The end of the NBA season for non-playoff teams is often full of games like yesterday’s matchup between the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets. Young players and players on the outskirts of the league trying to put together good showings on film, teams trying to jockey for better draft position by positioning their team to lose. Even without 4 of their five starters yesterday, Toronto still had more than enough talent to win, considering the Nets did not play many of their starters as well. RJ Barrett was active but he was not his most impactful, posting just 13 points on 4 0f 16 shooting in Toronto’s 120-109 victory over Brooklyn. This game was a group effort and Toronto got assistance from everyone up and down the roster en route to this victory.
Toronto had 8 players score in double figures yesterday, and the two players who didn’t were Ja’Kobe Walter and Jamal SHead, who finished with 8 and 9 points respectively. Shead finished with 10 assists last night as well, marking the second time in his career that he has finished with double digit-assists. His relentless trips to the basket culminated in some good looks from outside for Toronto, which they took advantage of more often than not.
Shead also pushed the pace in transition, which led to trailers being found behind the arc as well. Jonathan Mogbo and Shead had some good synergy in the pick n’ roll also, as Shead found Mogbo diving to the rim multiple times, including an impressive lob finish early in the game. Walter’s game continues to impress as he has been an impressive defender during a lot of his games.
The leading scorer for Toronto was Mogbo, who slipped his way into the paint all game long, and really showed off better touch than he has for the majority of this season. Mogbo had 17 points on 8 of 9 shooting and some of these shots took some skill. He slipped many pick n’ rolls, found his way to the middle of the floor, and capitalized frequently. Throughout this season, Mogbo’s touch on these shots has not been the best, but last night he hit a few hook shots, and even a mid-range jumper.
Jamison Battle also had a nice scoring night, adding in 12 points of his own. Battle, who is primarily known for his shooting, only hit two threes yesterday, but it was his two point scoring that was eye-popping. Battle put the ball on the floor multiple times, including a full court sprint to the rim at the end of the first quarter to get a layup in before the buzzer. He also moved around the court well, filled his lane in transition well, and just put together a great scoring night.
Brooklyn at moments seemed to be in this game, but they would just have such extended dry spells on offense, that they could never fully close the gap. Toronto’s high ball pressure defensive scheme also seems to be troublesome for the young Nets, as they turned the ball over 23 times. Toronto had the the lead for the entirety of the game, and despite some close calls later in the game, they didn’t face too much trouble from Brooklyn.
Next up for Toronto are the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, April 9th.
