The Toronto Raptors went toe-to-toe with the Cleveland Cavaliers but fell short 132-126.
Valiant effort
After a string of flat performances, the Raptors put up a spirited fight against the NBA-leading Cavaliers. Toronto was in it to win it. They led by as many as 12 points and were tied with Cleveland at the half. The Raptors had a huge third quarter and carried a 5-point lead into the fourth. This game went down to the wire. Scottie Barnes had a chance late to tie it, but missed a turnaround jumper. Then Darius Garland sealed it on the other end by hitting a clutch stepback three over Barnes with 39.6 seconds left. The Raptors were a huge underdog in this matchup but did not play like it. Toronto looked like they were about to pull off the second biggest road upset ever, but they ran out of gas at the end. This is the type of effort you hope to see moving forward.
Chris Boucher’s brilliance
A big reason why the Raptors were poised to pull off the upset was the play of Boucher who provided a spark from off the bench. Boucher made the most out of his 3 minutes a night before against the New York Knicks scoring 10 points and the veteran big man started this game on fire. With Ochai Agbaji and Bruce Brown out, Boucher saw extended playing time and he finished the game with 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting in 27 minutes of action. The Raptors bench as a whole combined for 44 points, with Jamal Shead being the other big second unit contributor with 15 points. Boucher has fallen out of the rotation as of late, but he has been the ultimate professional when it comes to staying ready when his number is called.
Guard play was the difference
The simple difference in this one was the guard play. Garland erupted for 40 points, which included him hitting the dagger. Unfortunately, on the other end Immanuel Quickley had a rough night scoring 10 points on 4-for-10 shooting. It’s only his fifth game back from injury but Quickley has to be more consistent and has to look the part when going up against top guard in the league like Garland. The Raptors gave him a huge contract this past summer based on his potential and they are going to need him to take a leap to justify it. Garland has hit another level and the Raptors are hoping Quickley will too.
Next on tap
The Raptors will head to Detroit to take on the Pistons to wrap up their three-game road trip.
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