
This current stretch has not been about headlines or blockbuster moves, but instead it has been about rediscovery. The Raptors are playing with purpose, with connectivity, and most importantly, with a clear identity that has carried them back into relevance. Defense has become their calling card, and in a league increasingly dominated by offensive firepower, that commitment has given them a chance every night.
Under head coach Darko Rajakovic, Toronto has leaned fully into its defensive principles. The schemes are sharp, the rotations are disciplined, and the effort level has been consistent. It is not just about individual stops but about collective buy-in. Every possession feels intentional, and that has translated into one of the league&rsquo;s better defensive units this season.
At the center of it all is Scottie Barnes, who continues to evolve into the face of the franchise. Barnes has taken on the challenge of anchoring the defense while expanding his offensive game in meaningful ways. He is among the league leaders in combined steals and blocks, a reflection of both his instincts and activity level. More importantly, his offensive approach has matured. His shot selection has improved, his reads are sharper, and his overall scoring efficiency reflects a player beginning to understand how to control the game on both ends.
Barnes represents what the Raptors want to be: Versatile, unselfish, and relentless.
And around him, the roster is starting to make sense.
Brandon Ingram provides a steady scoring presence, someone who can create offense when possessions break down. His ability to operate in the midrange and command defensive attention gives Toronto a different dimension, especially in tight games where execution matters most.
Meanwhile, the returns from the OG Anunoby trade continue to define the team&rsquo;s present and future. Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett have not just filled roles, they have become foundational pieces. Quickley&rsquo;s pace and shot creation bring life to the offense, while Barrett has embraced the opportunity to contribute across the board, attacking the rim and using his physicality to impact the game.
Inside the paint, Poeltl remains a stabilizing force. He does the work that often goes unnoticed. Screening, rebounding, protecting the paint, and providing a reliable interior presence. His role may not generate headlines, but it is essential to everything Toronto wants to do defensively.
The depth of the roster has also started to show real value.
Jamal Shead has stepped into a playmaking role off the bench and provided composure, organizing the offense and keeping the team structured. Ja'Kobe Walter adds scoring punch, someone who can change the tempo with his aggressiveness. Gradey Dick continues to stretch the floor, offering much-needed spacing that allows the rest of the offense to function more fluidly.
Then there is Sandro Mamukelashvili, who brings a different dimension to the frontcourt. His ability to handle the ball and shoot from the perimeter creates mismatches and forces defenses to adjust. It is a contrast to Poeltl&rsquo;s interior presence, and that versatility gives Rajakovic more options depending on the situation.
Perhaps one of the more encouraging developments has been the emergence of Collin Murray-Boyles. The rookie has exceeded expectations early, showing that he is physically ready for the NBA level. He has embraced the physicality, competed defensively, and found ways to contribute without needing the offense to run through him. For a young team still building its identity, that kind of readiness matters.
All of these pieces together have started to form something tangible. The Raptors are no longer searching aimlessly. They are building, and more importantly, they are building with clarity.
The question now becomes what comes next. There are multiple paths in front of Toronto, and each one carries its own level of risk and reward.
They could continue to build organically, trusting the development of Barnes and the rest of the core. This approach requires patience, something that is often difficult in a results-driven league. However, it also aligns most closely with the culture the organization has always valued.
Another option is to make a significant move, a splashy trade that could accelerate their timeline and push them back into contention. It is a tempting idea, especially when a team begins to show signs of cohesion. The challenge is ensuring that such a move does not disrupt the very identity that is starting to take shape.
Then there is the middle ground. Incremental improvement through smart trades, disciplined drafting, and targeted free agent signings. This path may not generate immediate headlines, but it can often produce the most sustainable success. It allows the team to grow while maintaining flexibility, something that becomes crucial as young players develop and expectations rise.
What makes this moment compelling is that none of these options feel out of reach. Toronto is not stuck. They are not rebuilding without direction. They are a team that has begun to rediscover itself, anchored by defense and fueled by a young core that is starting to understand how to win together.
There is also a growing sense that this could be the season where it all starts to translate into results. After struggling through the past few years, the Raptors are showing signs of a team ready to compete for a playoff spot again. The energy is different. The connectivity is evident. They are playing like a group that believes in what it is building. That belief matters.
Culture is often an abstract concept, something that is easier to talk about than to define. For the Raptors, it has always been about consistency in effort, trust in development, and a willingness to adapt without losing identity. This season, those elements are beginning to resurface in a meaningful way.
The road ahead will not be simple. There will be decisions to make, challenges to navigate, and expectations to manage. However, for the first time in a while, the direction feels clear. The Raptors have found their footing again. Now, it is about deciding how far and how fast they want to go.

The Toronto Raptors are rediscovering their identity through defense and a rising young core led by Scottie Barnes.

Raptors built on culture. What comes next?

At a time when teams continue to stack star power on their rosters, the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat are reminding the league that cohesion, continuity and belief can be just as powerful as raw superstar talent. A month into the season, Toronto and Miami sit second and third in the Eastern Conference standings &ndash; one riding a nine-game winning streak, the other stringing together six straight of its own. Few saw it coming, and that&rsquo;s what makes these early season runs so compelling and interesting.
On paper, neither team features a consensus top-15 player in the league. Neither projects as a typical juggernaut in a conference dominated by headliners like Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid, and star-studded teams like the Knicks. Yet night after night, the Raptors and Heat are outplaying teams built around bigger names and heavier expectations. What they lack in marquee shine, they make up for in depth, grit and a brand of basketball that feels increasingly rare in a star-driven era.
And as their streaks stretch longer and their records grow stronger, the question shifts from how they&rsquo;re doing it to why it works &ndash; and what it says about the modern NBA.
<h2>Toronto&rsquo;s rise: A team built on trust, depth, and a new identity</h2>
Toronto&rsquo;s transformation didn&rsquo;t happen overnight, but it finally feels like they are taking a step in the right direction. A few years removed from rebuilding their roster and recalibrating their direction, the Raptors have found their identity &ndash; a team that scores by committee, defends with intent and plays like a group that genuinely trusts each other.
What once felt like a roster in transition has become a roster in sync, led by head coach Darko Rajakovic.
Six Raptors currently average double-digit scoring, but none dominate the box score on a nightly basis. Instead, Toronto thrives through balance. Brandon Ingram, acquired last season in what initially felt like a mid-focused get, has evolved into their stabilizer and clutch-time go-to scorer. His shot creation gives Toronto an anchor; his poise gives them belief. When the game slows, the ball finds Ingram, and the Raptors find comfort.
Alongside him, Scottie Barnes continues blossoming into the do-it-all franchise forward many projected he could become. His blend of size, playmaking and defensive versatility elevates Toronto&rsquo;s ceiling and gives them a nightly mismatch. When Barnes is at his best, the Raptors feel like they can beat anyone.
But the brilliance of Toronto&rsquo;s start goes beyond their leading duo. Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett, both essential pieces of a trade from the Knicks, have fully embraced their roles as the third and fourth scoring options. Quickley&rsquo;s pace and fearlessness provide an off-the-dribble spark, while Barrett&rsquo;s strength-based downhill game gives Toronto a reliable secondary scorer.
Around them is a roster filled with players who understand exactly what&rsquo;s being asked of them. Jakob Poeltl continues to be a stabilizing interior presence; Sandro Mamukelashvili adds shooting and creativity off the bench for the frontcourt; Gradey Dick&rsquo;s shooting gravity opens the floor; Jamal Shead&rsquo;s maturity as a backup point guard stands out; and Ja&rsquo;Kobe Walter brings energy and modern-wing tools.
Together, they have formed a machine early in the season &ndash; one humming louder with each passing game. The Raptors are top-10 in both offensive and defensive net rating, a mark reserved for true contenders, though it remains to be seen if they can keep it up for the rest of the season. They defend collectively, leveraging chemistry and communication more than sheer athleticism. They score through movement and trust, not isolation and hierarchy.
The result: one of the longest winning streaks in franchise history and a team that looks nothing like the rebuilding group many projected them to be. Instead, the Raptors have forged themselves into one of the East&rsquo;s best stories &ndash; a team proving that when everyone buys in, the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts.
<h2>Miami&rsquo;s counterpunch: Spoelstra, grit and a rediscovered offensive identity</h2>
If Toronto is surprising because they&rsquo;ve reinvented themselves, Miami is surprising because they never really changed &ndash; except a few tweaks on their offense.
This is what the Heat do &ndash; they defy expectations, outperform projections and find ways to win with rosters that rarely look intimidating on paper. But this start feels different. It feels deeper, and it feels like the Heat have unlocked something new.
Eight Miami players are averaging double-digit scoring, among the widest scoring distribution in the league. Erik Spoelstra has once again reinvented his offense, this time leaning into a concept that has caught attention across the basketball landscape &ndash; including a detailed breakdown by Thinking Basketball: a no-screen, gap-attacking system tailored perfectly to this roster&rsquo;s strengths.
Instead of running their offense through sets or pre-determined actions, Spo has given his players the freedom to play read-and-react basketball. They attack one-on-one, collapse defenses, move without the ball and create a constant chain of advantages. The result is a fluid, spaced-out attack that produces open threes, cuts and layups. It&rsquo;s simple by design &ndash; deadly in execution.
And they&rsquo;re doing all this while boasting the second-best defense in the NBA.
The main guy now after Jimmy Butler&rsquo;s trade last season, is Bam Adebayo. Once again, he is playing at an All-Defensive level, anchoring Miami&rsquo;s interior and orchestrating their schemes with his elite mobility and anticipation. He covers for mistakes, erases drives, switches everything and remains arguably the most versatile defender in basketball today. Bam sets the tone, and the rest follow.
Around him, Miami has found balance in players who complement each other perfectly. Norman Powell, in a contract year, has rediscovered his scoring punch, giving the Heat a needed perimeter bucket-getter. Young big man Kel&rsquo;el Ware is emerging as a franchise cornerstone &ndash; an athletic, skilled center who fits seamlessly next to Bam. Tyler Herro&rsquo;s return from injury gives Miami another dynamic scoring threat after his All-Star breakout last season.
Defensively, Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell provide the grit Miami teams are known for. Jaime Jaquez Jr. adds savvy scoring and toughness. Simone Fontecchio, Nikola Jovic and Pelle Larsson stretch the floor and supply high-IQ connecting play.
Nothing Miami does feels forced. Every player knows their job. Every player contributes something essential. Every possession feels intentional &ndash; this is Heat basketball at its finest.
<h2>Two Teams, One Message: Star Power Isn&rsquo;t the Only Path to Winning</h2>
The Raptors and Heat are not perfect, nor are they guaranteed to maintain this pace all season. There will be lulls, adjustments and challenges. But right now &ndash; today &ndash; they stand as two of the most compelling early-season stories, and for reasons that go deeper than the standings.
They&rsquo;re winning through trust, effort, and continuity. Through the belief that identity and cohesion matter just as much as superstar gravity.
In an NBA landscape obsessed with top-rated players and roster-building shortcuts by acquiring more and more talent, Toronto and Miami are a counterpoint &ndash; a reminder that stability, development and collective responsibility are still viable pathways to contention.
Their success is a good thing for the NBA because it resonates &ndash; it feels earned, not handed.
As long as the Raptors keep playing with balance and unity, and as long as the Heat keep leaning on their culture and Spoelstra&rsquo;s brilliance, these streaks can be used as foundations to keep improving over the course of the season and avoid some early-season flukes.
Two underdogs, two contenders &ndash; two teams proving that the soul of basketball still belongs to those who play together.

The Raptors and Heat are shocking the East with balance, depth, and elite team play. No superstars, no problem.

Raptors, Heat surging: Two unlikely contenders rise to the top of the East

When the new league year began on July 1, NBA teams were quick to sign free agents and start negotiating extensions with some of their younger players.&nbsp;
Players who were selected in the first round of the NBA Draft are signed to rookie-scale contracts, which are eligible to be extended on the first day (July 1) of the fourth and final year of their deal. This past offseason, the vast majority of players eligible for rookie-scale extensions were picked in the first round in 2020. Teams have until the day before the start of the 2023-24 regular season (which begins on October 24) to agree to an extension, or else those players will hit restricted free agency next summer.&nbsp;
Out of the 30 first-round picks in the 2020 NBA Draft, 27 were eligible for rookie-scale extensions. In addition, the Orlando Magic&rsquo;s Chuma Okeke also became eligible for a rookie-scale extension because he signed his rookie deal in 2020, a year after he was drafted due to injury. So far this offseason, five players have signed extensions, with four of them receiving maximum contracts.&nbsp;
Those who received the max signed what&rsquo;s called a Designated Rookie Extension, which has a starting salary at 25% of the 2024-25 salary cap (projected at $37,405,750) with 8% raises over five years (for a total contract value of $216,953,350). However, via the &ldquo;Derrick Rose rule,&rdquo; if any of the players who signed one of these extensions is a member of any of the 2023-24 All-NBA teams, their starting salary will be set at 30% of the 2024-25 salary cap (projected at $44,886,900) with 8% raises over five years (for a total contract value of $260,344,020). These players include Minnesota&rsquo;s Anthony Edwards, Charlotte&rsquo;s LaMelo Ball, Indiana&rsquo;s Tyrese Haliburton and Memphis&rsquo; Desmond Bane. However, Bane&rsquo;s extension doesn&rsquo;t contain the &ldquo;Rose Rule&rdquo; language, so he can&rsquo;t receive a starting salary raise even if he earns an All-NBA nod.
There is also a new wrinkle in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that changed the rules in regards to rookie-scale extensions, allowing teams to offer all players an extension up to five years. Previously, only players who were offered maximum contracts could agree to an extension up to five years. So far, no team has given out a five-year non-max extension.
The only player who has signed a non-max rookie extension this offseason is Detroit&rsquo;s Isaiah Stewart. Stewart, the No. 16 pick in 2020, has been a starter for the rebuilding Pistons over the past few years. The tough, defensive big man agreed to a four-year, $64 million extension with $60 million guaranteed, $4 million in potential performance bonuses and a team option in the final season. Stewart&rsquo;s extension could serve as a potential benchmark for other big man extension candidates like Toronto&rsquo;s Precious Achiuwa and Atlanta&rsquo;s Onyeka Okongwu.
With 21 first-round picks (and Okeke) still awaiting a potential extension, let&rsquo;s take a look at who is most likely to receive an extension and what their deals might look like.
LIKELY TO BE EXTENDED
Patrick Williams (Chicago Bulls): Williams has been a steady force for the Bulls amid the team&rsquo;s struggles to consistently play winning basketball. The former Florida State forward has improved his shooting each year of his career but has yet to really break out as a primary scoring option for Chicago. Williams is just 22 years old and still has a lot of potential, so he should command an extension similar to what Atlanta&rsquo;s De&rsquo;Andre Hunter received last summer.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $90,000,000, no options
Onyeka Okongwu (Atlanta Hawks): Okongwu has been slotted as the Hawks&rsquo; center of the future for a few years now and has mostly looked the part backing up Clint Capela. Atlanta has a very crowded cap sheet, especially after extending Dejounte Murray. It is possible they could look to move Capela soon in order to free up cap space and give the starting center job to Okongwu. As mentioned above, look for Okongwu to ask for slightly above what Detroit gave Isaiah Stewart.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $72,000,000, could earn up to $80,000,000 with incentives, no options
Devin Vassell (San Antonio Spurs): The Spurs should try to lock up some of their reliable young pieces as they begin the Victor Wembanyama era. Similar to what San Antonio did with Keldon Johnson, they&rsquo;ll likely look to give Vassell a long-term value deal. They also could take advantage of the new CBA rules, keeping the former No. 11 pick under contract through 2029.
Extension Prediction: Five years, $110,000,000, no options
Josh Green (Dallas Mavericks): Green has quietly been developing very nicely with the Mavericks and could fight for a spot in the starting lineup this fall. The Australian native has shown real potential as a 3-and-D wing and could command the full mid-level exception if he reaches the open market next summer. Dallas shouldn&rsquo;t (and most likely won&rsquo;t) let that happen.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $65,000,000, no options
Immanuel Quickley (New York Knicks): Quickley is coming off his best season as a pro that saw him finish as runner-up for the NBA&rsquo;s Sixth Man of the Year award. A scoring machine, the former Kentucky guard would likely start for a good chunk of NBA teams, but will likely have to be the backup as long as Jalen Brunson is in New York. The Knicks would certainly love to keep Quickley, but look for them to wait all the way up to the October 23 deadline to pay him in order to maintain trade flexibility.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $88,000,000, could earn up to $92,000,000 with incentives, no options
Jaden McDaniels (Minnesota Timberwolves): McDaniels is certainly viewed as a core piece by the Timberwolves&rsquo; brass as they fought hard to keep him out of the Rudy Gobert trade, sacrificing more draft capital instead. The Washington product has been a versatile, two-way player since arriving in Minnesota and is an ideal wing next to Anthony Edwards. He should be paid accordingly.
Extension Prediction: Four years, $100,000,000, no options, declining annual salary
LIKELY TO REACH RESTRICTED FREE AGENCY
James Wiseman (Detroit Pistons): Wiseman has been better on both sides of the ball since being traded to Detroit last February, but his game still needs to be developed further if the Pistons are to seriously invest in him.
Isaac Okoro (Cleveland Cavaliers): Cleveland has been looking for a permanent solution at their starting small-forward position for some time now, resulting in them paying Caris LeVert and signing Max Strus. Okoro hasn&rsquo;t shown he can be the Cavs&rsquo; long-term solution.
Obi Toppin (Indiana Pacers): If Toppin had stayed in New York, there&rsquo;s no way he would have been extended. Now in Indiana, the former Naismith National Player of the Year should get a chance to start and improve his stock going into next summer.
Deni Avdija (Washington Wizards): Avdija is a pretty good young player outside of his shooting struggles. With a new regime in Washington, Avdija may be a trade candidate if new president Michael Winger doesn&rsquo;t see him as a part of the team&rsquo;s long-term plan.
Aaron Nesmith (Indiana Pacers): A starter for the Pacers last year, Nesmith may be buried on the depth chart with the additions of Toppin and rookie Jarace Walker. He hasn&rsquo;t made enough of an impact to warrant an extension.
Cole Anthony (Orlando Magic): Anthony has been a solid bench contributor for Orlando since being drafted out of North Carolina. However, the Magic backcourt is extremely crowded with the addition of rookie Anthony Black, making them unlikely to prioritize securing a deal with Anthony.
Aleksej Pokusevski (Oklahoma City Thunder): Poku is coming off a fractured leg that kept him out for the back half of last season. He needs to show that he can be a long-term piece if he wishes to stay with the Thunder.
Saddiq Bey (Atlanta Hawks): Bey is certainly talented enough to warrant an extension, fitting into the starting five seamlessly after being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline. However, the team may have to choose between extending Bey or Okongwu in order to manage their already-very-full salary cap sheet.&nbsp;
Precious Achiuwa (Toronto Raptors): The Raptors have already committed to a center in Jakob Poeltl this offseason. Achiuwa hasn&rsquo;t shown enough to break through outside of his bench role to warrant an extension.
Zeke Nnaji (Denver Nuggets): Despite not being a regular member of the rotation, Nnaji has shown he is a capable backup option to Nikola Jokic when he&rsquo;s on the floor. While an extension isn&rsquo;t in the cards, the Nuggets should look to retain him.
Payton Pritchard (Boston Celtics): Boston would probably love to keep Pritchard on a team-friendly deal, as he has been a reliable insurance option for them since coming into the league. The former Oregon guard will more than likely want to test the free-agency market to see if he can possibly find a path to more playing time elsewhere.
LIKELY TO NOT RECEIVE A QUALIFYING OFFER, BECOME AN UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT NEXT SUMMER
Killian Hayes (Detroit Pistons): Hayes has not lived up to his top-10 pick billing and has fallen out of Pistons general manager Troy Weaver&rsquo;s long-term outlook. Detroit could extend him a qualifying offer next summer, but he likely won&rsquo;t receive much interest on the open market.
Kira Lewis Jr. (New Orleans Pelicans): Lewis has been relegated to a reserve while suffering through multiple injuries through his first three years in the NBA. The Pelicans have made it known league-wide that he is available for trade.
Chuma Okeke (Orlando Magic): Okeke has struggled with his all-around game for the better part of the last two years and is unlikely to be retained by Orlando going forward.
Malachi Flynn (Toronto Raptors): Flynn hasn&rsquo;t taken advantage of the many opportunities he&rsquo;s had to be a part of the Raptors&rsquo; rotation as the backup point guard. He may see some run this year, but the Raptors may have seen enough to move on this summer.
THE TYRESE MAXEY WILD CARD
Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers): Maxey is the wild card of the rookie-extension candidates, as Sixers general manager Daryl Morey has said that the team will hold off on extending the 22-year-old shooting guard in order to maintain trade and cap flexibility going into next summer. Maxey has blossomed into a core member of the 76ers going forward and would likely receive close to, if not the full, max rookie extension. With no end in sight to the James Harden debacle, the Sixers may want to secure their young prize before their situation could turn worse.

Blake Stern takes a look at which players are most likely to receive a rookie-scale extension prior to the October 23 deadline.

Checking in on the NBA's rookie-scale extension candidates

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam scored 22 points and the Toronto Raptors rallied from four 9-point first quarter deficits to roll past the Charlotte Hornets 120-100 on Tuesday night.
Toronto has won five of its last six games, improving to 40-39 and solidifying their position for the NBA play-in tournament.
The Raptors scored 19 straight points during a stretch late in the third quarter and into the fourth quarter after Charlotte had gotten within 80-75 with 3:49 left in the third quarter.
Siakam also had 14 rebounds and was joined in double digits by Chris Boucher (21 points), Will Barton (20), O.G. Anunoby (17), Fred VanVleet (16), Precious Achiuwa (12) and Jakob Poeltl (10).
The Hornets were led by Bryce McGowens&rsquo; career-high 20 points. Nick Richards added 18 points and 11 rebounds and Svi Mykhailiuk had 17 points, JT Thor 13 and Theo Maledon 13.
The Hornets (26-54) are without eight players due to injury: LaMelo Ball (right ankle surgery), Gordon Hayward (left thumb sprain), Kelly Oubre Jr. (left shoulder sprain), Terry Rozier (right foot injury), Dennis Smith Jr. (right toe sprain), P.J. Washington (right foot sprain) and Mark Williams (left ankle sprain).
Toronto&rsquo;s 36-20 second quarter was sparked by reserves Boucher and Barton, who combined for nine 3-pointers.
&ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t that sluggish,&rdquo; Toronto coach Nick Nurse said of the early Charlotte leads. &ldquo;They were just really fast and we weren&rsquo;t as fast as they were. I just kept saying, &lsquo;They&rsquo;re really moving&rsquo; so we had to pick it up a half-notch. We switched to zone and got a bunch of stops in a row and obviously got the ... 3-ball going. Fifteen out of 33 is a really good night on 3-pointers.&rdquo;
Boucher said Barton, who converted six of his nine 3-pointers, really helped the Raptors spread the floor in its victory.
&ldquo;We need that off the bench,&rdquo; Boucher said of Barton&rsquo;s production. &ldquo;The more guys we have that can do things will help. They got Will here for a reason. They know what he can do and today was just a peek at what he can do.&rdquo;
Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said Toronto&rsquo;s defense that created 22 points off 18 turnovers was a huge difference-maker.
&ldquo;Ball pressure and passing lane pressure led to live-ball turnovers,&rdquo; Clifford said. &ldquo;It was 22-10 in points off turnovers.&rdquo;
BOUCHER&rsquo;S BIG WEEK
Boucher&rsquo;s big effort came one day after he announced a scholarship program to help his community and young people growing up like he did.
According to Monday&rsquo;s Toronto Star, Boucher grew up in abject poverty, was once homeless, dropped out of school and washed dishes at restaurants.
Now a key to the Raptors&rsquo; second unit who has a three-year, $35 million contract, the Star says he is using &ldquo;an undisclosed amount of money disbursed through his SlimmDuck Foundation&rdquo; to launch a scholarship program that will offer financial support to five students of Caribbean descent. For each of the next five years, a scholarship will be offered to a student with financial struggles who wants to pursue a university degree.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s something I wanted to do for a long time,&rdquo; Boucher said after Tuesday&rsquo;s game. &ldquo;It was just finding the opportunity. I want to help the people that struggle when they move to Canada.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Raptors: Barton is one of the more veteran players on the Raptors&rsquo; roster with 11 years of NBA experience, which includes 29 postseason games with nine starts. But he&rsquo;s played in 12 games with Toronto since being signed as free agent on Feb. 28 and he had missed the previous three games with a left ankle sprain. &ldquo;I guess we&rsquo;re going to have to figure that out in the next four games that we have left,&rdquo; Toronto coach Nick Nurse said of Barton&rsquo;s role.
Hornets: Clifford started his 26th different starting lineup Tuesday. It&rsquo;s the third-most lineups in franchise, behind the 2005-06 and 2006-07 Charlotte Bobcats, which used 28 different starters.
UP NEXT
Raptors: At Boston on Wednesday.
Hornets: Host Houston on Friday.

Toronto has won five of its last six games, improving to 40-39 and solidifying its position for the NBA Play-In Tournament.

Pascal Siakam scores 22, leads Raptors over Hornets 120-100

It's December 14, and Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford has already had enough.&nbsp;
Normally a willing interviewee and giving orator, Clifford sets the stage early.&nbsp;
"You don't have to ask questions," he says, before laying down the law for nearly two full minutes.&nbsp;
The heart of the message: The Hornets won't win games &mdash; and certainly nothing of consequence &mdash; if they don't nail the little things. And they'll have no shot if they don't nail the big thing: Defense.
"We are playing no defense, not one guy. There's no bright spot," Clifford says.&nbsp;
"We don't run back on defense. We don't guard the ball. Our pick-and-roll stuff &mdash; all stuff that was good. I think we were as high as 12th or 13th in defense about 10 games ago, and we're right back where we started: Ground Zero, where all we want to be is, "Let's try to outscore the other team." It doesn't work that way. "
Quotes don't really do it justice &mdash; you can watch the whole thing <a href="https://youtu.be/DnWSEJypz5A" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> &mdash; but Clifford was right on all accounts. Well, mostly all accounts.&nbsp;
Through Dec. 14, the Hornets ranked 26th in half-court defense per Cleaning The Glass. Opponents generated 1.083 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a drive against the Hornets, the worst mark in the NBA. Only five teams allowed more points on a per-possession basis than the Hornets when defending pick-and-rolls.
The lone bright spot&nbsp;was&nbsp;the transition defense, ranking fifth in PPP allowed (1.165) and second in transition frequency allowed (13.7% of possessions). Honestly, it made sense for Clifford to be paranoid overseeing any slippage in that area, considering how woeful everything else had been.&nbsp;
Fast forward a few months, and we're singing a different tune.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The Hornets have a 110.6 defensive rating since the All-Star break, making them, statistically, the stingiest defense in the league right now. And it's not like their numbers are juiced by feasting on awful offenses. Nearly half of their games have come against top-10 offenses.
Here are their splits, per Cleaning The Glass:
<ul>
<li>Against top-10 offenses (7 games): 115.3 DRTG (3.6 lower than league average), 8th in the NBA</li>
<li>Against middle-10 offenses (4 games): 107.6 DRTG (-9.3), 1st</li>
<li>Against bottom-10 offenses (5 games): 106.7 DRTG (-6.5), 5th</li>
</ul>
It's important to emphasize the "statistically" part. A large portion of what's driving Charlotte's success is opponent three-point shooting. Teams have shot just 31.6% from deep against them since the All-Star break, nearly two percentage points lower than the second-ranked Denver Nuggets (33.1%).
Per Second Spectrum's Quantified Shot Quality (qSQ) metric, teams have&nbsp;underperformed&nbsp;their expected field goal percentage from deep against the Hornets by nearly six percentage points (-5.87) &mdash; the largest gap in the league.&nbsp;
That's not to say the Hornets have&nbsp;only&nbsp;gotten lucky. They've been pretty intentional about limiting fruitful three-point attempts; between their off-ball switching, an uptick in space-limiting ball-screen coverages (more on that shortly) and more aggressive closeouts, teams are struggling to win the math battle in a way they weren't earlier this season.&nbsp;
You can see that reflected in the actual shot profile. Before the All-Star break, 36% of the opposition's shots were coming from deep against the Hornets, a mark that ranked No. 21 in the league. Since the break, that's fallen to 32.9% (No. 7).
But even when fruitful threes are given up &mdash; their corner three rate allowed has remain unchanged (9.6%) &mdash; they're at least making those tougher. Their contest rate on corner threes has improved throughout the year, ranking 12th before the break and sixth after it, per Second Spectrum.
The Hornets have asked their bigs &mdash; rookie Mark Williams when available, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-feature-interview-nick-richards-charlotte-hornets-bench-mason-plumlee-steve-clifford-jamaica-basketball-dennis-smith-jr-kelly-oubre-lamelo-ball" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quietly-solid reserve Nick Richards</a> &mdash; to play closer to the level against ball-screens. When trending smaller with PJ Washington or Kai Jones (he's been fun!) at the 5, they're more inclined to (late) switch.
If opponents attempt to target a weaker defender in ball-screens or with a clear out, or are able to force an unfavorable switch, the Hornets are willing to send doubles to get their guys out of perceived trouble.&nbsp;
Either gambit puts two on the ball, creating openings on the back end. But this is where you tip your cap to the length, athleticism and overall ground coverage this group has.&nbsp;
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Only two players in the Hornets' rotation are shorter than 6-foot-7 &mdash; Terry Rozier (6-1) and Dennis Smith Jr. (6-2). Rozier has missed the last two games, and has been replaced by Theo Maledon; Maledon keeps the quota at two, while also offering more size (6-4) than Rozier.&nbsp;
Smith has been one of the best guard defenders in the NBA on a per-minute basis. He's physical at the point of attack and combines that ruggedness with some real feistiness at the rim. He isn't afraid to challenge shots. He's currently <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defensive-impact?CF=BLK*GE*25&amp;Height=LT%206-4&amp;PerMode=Totals&amp;TeamID=0&amp;dir=D&amp;sort=MIN" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one of 10 players</a> listed at 6-4 or shorter with 25 blocks to his name; everyone on the list has appeared in more action than Smith.
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On a team that's willing to send a bunch of help, it's a breath of fresh air to have someone like Smith who doesn't need&nbsp;it all that often.&nbsp;
To that point: 47 players have defended at least 200 on-ball picks at the point of attack since the All-Star break. At 0.78 PPP, no player has "allowed" a lower clip than Smith. On the year, Smith ranks second in Dunks And Three's Defensive Estimated Plus-Minus (dEPM) metric (+3.6), narrowly edging out OG Anunoby (+3.4) and trailing only Alex Caruso (+4.5).&nbsp;
Beyond him, I've been impressed with the wings. JT Thor and Gordon Hayward have taken turns picking up top-tier elite wing assignments, and have mostly held their own. Hayward's been surprisingly spry chasing dudes around off-ball screens. I enjoyed the work he put in against Luka Doncic over the weekend, even if he got dotted a couple of times.
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Thor has used his rare blend of size and mobility to stick with different types of assignments on the ball. He's also provided us with some fun rim-protection flashes; you always have to be aware of where he is.&nbsp;
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As for the bigs, many will point to rookie Williams' insertion into the starting lineup as a real turning point. There's some credence to that; the Hornets rank third in defensive rating since Feb. 10th, the date marking the rookie's first start.
His size is valuable, particularly on the glass. He's had nice flashes of rim protection during this stretch, averaging 1.1 blocks while contesting <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/hustle?CF=G*GE*10&amp;DateFrom=02/10/2023&amp;Height=&amp;PerMode=Per36" target="_blank" rel="noopener">13.1 shots per 36 minutes</a>, a number in the range of guys like Jakob Poeltl (13.4), Kristaps Porzingis (13.0) and Rudy Gobert (12.6).
I'd argue they've gotten more juice out of Richards, whose growing comfort on the perimeter has really popped. He isn't the mountain to dribble around or pass over that Williams is, but the gap in mobility and understanding of angles make him a more effective at-the-level defender. He's gotten better at contesting shots vertically, which gives him a chance to alter shots in light of his limitations as a leaper.
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Neither big is ready to be a true defensive achor right now, but that's okay. Williams is still trying to navigate space at the NBA level, period. Having to defend multiple actions within a possession can get dicey for the young man.
Richards' attempts at being a late leaper &mdash; waiting for the offensive player to leave his feet before challenging the shot, in hopes of avoiding fouls &mdash; can end with the ball going in the basket as Richards' hand is slapping the backboard.
On the positive side, Williams has shown enough to be encouraged by his potential to get there. Richards will likely never be an anchor, but he's made enough strides from last season to feel comfortable with him executing multiple coverages. In 24 or fewer minutes &mdash; and I'd guess he'd be in the 18-ish range on a better team &mdash; that's all that's needed for him to be a valuable role player.&nbsp;
Are the Hornets&nbsp;actually&nbsp;the best defensive team in the NBA? No, they are not. It is, however, worth celebrating the strides they've made as the season has gone on. With the collective size and mobility this roster has, it's also worth getting excited about the foundation that could be built.&nbsp;
(And hey, with enough lottery luck, they could be set in the paint for years to come.)

Nekias Duncan explores what's happening with the Hornets' suddenly-elite defense.

What's the buzz with the Charlotte Hornets' defense?

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Karl-Anthony Towns hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 11 seconds to play after Kyle Anderson stole a pass by Draymond Green, and Minnesota held off Golden State.
Jordan Poole gave Golden State the lead on a 3 with 1:28 left, moments after Towns had connected from deep. Poole had a game-high 27 points.
The Warriors had a chance with 9.9 seconds left but Stephen Curry couldn&rsquo;t corral Poole&rsquo;s errant pass, then Curry missed a contested 3 from the baseline just before the final buzzer.
Towns had 14 points and five rebounds in his second outing following a 52-game absence with a strained right calf.
The Warriors had their nine-game home winning streak snapped and missed a chance to boost their playoff positioning. A victory also would have clinched Sacramento&rsquo;s first postseason berth since 2006. The Kings will try to end the longest playoff drought in NBA history Monday night at home against Minnesota.
BULLS 118, LAKERS 108
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; LeBron James scored 19 points off the bench in his return from a monthlong injury absence, but Zach LaVine had 32 to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 118-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
DeMar DeRozan added 17 points for the Bulls, who easily overcame James&rsquo; return with an impressive performance in their seventh win in nine games. LaVine hit 11 of his first 14 shots to lead an offensive effort that snapped the Lakers&rsquo; three-game winning streak despite the return of the NBA&rsquo;s career scoring leader.
James sat out 13 games with right foot soreness, missing four weeks during the Lakers&rsquo; run at a playoff berth.
For only the second time in his 20-year, 1,958-game NBA career, James wasn&rsquo;t a starter. He came in midway through the first quarter.
The Lakers still were without D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, who missed his second straight game with a right hip injury. Los Angeles went 8-5 in James&rsquo; absence.
CAVALIERS 108, ROCKETS 91
CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jarrett Allen had 24 points and 14 rebounds, Donovan Mitchell scored 22 and Cleveland beat Houston to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2018.
It&rsquo;s also the first time Cleveland has made the playoffs without LeBron James on the roster since 1998.
The Cavaliers are closing in on locking up the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference &mdash; and home-court advantage in the first round. They&rsquo;ve won 9 of 11.
Evan Mobley added 19 points and Darius Garland had 17 for Cleveland.
Jalen Green scored 30 to pace the Rockets, who have lost five straight.
GRIZZLIES 123, HAWKS 119
ATLANTA (AP) &mdash; Ja Morant scored 27 points in his return to the Memphis starting lineup and the Grizzlies held off Atlanta for their sixth consecutive win.
Desmond Bane added 25 points for Memphis, twice delivering fourth-quarter baskets after the Hawks pulled within one.
Memphis is second in the Western Conference despite a 15-22 road record. But the six-game winning streak, the NBA&rsquo;s longest active streak, includes two victories away from home.
Morant received a big cheer from the Atlanta sellout crowd during pregame introductions. He came off the bench in his first two games after serving an eight-game NBA suspension for posting a video in which he was shown waving a gun at a Denver-area strip club.
Trae Young led the Hawks with 28 points and 10 assists, one day after he was ejected for throwing the ball at an official during a 143-130 win over Indiana.
CELTICS 137, SPURS 93
BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Jaylen Brown scored 41 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead Boston over San Antonio.
The Celtics were without star forward and leading scorer Jayson Tatum, who was sidelined with a bruised left hip. But they still moved within 1&frac12; games of Milwaukee for the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s best record with their seventh victory in nine games.
Malcolm Brogdon added 20 points and nine assists for Boston, and Derrick White had 19 points with eight rebounds.
Zach Collins had 21 points with seven rebounds for the Spurs, who finished an 0-4 road trip.
CAVALIERS 108, ROCKETS 91
CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jarrett Allen had 24 points and 14 rebounds, Donovan Mitchell scored 22 and Cleveland beat Houston to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2018.
It&rsquo;s also the first time Cleveland has made the playoffs without LeBron James on the roster since 1998.
The Cavaliers are closing in on locking up the No. 4 spot in the Eastern Conference &mdash; and home-court advantage in the first round. They&rsquo;ve won 9 of 11.
Evan Mobley added 19 points and Darius Garland had 17 for Cleveland.
Jalen Green scored 30 to pace the Rockets, who have lost five straight.
RAPTORS 114, WIZARDS 104
TORONTO (AP) &mdash; O.G. Anunoby scored 29 points, Fred VanVleet had 28 and Toronto never trailed in a win over Washington.
Pascal Siakam had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Jakob Poeltl added 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Ninth-place Toronto clinched the three-game season series with the Wizards and maintained a three-game lead over 11th-place Washington in the Eastern Conference standings. Both teams have seven games remaining.
Scottie Barnes scored 13 points in his return to the starting lineup after missing two games because of a sore left wrist as Toronto won for the ninth time in 10 home games.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 26 points for the short-handed Wizards, who have lost four straight road games. Washington played without guard Bradley Beal (left knee) for the third straight game, while forward Kyle Kuzma (right ankle) sat out for the fourth consecutive game. Washington was also without guard Monte Morris (left groin).
HORNETS 110, MAVERICKS 104
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; The Charlotte Hornets overcame a 40-point outing from Luka Doncic for their second win over Dallas in three days, another costly blow to the Mavericks&rsquo; playoff hopes.
Gordon Hayward scored 22 points and P.J. Washington added 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets, who have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Doncic picked up his 16th technical foul of the season in the third quarter, meaning he will face a one-game suspension Monday night unless the technical is rescinded by the league office.
Kyrie Irving had 18 points for Dallas.
MAGIC 119, NETS 106
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Cole Anthony had 21 points to lead eight Orlando scorers in double figures, and the Magic overcame Mikal Bridges&rsquo; 44 points in a victory over Brooklyn.
Franz Wagner added 19 points and 10 rebounds for Orlando. Wendell Carter had 18 points and six rebounds, and Jalen Suggs returned from an injury with 16 points to help the Magic win their third straight. Paolo Banchero finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.
Bridges came up one point short of his career high. Cam Thomas added 18 points for the Nets, who lost for the sixth time in seven games.
THUNDER 118, TRAIL BLAZERS 112
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points and Oklahoma City beat depleted Portland.
Jalen Williams had 23 points and Isaiah Joe added 20 off the bench for the Thunder (37-38), who moved into a tie for ninth place in the Western Conference with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Shaedon Sharpe led the Trail Blazers with a career-high 29 points, and Nassir Little scored a season-best 28 off the bench. The loss was Portland&rsquo;s eighth in 10 games. The Blazers (32-42) are four games back of 10th place in the West and the final spot in the play-in tournament.
Portland was playing without four of its five regular starters as guards Damian Lillard (right calf) and Anfernee Simons (right foot), forward Jerami Grant (left calf) and center Jusuf Nurkic (right knee) all sat out.

A recap of Sunday's action in the NBA includes Karl-Anthony Towns burying a clutch triple to snap Golden State's home winning streak.

Towns makes two late three-pointers, lifts Timberwolves over Warriors

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Rookie guard Andrew Nembhard had 25 points and 10 assists in his first NBA game back home in Canada, and the Indiana Pacers beat the Toronto Raptors 118-114 on Wednesday night to snap their home winning streak at seven.
Myles Turner scored 16 points, Bennedict Mathurin added 15 and Buddy Hield had 13 for the Pacers, who swept the three-game season series between the teams.
Canadian-born players Mathurin, Nembhard and Oshae Brissett all started for Indiana as the Raptors celebrated Canada Basketball Night. It was the first time since the NBA began tracking starters in 1970-71 that three Canadians started for the same team.
&ldquo;For it to happen in Toronto, it&rsquo;s pretty cool,&rdquo; Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. &ldquo;All three of those guys played well. Nembhard had a great game. Mathurin was terrific. I thought Brissett did what he does. He gave us energy, rebounded, he scored the first five points of the game. That was great.&rdquo;
Pascal Siakam scored 18 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter but the Raptors lost their second straight. Siakam also had 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Fred VanVleet had 28 points and 11 assists for Toronto, and Jakob Poeltl scored 23.
Poeltl missed two free throws with 1:24 left when Toronto could have cut the deficit to two. After a missed 3 by VanVleet, Nembhard connected from long range to give the Pacers a 114-107 lead with 33 seconds to play.
&ldquo;That was the shot that put the game away,&rdquo; Carlisle said. &ldquo;Just an amazing night for him and his family.&rdquo;
Nembhard shot 11 for 17, going 3 of 5 from long range.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t really feel too much pressure to play out of character tonight,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I just wanted to be aggressive.&rdquo;
Fellow rookie Mathurin made three of his five shots and earned praise from Carlisle for his defensive effort on VanVleet.
&ldquo;It was really fun just to play in Toronto my first time,&rdquo; Mathurin said. &ldquo;The fact that we got the win makes it even more exciting.&rdquo;
The short-handed Raptors were without forward Scottie Barnes, who exited Sunday&rsquo;s loss at Milwaukee because of a sore left wrist. Toronto was also without forward Precious Achiuwa (right hamstring) and guard Gary Trent Jr. (right elbow).
Toronto lost at home for the first time since Feb. 10 against Utah, when the Jazz overcame a 12-point deficit in the final five minutes to beat the Raptors 122-116.
&ldquo;Didn&rsquo;t feel super organized at either end at the start or for a while,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;I thought that we let a lot of chances go.&rdquo;
The Raptors shot 7 for 34 from 3-point range. Chris Boucher&rsquo;s buzzer-beating shot helped Toronto avoid matching a season low for makes and setting a new low for shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
Nembhard scored 14 points in the first, the most he&rsquo;s ever had in a single quarter, as the Pacers led 36-26 after one.
&ldquo;Nembhard obviously at the start was big,&rdquo; Nurse said.
Indiana led 58-52 at halftime and took an 83-78 lead into the fourth.
TIP-INS
Pacers: T.J. McConnell scored 14 points and Jordan Nwora had 10. &hellip; G Tyrese Haliburton (right ankle), G Chris Duarte (left ankle) and G/F Kendall Brown (right leg) all sat for Indiana. &hellip; The Pacers committed 18 turnovers, leading to 21 points for Toronto. &hellip; Indiana outscored the Raptors 40-21 in bench points. ... The Pacers are 3-1 when Nembhard scores 20 or more.
Raptors: Barnes sat for the fourth time this season and first since Nov. 26. &hellip; Actor Mike Myers sat opposite the Toronto bench. Actor Nicholas Braun also attended the game, sitting in a baseline seat.
HIELD FINED
Hield was fined $25,000 for making an obscene gesture while sitting on the bench during the second quarter of Monday&rsquo;s loss at Charlotte. TV cameras caught him raising his middle finger to someone on the court.
UP NEXT
Pacers: Visit Boston on Friday.
Raptors: Host Detroit on Friday.

Andrew Nembhard had 25 points and 10 assists in his first NBA game back home in Canada, and Indiana beat Toronto 118-114.

Back home in Canada, Andrew Nembhard nets 25 as Pacers top Raptors

After gaining a dominant lead over the Western Conference over the past couple of months, the Denver Nuggets have come back down to earth.
They've lost five of their last seven games, including a four-game skid featuring the Chicago Bulls at home, an 8-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs on the road, a tightly contested home loss to the Brooklyn Nets and a road loss to the Toronto Raptors, who dropped 49 first-quarter points on the Nuggets' head.
That four-game losing streak was their longest of the season, and only the second time they've lost three straight.
The big problem has been their defense. The Nuggets logged a defensive rating of 125.2 during the losing streak, with that dropping to 120.5 when accounting for the entire seven-game run. Either mark would easily be the worst in the league if extrapolated across the entire season.
The defense has almost always been the reason they've lost games this year; their defensive rating is nearly 13 points worse in losses (122.4) than wins (109.5), representing the sixth-largest gap in the NBA.
(Brief aside: Cleveland &mdash; at 16.6 points worse in losses &mdash; is kinda lapping the field in that stat. When the defense gets hit, it gets hit.&nbsp;Worth keeping an eye on, at least.)
WHAT'S UP WITH THE DEFENSE?
Before digging in, let's set the appropriate framing for the struggles of the Denver Nuggets: they may be recent, but they're not new.
Naturally, we have to start with Nikola Jokic here. I hate most of the conversations around his defense because I feel it devolves into &ldquo;HE SUCKS!&rdquo; a little too quickly. But I don&rsquo;t think his defense can be at the level it was in the Bulls game, and it especially can&rsquo;t be at the level it was in the Spurs game.
Jokic doesn't offer much scheme versatility; at the very least, he isn't&nbsp;effective&nbsp;at multiple coverages. He's at his best &mdash; and, in turn, the Nuggets are at their&nbsp;best &mdash; when he's operating at the level of the screen or higher.&nbsp;
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Because of that, they absolutely can't afford slippage within that coverage.
Heading into this stretch, the Nuggets were allowing 0.916 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a ball screen defended by Jokic at the level or higher, per Second Spectrum. That was in the vicinity of guys like Jarrett Allen (0.898 PPP) and Draymond Green (0.905 PPP), and better than Joel Embiid (0.927 PPP) on much higher volume.
During this stretch, that number has risen to 1.018 PPP &mdash; a below-average mark.&nbsp;
It's inherently a higher-risk style of defense, which was covered <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-examining-the-denver-nuggets-poor-defense-nikola-jokic-michael-malone-bruce-brown-michael-porter-jr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earlier this year</a>. The margin for error is smaller because of the rotations required. It's even harder to pull off if Jokic doesn't do&nbsp;his&nbsp;job by getting to the level on time and serving as a deterrent to the ball-handler, or if he takes his sweet time recovering.
Possessions like this can't happen:
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On top of the timing and rotations being off, teams have also attempted to mess with Denver's rotations by sprinkling in cuts and relocations as the ball screen occurs.
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The slippage at the level feels worse because of how vulnerable they've been with Jokic in a drop this season. He's shown growth within that coverage over the past two seasons, but still remains a negative overall. His contests don't bother attackers all that much &mdash; and that's if he's actually contesting shots versus swiping down in hopes of getting a strip.
It's worth noting that, surprisingly enough, the drop with Jokic has been much better statistically (0.887 PPP) during this stretch of games. I'd attribute that more to the point-of-attack defense perking up over the past three games than anything Jokic is doing. That's not to say he's made no adjustment &mdash; it feels like he's picking up ball-handlers a little higher within the drop, for example &mdash; but he's getting real help up top.
Bruce Brown, in particular, has stepped up.
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It's unlikely that Denver's drop is as good as the numbers reflect during this stretch &mdash; one littered with teams without elite&nbsp;pull-up chops. But it's at least encouraging that the point-of-attack defense has looked a little better.
There also seems to be more intention with insolating Jokic.&nbsp;
The Nuggets have seen their "ICE" or "weak" calls &mdash; forcing the ball-handler down the sideline (ICE) or shading them towards their off-hand (weak) &mdash; increase from 12.3 picks per 100 possessions (18th) before this run, to 15.5 per 100 over the past seven, a mark that would rank fifth in the NBA if extrapolated across the entire season.
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Keeping things 2-on-2, with Jokic picking up the ball-handler around eight feet or so, is Denver's way of trying to limit the amount of shots they give up from the corners and directly at the rim. It's worth keeping tabs on.&nbsp;
WHAT'S UP WITH THE OFFENSE?
It's&nbsp;mostly&nbsp;been business as usual here. They've logged a 116 offensive rating over the past seven games &mdash; off their world-beater path, but a mark that would still rank seventh in the league.&nbsp;&nbsp;
The largest issue doesn't involve Jokic. Literally: this team is scary (derogatory) without Jokic on the floor.&nbsp;
They've gotten very little from their midseason additions, Reggie Jackson and Thomas Bryant. Jackson hasn't been able to knock down shots, while Bryant's defense has been harmful enough for head coach Michael Malone to call on Jeff Green's number more consistently.&nbsp;
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Jamal Murray has been tasked with spearheading non-Jokic lineups, but it's a lot of pressure on him. And as my Dunker Spot cohost Steve Jones has noted, the Nuggets don't have pressure points aside from Murray in those lineups to truly bend&nbsp;defenses. It turns into "Murray save us" too frequently for my sensibilities.
There are adjustments to be made, like flanking Murray with another starter whenever Jokic gets rest. They're already doing that by keeping Murray and Aaron Gordon together &mdash; I'm a little intrigued with Gordon-at-5 minutes. Maybe keeping Murray and Michael Porter Jr. together would work. It could have the secondary benefit of unlocking Brown as a screener again.
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Ultimately, the goal should be to take some pressure off Murray. The Nuggets need his shotmaking once playoff time comes; they can't afford for wear-and-tear to get to his knee while trying to carry second units during the regular season. It's concerning that he's only made 39.7% of his shots over the past seven games, with only 23% of those coming at the rim.
If there's a Jokic-related thing to poke at, I'd keep an eye on who&nbsp;gets the Jokic assignment moving forward. It's something that really popped for me during the Sixers-Nuggets showcase game late in January, but PJ Tucker drew the Jokic assignment, allowing Joel Embiid to lurk around the rim and muck things up.&nbsp;
Other teams have tried it. The Wolves have given Kyle Anderson that assignment. The Raptors, as they tend to do, tossed OG Anunoby on Jokic with Jakob Poeltl nearby. The Nets threw forwards at Jokic in their first meeting, with Nic Claxton roaming around.&nbsp;
There's no way to&nbsp;stop&nbsp;Jokic, really, but using mobility to stifle some of the juicy stuff he creates on the perimeter is worth trying. Per Second Spectrum, the Nuggets have seen a dip in efficiency with dribble handoffs and ball screens when Jokic is defended by a forward instead of a center.
<ul>
<li class="p1">Jokic handoffs (center defender): 541 handoffs, 1.073 PPP</li>
<li>Jokic handoffs (forward defender): 241 handoffs, 1.058 PPP</li>
<li>Jokic PnR screener (center defender): 722 picks, 1.12 PPP</li>
<li class="p1">Jokic PnR screener (forward defender): 354 picks, 1.026 PPP</li>
</ul>
Not everyone has the personnel to pull it off, but the Nuggets may want to find counters regardless. It may be as simple as&nbsp;Gordon knocking down enough shots, or creating enough openings as a handoff hub or screener, to render the crossmatch obsolete. We'll have to see.

Nekias Duncan breaks down the Denver Nuggets' recent struggles and how Nikola Jokic and Co. can get back on track.

What's up with the Denver Nuggets, and should we be concerned?

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam had 25 points and 14 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors extended their season-high home winning streak to six games with a 128-111 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jakob Poeltl had his third straight double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Raptors. Gary Trent Jr. added 23 points, while Fred VanVleet and Scottie Barnes each had 19 points. O.G. Anunoby added 17.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points and rookie Jalen Williams had 15 for the Thunder, who came in having won three-straight games (and six of seven).
Oklahoma City is now 13-21 on the road.
Josh Giddey scored 13 points, Tre Mann and Isaiah Joe each had 12 and Lu Dort scored 10 points for the Thunder.

Pascal Siakam had 25 points and 14 rebounds, lifting the Raptors to a 128-111 win over the Thunder on Thursday night.

Siakam, Raptors beat Thunder 128-111 for 6th straight home win

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; D&rsquo;Angelo Russell had 28 points and nine assists in his dynamic return from a six-game injury absence, Dennis Schr&ouml;der added 23 points and seven assists and the Los Angeles Lakers won for the seventh time in nine games, 122-112 over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
Austin Reaves scored 18 points while Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt added 16 apiece as the Lakers extended their impressive recent surge even with little contribution this time from Anthony Davis.
The superstar big man had only eight points and nine rebounds while struggling against Toronto&rsquo;s defense, but Russell and his teammates took charge before Davis sealed the win on his only field goal of the second half with 46 seconds to play.
Russell was the centerpiece of the Lakers&rsquo; activity at the trade deadline, but the point guard appeared in only four games to begin his second stint in Los Angeles before spraining his right ankle. He returned to the starting lineup with a spring in his step, hitting five 3-pointers and making a series of high-difficulty plays that had the Lakers&rsquo; home crowd roaring repeatedly.
Scottie Barnes scored 20 of his career-high 32 points in the second half, and O.G. Anunoby made his first 11 shots while scoring 31 points in the Raptors&rsquo; fourth loss to complete a tough five-game road trip. Toronto had won seven consecutive road games against the Lakers since 2014.
The Lakers moved into ninth place in the Western Conference three days ago with a win over Memphis, and they are excelling even in the middle of the lengthy absence of LeBron James.
Russell and Schr&ouml;der led an outstanding effort against Toronto, and the Lakers surged away to their sixth win in eight games since the All-Star break. Los Angeles also went 19 for 19 at the free throw line. Russell racked up 12 points and seven assists in the first half while the Lakers erased an early 15-point deficit.
The Lakers managed just four field goals in a nightmare third quarter, but took a nine-point lead midway through the fourth with a 26-8 run.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Will Barton scored five points in his return from a one-game absence with a non-COVID illness. ... Jakob Poeltl had 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Lakers: Coach Darvin Ham said they haven&rsquo;t decided whether to sign a backup center with new acquisition Mo Bamba possibly sidelined until the postseason by a high left ankle sprain. ... Davis turns 30 on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Host Denver on Tuesday night.
Lakers: Host New York on Sunday night.

D’Angelo Russell had 28 points and 9 assists as the Lakers won for the seventh time in nine games, 122-112 over the Raptors on Friday.

D'Angelo Russell scores 28 points in return, Lakers beat Raptors

♪ Your time is up, my time is now ♪ 
♪ You can't see me, my time is now ♪ 
The beat is booming, trumpets blaring. The crowd is hyped &mdash; anticipation of something amazing will do that to you.
Normally, this would be the paragraph where John Cena is described. How he plays to the crowd, the message he gives to the camera conveniently zoomed in on him <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7cqG9wQxLU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">before he flashes the "Never Give Up" towel and runs to the ring</a>.&nbsp;
Instead, the music just happens to be playing during the fourth quarter of the Toronto Raptors-Los Angeles Clippers game on Wednesday night.&nbsp;
Kawhi Leonard trots up the left side of the floor with OG Anunoby, the best perimeter defender in the league by many (read: my) accounts, waiting for him near half-court. Eric Gordon steps up to set an early drag screen, but Leonard rejects it to continue his leftward path.
Leonard gains inside leverage &mdash; doing that a lot, these days &mdash; and meets Jakob Poeltl at the rim. Well, more accurately, he gets to the rim and Poeltl just happens to be in his way. It sucks for him, because he wasn't stopping the funk coming his way.&nbsp;
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"You can't see me, my time is now" works for Cena. Try as you might, you're not on his level. You're distant. He's better and he knows it. He's better and his fans know it. He's better and you probably know it, deep down inside.
Leonard is different. You can see him; he just doesn't care that you can. It may be more accurate to say he can't see&nbsp;you.&nbsp;Is this the face of a man that thinks he's overcome insurmountable odds?
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2023-03-09-at-1-14-42-pm.png" alt="" width="657" height="369" />
Absolutely not.
If a dunk like that is the Attitude Adjustment (the old name was better, cowards), his middy might be the shoulder charge before the Five Knuckle Shuf &mdash; okay, I've done enough with the wrestling analogy.
(Psst, he's knocked down 50.1% of his mid-range shots this season, per Cleaning The Glass. That feels like a typo, especially when you factor in how contested they've been.)
Anyway...
What shouldn't be lost in all the hoopla surrounding the Clippers &mdash; Russell Westbrook talk, rotation talk, <a href="https://twitter.com/PodcastPShow/status/1630946315659251713?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">podcast talk</a>, Western Conference standings talk &mdash; is the metronomic, inevitable nature of Kawhi.
He's both a source of friction and a reason for optimism. The Clippers aren't here without him being on the recovery plan he's been on; conversely, the Clippers wouldn't be a reasonable playoff pick without his two-way dominance.
The further we get away from his initial return, the more terrifying he looks. Just look at his season in 10-game intervals.
First 10 (8 starts): 13.7 points on 51.7% True Shooting, 5.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists in 26.0 minutes
Next 10: 23.2 points on 61.1% True Shooting, 6.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals in 33.4 minutes
Following 10: 29.2 points on 63.2% True Shooting, 6.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.0 steals in 37.1 minutes
Last 10: 27.0 points on 67.6% True Shooting, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.5 steals in 36.9 minutes
You can't erase portions of the season for a player &mdash; at least not in good faith &mdash; but a 30-game sample of 26.5 points on 64.0% True Shooting, 6.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists (1.8 turnovers) and 1.7 steals per game certainly qualifies as elite production. It's nasty stuff, even.
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I often find myself cackling at the casual nature of Leonard's approach. No matter the arena &mdash; isolating, posting up, running ball-screens, bringing the ball up in transition &mdash; it feels like he's in total control of what's happening.
Different defenders are tossed at him. Opponents oscillate between aggressive ball pressure, switching to flatten two-man actions and all-out traps to get the ball out of his hands. Their helpers do what they can to crowd the middle of the floor.
None of it matters, really.&nbsp;
Wednesday night's "revenge game" against the Raptors felt like one of those "it doesn't matter" games. His stat line was good enough: 24 points on 15 shot attempts, a season-high 12 rebounds, 4 dimes and three gimme-dats with the Clippers winning his minutes. But how he accumulated some of those? It's like, what do you do with him?
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You can see him; he just doesn't care that you can.
To the versatility point on offense: The Clippers have scored at an elite level when Leonard is involved in the action.&nbsp;
On trips featuring a Leonard-led ball screen, the Clippers are generating 1.085 points per possession (PPP). Among 96 players to run at least 500 ball-screens this season, that ranks No. 5 in the NBA. With Leonard setting an on-ball screen, that number rises to nearly 1.12 PPP &mdash; seventh among 209 players to set at least 150 picks.
Related: Keep an eye on the Leonard-Westbrook partnership. The sample must grow, but Westbrook screening for Leonard (1.82 PPP) and Leonard screening for Westbrook (1.00 PPP) has been pretty fruitful so far. The latter scenario has mostly been used for mismatch-hunting to get to isos or post-ups &mdash; "reverse-engineering" as expertly stated by <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Jones Jr.</a> &mdash;&nbsp; but there's real juice behind inverting the action.&nbsp;
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We can keep going. He's sixth in post-up PPP (1.18) among 37 players with 100 reps under their belts; seventh in PPP (1.13) among 51 players with at least 200 isolation possessions.
It simply has not mattered.
Flip the court, and the efforts to best Leonard have also been futile. He's not 2014 Kawhi anymore as an on-ball defender. The screen navigation isn't the same, nor is his lateral quickness at this stage. He remains incredibly difficult to deal with, though.&nbsp;
It's hard to move him. His prep work before the screen gets set is still superb. Even quieter, his sense of when to pursue after getting screened vs. when to peel-switch and take away a passing window is still strong.&nbsp;
At this point, it's less about what Leonard can do defensively and more about his opponents fearing what he's capable of. If he's in your face, you have your work cut out. If you get him off of you, you still have to be wary of where he is.
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It's been 40 games, which puts him a little behind the 8 Ball in terms of award talk. He isn't winning MVP. He's not winning Defensive Player of the Year, nor should he. An All-Defensive Team may also be out of the question, considering how deep the class is.
I'd keep an eye on his All-NBA case, though.
It feels like three spots are written in pen (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Julius Randle), and another two are in pencil (Kevin Durant and LeBron James, who would easily be inked without their injuries, and still might be). Between Leonard, Jimmy Butler, Lauri Markkanen, Pascal Siakam and Kawhi's co-star Paul George, we may be in for a furious debate.
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Leonard is No. 10 in the league (+6.1) in DunksAndThree's Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM) metric, which estimates a player's total impact per 100 possessions. That would place Leonard sixth among forwards, trailing Butler (third, +7.1), Durant (seventh, +6.6), Giannis (eighth, +6.2) and LeBron (ninth, +6.2). Markkanen trails behind in 23rd (+4.8).
The cumulative version of the metric, Estimated Wins, places Leonard outside of the top 30 because of minutes played, putting him on par with Anthony Edwards (8.2) and slightly ahead of Siakam (8.0).
Of course, those are just two metrics out of the many in the public sphere. The most important thing is that Leonard looks like a two-way force getting close to peak form. That should terrify everyone.

Nekias Duncan analyzes how Kawhi Leonard is back to being a two-way force who is nearing his peak form with the Clippers.

His time is now: You can see Kawhi Leonard, but he doesn't care

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Fred VanVleet tried to take a double breath before addressing reporters. But the Toronto Raptors guard was unable to suppress his frustration with referee Ben Taylor and his crew.
VanVleet was extremely critical of Taylor after the Raptors&rsquo; 108-100 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night &mdash; not only for being called for a technical foul, but for the disparity in fouls and free throws.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t mind it. I&rsquo;ll take the fine. I don&rsquo;t really care. I thought Ben Taylor was terrible tonight,&rdquo; VanVleet said while using profanity. &ldquo;I think that most nights, you know out of the three, there&rsquo;s one or two that just (mess) the game up. It&rsquo;s been like that a couple of games in a row. Denver was tough, obviously.
&ldquo;You come out tonight, competing pretty hard and I get a (lousy) tech that changes the whole dynamic of the game, changed the whole flow of the game.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Fred VanVleet went OFF on referee Ben Taylor and NBA reffing in general in his post-game after the Raptors loss. Haven't heard anything like this. <a href="https://t.co/VcMkGTh0k3">pic.twitter.com/VcMkGTh0k3</a>
&mdash; Faizal Khamisa (@SNFaizalKhamisa) <a href="https://twitter.com/SNFaizalKhamisa/status/1633715635988332544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2023</a></blockquote>

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VanVleet, who is in his sixth year in the league, was called for his eighth technical of the season with 7:02 remaining in the third quarter. Paul George made the free throw to put the Clippers up 65-57.
VanVleet said the reason he picked up the technical was because he was imploring his team to play through what he thought were some questionable calls, albeit with more colorful language. He also said he understood there is a fine line on what he can say, but thought Taylor didn&rsquo;t give him enough leeway.
Toronto was called for 23 fouls to Los Angeles&rsquo; 18, but the Clippers were 24 of 31 from the line while the Raptors were 13 of 14.
&ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t getting our money&rsquo;s worth on a lot of those,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of the fouls. &ldquo;Probably a little bit of contact. We didn&rsquo;t adjust (to the style of play) because we were back in the same situation.&rdquo;
VanVleet and the Raptors were already in a foul mood about officiating before Wednesday&rsquo;s game. They lost Monday night at Denver 118-113 after Scottie Barnes was ejected by Scott Foster with 28.3 seconds left and the Raptors trailing by one.
The technical came after Toronto&rsquo;s Jakob Poeltl was called for a foul. Denver made the three subsequent free throws to ice the game.
Of VanVleet&rsquo;s eight technicals, three have been assessed by Taylor with one other coming from another official on a game Taylor was working. Taylor is in his 10th season as an NBA official.
&ldquo;At a certain point as a player, you feel it&rsquo;s personal and it&rsquo;s never a good place to be,&rdquo; VanVleet said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s not why we lost tonight, we got outplayed, but it definitely makes it tougher to overcome.&rdquo;
VanVleet was already facing a $3,000 fine for the technical. He will face a bigger one for going off on officiating.
&ldquo;I think the jurisdiction and the power trip that we&rsquo;ve been on this year with some of our officials in this league is getting out of hand and l&rsquo;ll take my fine for speaking on it,&rdquo; VanVleet said. &ldquo;Most of the refs are trying hard, I like a lot of the refs, they&rsquo;re trying hard, they&rsquo;re pretty fair, and communicate well. And then you got the other ones who just want to be (idiots) and just kind of (screw) up the game. And no one&rsquo;s coming to see that. They come to see the players.
&ldquo;And I think we&rsquo;re losing a little bit of the fabric of what the NBA is and was, and it&rsquo;s been disappointing this season.&rdquo;

"I thought Ben Taylor was terrible tonight,” Fred VanVleet said while using profanity following Toronto's loss to the LA Clippers.

Raptors’ VanVleet heavily criticizes officiating after loss

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; Kyle Kuzma scored the game&rsquo;s first 10 points and finished with 30, Kristaps Porzingis added 25 points, and the Washington Wizards beat the Toronto Raptors 119-108 on Thursday night in the opener of a two-game set between Eastern Conference playoff contenders.
Daniel Gafford scored 18 points and Delon Wright had a season-high 11 assists for the Wizards (30-32), who moved within percentage points of the ninth-place Raptors (31-33) in the East standings.
O.G. Anunoby scored 26 points and Jakob Poeltl had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors, who had won five of their previous six games.
Washington beat Toronto at home in the regular season for the first time since Feb. 1, 2018, ending a six-game winning streak for the Raptors at Capital One Arena.
Kuzma essentially put the game away early in the fourth quarter when he found Corey Kispert for a 3, buried a step-back 3 of his own and drove for a layup to conclude a 12-2 run that made it 99-80. The Raptors made a late push but did not get closer than eight points.
The Wizards had a 59-50 lead at halftime that could have been bigger if not for a couple of lulls. Kuzma made two 3s and had an emphatic dunk during his game-opening burst, but Toronto responded with an 18-2 run. The Wizards went on a 12-2 run for a 50-36 lead in the second quarter; Toronto countered with a 10-0 flurry.
The Wizards had more explosiveness and outside shooting touch throughout, shooting 46.7% from 3-point range to the Raptors&rsquo; 27.3% and finishing with 16 fast-break points to the Raptors&rsquo; four.
Pascal Siakam had 13 points and 11 rebounds for Toronto. Scottie Barnes and Fred VanVleet had 14 points apiece, but VanVleet was 2 of 11 on 3-pointers.
TIP-INS
Raptors: This is the first of two five-game trips remaining for Toronto, which has only eight home games left. The Raptors are 20-13 at home and 11-20 on the road. ... G Will Barton, waived by the Wizards on Feb. 21 and signed by the Raptors on Tuesday, played seven minutes and didn&rsquo;t score.
Wizards: Bradley Beal had 15 points. ... Corey Kispert finished with 10 points and two 3-pointers, becoming the first Wizard to make 100 3s in his first two seasons. ... Wright started at point guard in place of Monte Morris (lower back), who had an epidural injection on Wednesday, missed his third straight game and is considered week to week. ... Washington signed F/C Jay Huff to a two-way contract. The 7-foot-1 Huff had been playing for the South Bay Lakers of the G League, averaging a league-leading 3.4 blocks per game. Huff was previously with the Wizards in the 2021 Summer League after going undrafted out of Virginia. ... Washington has 13 home games left and only seven on the road, with no trips longer than one game.
UP NEXT
The teams conclude their two-game set at Washington on Saturday.

Kyle Kuzma scored 30 points, Kristaps Porzingis added 25, and the Washington Wizards beat the Toronto Raptors 119-108 on Thursday.

Kyle Kuzma scores 30, Wizards beat Raptors to edge closer in East

Reaching the top of the mountain is a difficult endeavor. Staying atop the mountain is even harder, and eventually, there will be a taller one to scale.
Such is life for Scottie Barnes, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year who&rsquo;s in his second season with the Toronto Raptors and has found his rhythm over the last couple of months after a slow start to the campaign.
When teams in this league can pinpoint tendencies, it can be tough to adapt. Opponents figure out your spots, where you like the ball and how you process the game, and they try to exploit any weaknesses in your game that pop on film. That can be especially daunting for somebody who burst onto the scene the way Barnes did.
To his credit, Barnes has fought through it, and it's led to results for not only him, but also his team.
&ldquo;He is playing really well right now. He's on probably a good six-week stretch where he's looked like he was a year ago and improving from that,&rdquo; Raptors head coach Nick Nurse told Basketball News. &ldquo;He had probably a little bit of a rocky start; at times, some of those things you talked about probably weighed in. Who knows, man?&rdquo;
Barnes downplays the notion of teams figuring him out early, and that it&rsquo;s solely been on him to adjust.
&ldquo;It's all about me, for sure. I don't think it's nothing else. It's all about me,&rdquo; Barnes told Basketball News following Toronto&rsquo;s loss in Cleveland on Sunday. &ldquo;I feel like I can control the game in the way I want to control it. Every game is different, every team is different, every team is gonna scheme you a different way, play you a different way. It's just about how I attack the game.&rdquo;
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A lot has been asked of Barnes. There have been games where he&rsquo;s been the primary ball-handler when Fred VanVleet has missed time. In November, there was a stretch where All-Star forward Pascal Siakam went down and he had to step in as a go-to scorer. When both have been healthy, he&rsquo;s had to go right back into his Swiss-Army-knife role without a hiccup.
Barnes has suited up anywhere from shooting guard to small forward to power forward to center. The Raptors knew he had this versatility when they drafted him, and in many ways this year, it&rsquo;s been much-needed.
Comparing the first half of the season to the new year thus far, he has clearly been more aggressive and the breakthrough is evident.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
Scottie Barnes
</td>
<td>
Post-Jan. 1 (Per-Game Avg.)
</td>
<td>
Pre-Jan. 1 (Per-Game Avg.)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Games Played
</td>
<td>
27
</td>
<td>
32
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
No. of Possessions
</td>
<td>
81.11
</td>
<td>
74.22
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Points
</td>
<td>
16.59
</td>
<td>
14.44
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
True Shooting Percentage
</td>
<td>
54%
</td>
<td>
51%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Net Rating
</td>
<td>
+5
</td>
<td>
-1
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Fouls Drawn
</td>
<td>
3.70
</td>
<td>
2.25
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Free Throws Made/Att.
</td>
<td>
3.52/4.63
</td>
<td>
1.84/2.41
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Catch &amp; Drives Made/Att.
</td>
<td>
0.89/1.56
</td>
<td>
0.38/1.09
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
C&amp;D Percentage Made
</td>
<td>
55%
</td>
<td>
34%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Post-Ups Made/Att.
</td>
<td>
1.04/1.92
</td>
<td>
0.75/1.88
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Post-Up Percentage Made
</td>
<td>
57%
</td>
<td>
40%
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Secondary Assists
</td>
<td>
1.37
</td>
<td>
0.59
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
Screen Assists
</td>
<td>
2.04
</td>
<td>
1.34
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Scroll right to view full table on mobile)
In addition to the figures on this chart (courtesy of InStat), Barnes has cut his isolation possessions in half while boosting his efficiency by 10%. Asked where he&rsquo;s made the most strides offensively as a sophomore, Nurse pointed to his comfortability with letting it fly from three.
&ldquo;He's really shooting it &mdash; on the catch-and-shoots, anyway, he's really shooting it pretty good, pushing up towards over 36%, which is right there with about any decent shooter in the league; that's a pretty good number. I'm trying to get him to take more of 'em. I'm trying to get 'em to always take more of everything,&rdquo; Nurse said. &ldquo;That's a big thing. He's a good free-throw shooter, he's getting a little better there. Again, he still uses his size and physicality getting to the basket.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Definitely more in the pick-and-roll, trying to make those reads, trying to play out of the pick-and-roll,&rdquo; Barnes responded. &ldquo;I feel like that's something that in the future I'll probably be really good at. As long as I just keep getting more and more reps &mdash; I feel like I'm pretty solid at it now, but I feel like as time goes on, I'll be in that more. It'll be a part of my development, for sure.&rdquo;
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Once January hit, it felt like the 21-year-old made a forceful attempt to up the ante. During that month, Barnes averaged 18.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.2 steals across 16 games. In seven of those games, he scored 20-plus.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Probably my body felt a little bit better,&rdquo; Barnes explained. &ldquo;I feel like that was one thing that was really affecting me early, little tweaks that was going on. But my body felt better. Just playing well. We was probably playing better as a team as well, so that's probably why. Of course, if we play better as a team, everybody else individually will probably look better as well.&rdquo;
Barnes&rsquo; comment raises a good point, as the Raptors (31-32) have been on the rise for the last month-and-a-half and are now winners of eight out of their last 10 games. Tussling with a couple of other squads, they&rsquo;re nipping at the heels of the Atlanta Hawks for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.&nbsp;
Shaking off the rust of a heavy-legged loss in Cleveland, Toronto bounced back with a home win over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday &mdash; and it can't be understated considering the standings battle and the fact that a five-game road trip is ahead of the team.
"Every game is a must-win," Barnes said postgame Tuesday.
Aptly nicknamed "Fourth Quarter B," Barnes came up huge once again in the final period on both ends. He had 8 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocks, including an incredible sequence where he served up two swats on Coby White and Andre Drummond, rebounded it himself, drove the floor in transition and found a streaking Siakam for a slam.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
LET'S GOOOOOOOO 😤<a href="https://twitter.com/ScottBarnes561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ScottBarnes561</a> ➡️ <a href="https://twitter.com/pskills43?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@pskills43</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ps5ME4zFeZ">pic.twitter.com/Ps5ME4zFeZ</a>
&mdash; Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) <a href="https://twitter.com/Raptors/status/1630756969941196801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2023</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;It&rsquo;s special, man," said VanVleet, who returned following a three-game hiatus due to personal reasons. &ldquo;He made a couple plays not many guys in this league can make &mdash; blocks to push the break, the and-one. He was talking. He was keyed in.&nbsp;
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s a big boost, especially (with) a lineup out there without me and Pascal for him to carry that in the fourth and get us some separation. That really won us the game ultimately was his defense and his playmaking and just putting pressure on the rim. We need him to keep making those strides. We know how special of a player he can be, and he shows us that at times.&rdquo;
In addition, Barnes took on the responsibility of guarding Nikola Vucevic. Nurse knows that he is big enough to body up centers and laterally savvy enough to stay with opponents on the perimeter. Nurse referred to Barnes' competition level and defensive effort as &ldquo;inspirational to the other guys.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I was just trying to come out and bring energy throughout the entire game,&rdquo; Barnes t<a href="https://twitter.com/theshift_sports/status/1630766246252691458?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">old TSN Sports reporter Kayla Grey after the victory vs. Chicago</a>. &ldquo;The fourth quarter, I was playing big man, so I was just trying to protect the rim, be that energy guy, just try to do everything right, and it worked out well."
&ldquo;He was amazing,&rdquo; O.G. Anunoby added. &ldquo;He was everywhere &mdash; making blocks, getting the rebound, pushing, passing, finishing. He was doing everything. He&rsquo;s a great player.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Add that performance to a gutsy 13-point frame in a Feb. 5 win over the Memphis Grizzlies and a number of switch-flips he&rsquo;s done seemingly out of thin air on the attack in critical moments, and it&rsquo;s clear that he has a knack for closing games out strong.
&ldquo;Just the really competitive side of him really starts emerging in the fourth,&rdquo; Nurse said following the team&rsquo;s latest win. &ldquo;He just starts playing really physical and really tough.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Entering March, VanVleet, Siakam and Anunoby are finally healthy together, and Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher bring a jolt off the pine. Jakob Poeltl has given the team a rim-altering, protective presence it had been lacking for quite some time. Plus, the organization just signed veteran swingman Will Barton for the rest of the year for even more of a boost too.
This battle-tested and unique Raptors group filled with versatile players has a real chance to continue ascending the standings during this stretch run &mdash; and Scottie Barnes can play with any of them.
&ldquo;Just being able to come out there and play with super joy and enthusiasm every night like you did your rookie season, I think he's back to that,&rdquo; Nurse said.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He's really having fun playing right now.&rdquo;

Spencer Davies looks into the increased aggressiveness of Scottie Barnes since the turn of the new year with the Raptors.

Scottie Barnes rediscovering rookie-year joy as Raptors round into form

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam scored 20 points, Gary Trent Jr. had 19 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Chicago Bulls 104-98 on Tuesday night for their eighth victory in 10 games.
O.G. Anunoby added 17 points and Jakob Poeltl had 14 to help the Raptors win their fourth straight at home, matching their longest streak of the season.
Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls with 23 points and Zach LaVine had 17. DeMar DeRozan scored 13 points against his former team as Chicago fell to 10-21 on the road.
The Bulls had won back-to-back home games after losing six straight before the All-Star break, holding both Brooklyn and Washington below 90 points, but couldn&rsquo;t keep that streak going north of the border.
Toronto had 94 field goal attempts to Chicago&rsquo;s 71 and outrebounded the Bulls 47-35, including a 19-6 advantage on the offensive glass.
&ldquo;They have size everywhere,&rdquo; Bulls coach Billy Donovan said about the Raptors. &ldquo;We did get hurt, no question, on the glass.&rdquo;
The Bulls shot 37 for 71 overall and went 10 for 25 from 3-point range, but had 20 turnovers that led to 21 points for Toronto.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to put up points in a game like that with what we did,&rdquo; Donovan said. &ldquo;I thought we were trying to play the right way and we were trying do the right things. We just didn&rsquo;t execute as well as we needed to.&rdquo;
Vucevic said the Bulls needed to work harder to battle for rebounds.
&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t do a good enough job tonight of boxing them out and grabbing the ball,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;A few of them were 50-50.&rdquo;
Raptors forward Scottie Barnes struggled through the first three quarters, shooting 1 for 8, but scored eight points and had a season-high four blocks in the final period.
&ldquo;The competitive side of him really starts emerging in the fourth,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;He just starts playing really physical and really tough.&rdquo;
Anunoby said he appreciated Barnes&rsquo; big finish.
&ldquo;He was amazing,&rdquo; Anunoby said. &ldquo;He was everywhere, making blocks, getting the ball and pushing, passing, finishing. He was doing everything.&rdquo;
Barnes finished with 11 points. He had eight rebounds and four assists.
Chicago led 46-44 at the half. LaVine scored 11 points in the third and the Bulls scored the final five points of the quarter to take a 72-70 lead to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Ayo Dosunmu scored 10 points and Andre Drummond had 10 rebounds. &hellip; Chicago waived G Goran Dragic, making him a free agent. The 15-year veteran, 36, has missed the past four games because of a sore left knee. &hellip; G Alex Caruso celebrated his 29th birthday.
Raptors: Barnes had a career-high five blocks against Sacramento on Dec. 13, 2021. &hellip; Toronto signed G Will Barton and waived F Juancho Hernangomez. Barton averaged 7.7 points in 40 games with Washington before he was waived Feb. 21. He played four minutes in his Toronto debut Tuesday. &hellip; G Dalano Banton (left thumb) was not available.
FRED&rsquo;S BACK
Toronto guard Fred VanVleet returned after missing the past three games as he spent time at home for the birth of his third child. VanVleet shot 1 for 11, going 1 for 9 from 3-point range and scoring three points, but still made an impact with nine assists and six rebounds.
&ldquo;It makes a big difference having Fred out there,&rdquo; Anunoby said. &ldquo;It definitely helps our team. He&rsquo;s just a steady presence.&rdquo;
GOOD MONTH
Toronto went 8-3 in February, its most victories in any month this season.
UP NEXT
Bulls: At Detroit on Wednesday night.
Raptors: Begin five-game trip at Washington on Thursday night.

Pascal Siakam scored 20 points, and the Raptors beat the Bulls 104-98 on Tuesday night for their eighth victory in 10 games.

Raptors beat Bulls 104-98 for 8th victory in 10 games

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points and Jarrett Allen had 23 points and 11 rebounds, sending the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 118-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.
Mitchell made eight 3-pointers &mdash; one shy of his career high &mdash; and had six rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes as the Cavaliers snapped their three-game losing streak and remained fourth in the Eastern Conference. He scored 13 points in both the second and third quarters.
Darius Garland added 18 points and 11 assists, and Evan Mobley had 18 points and nine rebounds for Cleveland, which built a 110-80 lead in the fourth quarter and improved to 26-7 at home this season.
Pascal Siakam paced Toronto with 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and Jakob Poeltl had 13 points and nine boards. Starting point guard Fred VanVleet missed his third straight game for personal reasons.
The Raptors had won a season-high four in a row and are 7-2 since Feb. 3, moving into ninth in the East. They failed to reach .500 for the first time since Dec. 9 with the 25-point loss, shooting 38.7% from the field.
Veteran swingman Danny Green, who signed with the Cavaliers earlier this month, converted a four-point play in the fourth. It was his first appearance in a home game for Cleveland.
Mitchell and Garland combined to make their first seven 3-point attempts and Allen made his first seven shots, staking Cleveland to a 64-52 halftime advantage. Mobley grabbed seven rebounds in the second quarter.
Toronto is in the midst of an eight-game stretch that only includes one at home. The span began with a 95-91 victory at Detroit on Saturday afternoon.
DOUBLE WHAMMY
Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff challenged an offensive foul by Mitchell in the third quarter. Not only did the officials uphold Mitchell&rsquo;s push-off under the basket against Poeltl, they upgraded it to a flagrant-1 foul for being an unnatural basketball play. &ldquo;I felt like I didn&rsquo;t foul him,&rdquo; Mitchell said.
TIP-INS
Raptors: G Scottie Barnes has overcome a rough start to his second season. The reigning Rookie of the Year is averaging 17 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists since the beginning of January. &ldquo;Scottie is back to playing with super joy and enthusiasm, just like he did in his rookie season,&rdquo; coach Nick Nurse said. &hellip; Nurse and Barnes were both called for technical fouls in the first eight minutes.
Cavaliers: G Dylan Windler, a first-round draft pick in 2019, is averaging 5.3 points through three games on a G League assignment with the Cleveland Charge. He missed the first four months with a sprained right ankle and has not logged a minute in the NBA since April 10, 2022. &hellip; The Cavaliers have one open roster spot following the release of five-time All-Star F Kevin Love.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Host the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night.
Cavaliers: Visit the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.

Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points, sending the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 118-93 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

Donovan Mitchell scores 35 points, Cavaliers rout Raptors 118-93

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Jakob Poeltl scored 30 points, Pascal Siakam had 26 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Orlando Magic 123-113 on Tuesday night for their fifth win in six games.
Scottie Barnes scored 17 points, Fred VanVleet had 10 points and a season-high 15 assists, and Precious Achiuwa had 11 points and 13 rebounds for the Raptors, who shot a season-best 60.2%.
Wendell Carter Jr. scored 26 points, Jalen Suggs had 24 off the bench and Markelle Fultz scored 19 points for the Magic.
Orlando came in having won three straight road games but couldn&rsquo;t follow Monday&rsquo;s win at Chicago with another victory. The Magic are 1-10 in the second game of back-to-backs.
A former Raptor who was reacquired from San Antonio last week, Poeltl shot 15 for 17 and added nine rebounds and six blocks.
&ldquo;You see what he did tonight,&rdquo; Magic coach Jamahl Mosely said. &ldquo;He was a game changer.&rdquo;
The 30 points were the most Poeltl has scored as a Raptors player. His career high is 31, set with San Antonio last Nov. 15 at Portland.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just about reacting to the defense,&rdquo; Poeltl said. &ldquo;They decided to trap Freddie a bunch of times. I&rsquo;m comfortable catching the ball there at the top of the key and trying to make plays.&rdquo;
Suggs said Poeltl hurt Orlando with his bruising, physical style.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a force in the paint,&rdquo; Suggs said. &ldquo;Trying to box him out, you can&rsquo;t out-jump him. He&rsquo;s really strong and physical in there. He fits what they want to do. He&rsquo;s a physical big who&rsquo;s going to hit you in your mouth and have no remorse about it.&rdquo;
One game after setting a season best by allowing just five points off turnovers, the Raptors made a season-worst 20 miscues against the Magic, leading to 26 points. The Magic weren&rsquo;t much better, making 19 turnovers that led to 29 points for Toronto.
&ldquo;You can&rsquo;t turn the basketball over and give up offensive rebounds and give yourself a chance,&rdquo; Mosley said.
The Raptors outrebounded the Magic 40-29 and had a 13-9 edge on the offensive glass.
As the All Star break arrives, Orlando has gone 19-15 since a 5-20 start.
&ldquo;I feel like we did a solid job from the beginning of the year to now of kind of changing the script of who the Orlando Magic are,&rdquo; Carter said.
Orlando led 70-65 at halftime but Poeltl scored eight points in the third as Toronto took a 94-89 edge to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Magic: Paolo Banchero scored 13 points. &hellip; F Jonathan Isaac (left knee) sat as Orlando played the second game of a back-to-back. &hellip; G Cole Anthony (sore right wrist) missed his second straight game.
Raptors: Toronto is 13-0 all-time when shooting 60 percent or better. &hellip; Coach Nick Nurse returned after missing Sunday&rsquo;s win over Detroit for personal reasons. &hellip; F Thad Young injured his left knee early in the second quarter and did not return. .. G Gary Trent Jr. (sore left calf) missed his second game while F O.G. Anunoby (sprained left wrist) missed his ninth straight. &hellip; Toronto had 13 assists on 16 made baskets in the first quarter, including seven assists from VanVleet.
MILESTONE MAN
Barnes reached 2,000 career points. At 21 years and 197 days, he&rsquo;s the third-youngest player in Raptors history to reach the milestone, behind Tracy McGrady and Chris Bosh.
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ROAD WORK AHEAD
After hosting the Pelicans in their first game following the All-Star break, Toronto plays seven of eight on the road, a testing stretch that includes games at Cleveland, Denver, and both Los Angeles teams.
OUT ON VALENTINE&rsquo;S DAY
Toronto Mayor John Tory attended the game. Tory said last Friday that he would step down as mayor of Canada&rsquo;s largest city after acknowledging an affair with a former staffer.
</div>

Jakob Poeltl scored 30 points, Pascal Siakam had 26 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Orlando Magic 123-113.

Poeltl scores 30, Siakam has 26, Raptors beat Magic 123-113

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Fred VanVleet scored 35 points, topping 30 for a career-best ninth time this season, and Pascal Siakam added 28 points as the Toronto Raptors beat the Detroit Pistons 119-118 Sunday for their fourth win in five games.
Scottie Barnes scored 20 points and Precious Achiuwa had 11 points and 11 rebounds as Toronto won its second straight win over Detroit after losing the previous six meetings.
VanVleet and the Raptors bounced back after blowing a 12-point lead in the final five minutes of Friday&rsquo;s home loss to Utah.
&ldquo;That hurt,&rdquo; VanVleet. &ldquo;Everyone was frustrated for sure, but the game goes on. We&rsquo;ve got to stay focussed on the games in front of us and pile them up as best as we can.&rdquo;
Toronto is 20-7 all-time when VanVleet scores 30 or more points. Siakam has scored 25 or more in three straight games.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s certainly a treat to have two guys out there who you can coach the team through,&rdquo; said Toronto assistant coach Adrian Griffin, who led the Raptors Sunday with head coach Nick Nurse away for personal reasons.
Detroit&rsquo;s Dwane Casey worked with both Siakam and VanVleet when he was head coach in Toronto.
&ldquo;They were the difference in the game,&rdquo; Casey said of Toronto&rsquo;s duo. &ldquo;They carried the team, they did a great job.&rdquo;
Bojan Bogdanovic scored 33 points, Alec Burks had 21, and Hamidou Diallo and Jaden Ivey each had 18 for the Pistons. Detroit failed once again to win consecutive games for the second time this season.
Detroit beat San Antonio in double overtime Friday in a matchup of two of the NBA&rsquo;s worst teams. The Pistons haven&rsquo;t won back-to-back games since victories at Denver and Utah on Nov. 22 and 23, following all 10 wins since with defeats.
Ivey&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 10.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter cut it to 116-113 before VanVleet answered with a pair of free throws.
Bogdanovic hit two free throws, but Achiuwa made one of two at the line to put Toronto up by four points with 4.4 seconds left. Ivey&rsquo;s 3 at the buzzer wasn&rsquo;t enough for Detroit.
Pistons center Jalen Duren injured his right ankle in the second quarter, but returned to start the second half. The rookie teenager scored a career-high 30 points Friday. The 19-year-old Duren finished with six points in 21 minutes.
&ldquo;He turned it pretty good,&rdquo; Casey said. &ldquo;Just trying to go up and down the floor and when they were attacking the rim, he just couldn&rsquo;t pivot and move. Hopefully it&rsquo;s not something that&rsquo;s long lasting.&rdquo;
Toronto scored 14 points off 18 Detroit turnovers. The Raptors allowed a season-low five points off their eight turnovers.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve just got to be smarter with the ball, stronger with the ball,&rdquo; Casey said. &ldquo;A lot of our turnovers were self-inflicted, throwing it to nobody, throwing it to air.&rdquo;
Raptors center Jakob Poeltl started for the first time in two games since rejoining the team that drafted him. He took the spot of guard Gary Trent Jr., who sat because of a sore left calf.
Toronto held a 53-52 edge at halftime and took an 85-77 lead to the fourth.
HAYES STRUGGLES AGAIN
Detroit&rsquo;s Killian Hayes shot 1 for 10 and scored two points. He shot 1 for 11 Friday.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s pressing a little bit,&rdquo; Casey said. &ldquo;I told him &lsquo;Relax, have fun, play basketball.&rsquo; He&rsquo;s overthinking things with his shooting.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pistons: Stewart scored 16 points.. &hellip; Outscored Toronto 43-19 in bench points. &hellip; Detroit is 7-22 on the road, the worst mark in the Eastern Conference.
Raptors: VanVleet had eight 30-point games in 2021-22. He has five such games since Jan. 1. &hellip; Poeltl fouled out in the fourth. He finished with six points and five rebounds in 25 minutes. &hellip; F O.G. Anunoby (sprained left wrist) missed his eighth straight game&hellip;. Toronto signed G/F Joe Wieskamp to a multi-year contract Saturday.
UP NEXT
Pistons: Visit Boston on Wednesday.
Raptors: Host Orlando on Tuesday.

Fred VanVleet scored 35 points, as the Raptors beat the Pistons 119-118 on Sunday for their fourth win in five games.

Fred VanVleet tops 30 for ninth time, Raptors beat Pistons 119-118

So much for a quiet NBA trade deadline, right?
The action kicked off with chaos in the early hours of Tuesday morning and concluded with a plethora of moves by the time the 3 p.m. buzzer sounded.
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Let's recap how it went down in order, sort out what happened and find out who's going where.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/raptors-acquire-jakob-poeltl-in-trade-with-spurs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Toronto Raptors acquire Jakob Poeltl</a>
<ul>
<li>San Antonio Spurs acquire Khem Birch, a 2024 first-round pick (protected) and 2 future second-round picks</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-breaking-trade-news-kevin-durant-traded-phoenix-suns-brooklyn-nets-blockbuster-move-tj-warren-jae-crowder-mikal-bridges-cam-johnson-mat-ishbia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Phoenix Suns acquire Kevin Durant and TJ Warren</a>
<ul>
<li>Brooklyn Nets acquire Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, Jae Crowder*, 4 unprotected first-round picks (2023, 2025, 2027, 2029) and a 2028 pick swap</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
*Crowder was moved in a separate deal.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/shams-celtics-acquire-mike-muscala" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boston Celtics acquire Mike Muscala</a>
<ul>
<li>Oklahoma City Thunder acquire Justin Jackson, a 2023 second-round pick (worse of Boston's 2 this season) and a 2029 second-round pick</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/shams-bucks-acquire-jae-crowder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Milwaukee Bucks acquire Jae Crowder</a>
<ul>
<li>Brooklyn Nets acquire 5 second-round picks</li>
<li>Indiana Pacers acquire Jordan Nwora, George Hill, Serge Ibaka* and 2 second-round picks (MIL)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
*Ibaka is expected to be waived and hit the open market.
<ul>
<li>Los Angeles Lakers acquire Mo Bamba, Davon Reed and 2 second-round picks (LAC 2024, 2025)
<ul>
<li>Denver Nuggets acquire Thomas Bryant</li>
<li>Los Angeles Clippers acquire Bones Hyland</li>
<li>Orlando Magic acquire Patrick Beverley*, a 2024 second-round pick (DEN) and cash</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
* Beverley is expected to be bought out and hit the open market.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/blazers-hornets-76ers-3way-trade-thybulle-to-portland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia 76ers acquire Jalen McDaniels</a>, a 2024 second-round pick (NYK) and 2029 second-round pick (POR)
<ul>
<li>Portland Trail Blazers acquire Matisse Thybulle</li>
<li>Charlotte Hornets acquire Svi Mykhailiuk, a 2023 second-round pick (more favorable between ATL, CHA, BKN) and a 2027 second-round pick (more favorable between POR/NOP)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/woj-hawks-pistons-warriors-agree-to-threeway-blockbuster-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Detroit Pistons acquire James Wiseman</a>
<ul>
<li>Atlanta Hawks acquire Saddiq Bey</li>
<li>Golden State Warriors acquire Kevin Knox* and 5 second-round picks (ATL)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
*Knox was moved in a separate deal.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/clippers-acquire-eric-gordon-in-threeway-deal-with-rockets-grizzlies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles Clippers acquire Eric Gordon</a> and 3 second-round picks
<ul>
<li>Memphis Grizzlies acquire Luke Kennard</li>
<li>Houston Rockets acquire Danny Green, John Wall* and right to swap MIL 2023 first-round pick with LAC</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
*Wall is expected to be waived and hit the open market.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/shams-pelicans-acquire-josh-richardson-for-devonte-graham" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Orleans Pelicans acquire Josh Richardson</a>
<ul>
<li>San Antonio Spurs acquire Devonte Graham and 4 second-round picks</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/woj-clippers-acquire-mason-plumlee-from-hornets-for-reggie-jackson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles Clippers acquire Mason Plumlee</a>
<ul>
<li>Charlotte Hornets acquire Reggie Jackson* and a 2028 second-round pick</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
*Jackson is expected to bought out and hit the open market.
<ul>
<li>Atlanta Hawks acquire Garrison Mathews and Bruno Fernando
<ul>
<li>Houston Rockets acquire Justin Holiday, Frank Kaminski and two second-round picks (OKC 2024 and 2025)</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/woj-warriors-acquire-gary-payton-ii-from-trail-blazers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Golden State Warriors acquire Gary Payton II</a>
<ul>
<li>Portland Trail Blazers acquire Kevin Knox and 5 second-round picks</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

Basketball News puts together a detailed recap of a busy 2023 NBA trade deadline on February 9.

2023 NBA trade deadline: Recapping all of the day's moves

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam had 37 points and 10 rebounds, Fred VanVleet scored 16 points and the Toronto Raptors beat San Antonio 112-98 on Wednesday night, handing the struggling Spurs their 10th consecutive loss.
Chris Boucher had 18 points and 11 rebounds off the bench in Toronto&rsquo;s third straight win.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 15 points, and Scottie Barnes and Precious Achiuwa each scored 10 for the Raptors, who have won the past five meetings with the Spurs.
Siakam led Toronto with seven assists and shot 15 for 21, connecting on his first eight attempts. He went 3 for 3 from 3-point range and shot 4 of 5 at the foul line.
&ldquo;He just looked assertive and aggressive from the jump,&rdquo; VanVleet said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what we need from him. He was great for us tonight. He carried us.&rdquo;
Boucher led Toronto with three blocked shots and also had three steals.
&ldquo;He was really a force out there,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.
Keldon Johnson scored 22 points, Josh Richardson had 14 and Doug McDermott 13 for San Antonio, which has not won since Jan. 17 against Brooklyn. Former Raptor Jakob Poeltl scored 12 points and Keita Bates-Diop had 10.
It&rsquo;s the second time this season the Spurs have lost at least 10 straight. They had a season-worst 11-game slump between Nov. 14 and Dec. 4.
San Antonio made 16 turnovers, leading to 22 points for Toronto. The Spurs made 18 turnovers in Monday&rsquo;s loss at Chicago.
&ldquo;When you turn it over against Toronto, it&rsquo;s like a bucket at the other end with their speed and their athleticism,&rdquo; Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. &ldquo;They got too many points off our turnovers, but that&rsquo;s how they play. That&rsquo;s one of their strengths.&rdquo;
Poeltl, who was close friends with Siakam when they both played in Toronto, said his old pal did a good job of picking his spots against the Spurs.
&ldquo;He made tough shots tonight,&rdquo; Poeltl said. &ldquo;I felt like at times we played really good defense on him, he just made better shots. Hats off to him.&rdquo;
Siakam shot 7 for 7 and scored 18 points in the first quarter, his season high for any quarter, as Toronto led 34-24 after one.
San Antonio rallied in the second, but the Raptors held a 57-54 lead at the half.
Siakam scored nine points in the third, and VanVleet and Trent each had six, as Toronto took an 88-75 edge to the fourth.
TIP-INS
Spurs: F Jeremy Sochan (sore lower back) and G Tre Jones (sore left foot) each sat for the third consecutive game. ... San Antonio is 5-20 on the road.
Raptors: Siakam had seven rebounds in the first quarter. ... Barnes had nine rebounds. ... F O.G. Anunoby (sprained left wrist) missed his sixth straight game. ... Toronto played at home for the first time since a Jan. 22 win over the Knicks. The Raptors went 4-3 on a season-high seven-game road trip in between.
TRADING PLACES?
With the NBA trade deadline set for 3 p.m. ET Thursday, VanVleet said he expects the Raptors (26-30) to be fielding calls from contending teams.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a lot of good players on a team that&rsquo;s not winning,&rdquo; Vanleet said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s pretty much it. We haven&rsquo;t played up to our standard this year, so we put ourselves in this position. Now we&rsquo;ve got to deal with it. We understand there&rsquo;s going to be probably every team in the league calling. We&rsquo;ve got a lot of guys that a lot of teams would want, and we&rsquo;re not in a great situation.&rdquo;
UNHAPPY NEW YEAR
After going 2-13 in January, the Spurs have started 0-4 in February.

Pascal Siakam had 37 points and 10 rebounds, Fred VanVleet scored 16 points and the Toronto Raptors beat San Antonio 112-98.