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94-117. It can only be hoped that those 5 digits are remembered well by those who took the court for the Toronto Raptors today as a symbol of what cannot happen again this campaign.
The Bad
In the Raptors’ first game without Kawhi Leonard, the team fell apart early on against the still-undefeated Minnesota Timberwolves, a horrific loss punctuated by a very messy game from Scottie Barnes, where he went 0-12 from the field, picked up four steals, didn’t get to the line once, and scored zero points. That is an unquestionably bad night for Barnes, no two-ways about it, where there was no two-way play from the star who’s expected to do it all on the basketball court.
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But, is this an early herald of Raptor-related doom? A sign that the team as currently constructed just can’t work? No, not really.
A lesser organization might try to pass around blame, talk about “analytical wins” or make some kind of excuses to the media, but the Raptors aren’t the type to do that. Rather, this game furthers a number of talking points that if applied correctly, could lead the Raptors to a much more stable future.
The Good
Starting with RJ Barrett. Barrett, who has been on the trade block for months, has once again proven his value to the team by giving the Raptors 20 points and three steals in a night where nothing was falling for Toronto. “I’ve done my part on the court this year,” RJ said last May. “And I will continue to do my part, and just hope things work out that way.”
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Barrett did just that tonight, adding added offensive value to a team absolutely starving for volume, and handicapped on attack with Kawhi Leonard out of the starting lineup. In his place came Ja’Kobe Walter, whose 22 points led the team, while shooting 62.5% from three on eight attempts tonight. That’s the type of performance a dangerous bench player gives when given the opportunity to start, and Walter has yet again proven the importance of his shooting on a team that rosters so many players who are streaky from long range.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – OCTOBER 25: Anthony Edwards #5 of the Minnesota Timberwolves handles the ball against…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/yes-timberwolves-ate-raptors-alive-025330336.html
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Publish date : 2026-10-26 02:53:00
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