TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors have carried out a fairly good job of reversing narratives this 12 months. Doubts within the pre-season in regards to the ceiling of this workforce have been dispelled, questions on chemistry with such an enormous piece getting into the fold in Brandon Ingram have been answered, and books have been closed on current struggles towards groups just like the Bucks and Cavaliers.
However maybe the most important monkey hanging on the again of Toronto basketball, for a decade now, has been the looming presence of LeBron James.
Certain, he left for the Western Convention again in 2018, however it doesn’t imply the powerful stretches towards his groups have gone away. Heading into Thursday, the Raptors had misplaced 5 straight towards the Los Angeles Lakers, and James hadn’t misplaced in Toronto since 2019.
So, whatever the sciatica that plagued him to start out the 12 months or the gradual ramp-up and an uncharacteristically unproductive exhibiting towards the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, historical past stated that the Raptors could be in for a combat.
But for the primary time in a very long time, it regarded as if the Raptors had gotten the higher hand on their nemesis. With the sport hanging within the stability, Scottie Barnes flexed his (award-winning) defensive acumen as soon as extra, blocking a turnaround mid-range jumper from James with solely a minute to go and the sport tied at 118, successfully snapping a 1,297-game double-digit scoring streak for the ageless marvel by conserving him at eight factors.
However a part of James’ legendary expertise has come from his selflessness. His skill to seek out an open teammate, to make the suitable transfer for the workforce and make the successful play. Which is precisely what he did on Thursday, as with 4 seconds left, he picked up the ball above the break after Austin Reaves handed out of a double workforce, took a few dribbles towards Immanuel Quickley, and flung a bullet cross to Rui Hachimura within the nook, who nailed the triple on the buzzer and sank the Raptors 123-120.
“I received’t make {that a} behavior,” James stated post-game on solely scoring eight factors. “(I’ll all the time) simply make the suitable play. That is all that issues. Win, lose or draw, make the suitable play. The sport has all the time, all the time given again to me. Doesn’t matter if it’s win, loss, no matter, that’s simply how I used to be raised.”
It wasn’t as if James wasn’t taking pictures. He ended the night time a tough 4-for-17 — he’s solely shot worse from the sector 11 occasions over his 23-year, 1,567-game profession. However he made successful performs in every single place else, ending with six rebounds and 11 assists whereas enjoying some stable defence on Barnes for a lot of the primary half.
However with the sport on the road and along with his shot not falling by way of any of it, he made the suitable determination, one he’s gotten loads of stick for all through his profession, however one which has helped him to 1,014 wins, a mark that ties him for second all-time with Robert Parrish after tonight.
“Yeah, in fact I keep in mind. I keep in mind all the things that’s been negatively stated about my recreation all through my profession. That facet was all the time one of the vital silly issues I’ve ever heard, so far as making the suitable cross, making the suitable play,” James stated when requested about critics of his pass-first mentality at occasions with the sport on the road.
“We’re within the enterprise of successful basketball video games. My entire life, I’ve simply performed the sport that method, I’ve taught the sport that method, and I’ve received at each single stage I’ve performed at by enjoying the sport that method, so there was no purpose for me to ever change as soon as I acquired to this stage. Doesn’t change. Basketball is basketball.”
NBA on Sportsnet
Livestream 40-plus common season Toronto Raptors video games, marquee matchups from across the affiliation, choose NBA Playoffs video games, the NBA Draft and summer season league motion on Sportsnet+.
Broadcast Schedule
Tasked with defending him for many of the night time, Barnes noticed the sport in the same mild.
“He’s all the time making the suitable play. And that’s what he will get criticized for, for making the suitable play. Doesn’t make sense,” the Raptors ahead stated of James after the sport. “You understand, individuals need him to be completely different in that facet, however he’s all the time gonna make the suitable play, and also you see he doesn’t care about it in any respect. He’s simply making an attempt to make the suitable play on the market.”
Barnes ended the sport with a stat line that wouldn’t look all too misplaced beside James’s title: 23 factors on 8-of-16 from the sector, 11 rebounds, 9 assists and three blocks. He was the one Raptors starter to complete with a optimistic plus-minus at plus-3, and his 14-point third quarter was an enormous purpose why the Raptors have been tied with seconds to go within the fourth.
He made the suitable performs for many of the night time as effectively. Except for that block on James, within the fourth, Barnes dimed up Quickley, despatched a cross to Jamison Battle within the nook for a protracted two, fed a cheeky dump-off to Sandro Mamukelashvili on a powerful drive and grabbed two offensive boards.
“It is nice. The distinction there may be solely 20 years of expertise, . So it was actually good for him to get the chance to see what it takes to protect these guys,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic stated of gamers like rookie Collin Murray-Boyles and Barnes getting their probabilities to tackle James.
And whereas the defence from that duo held the four-time MVP and four-time NBA champ off the scoresheet for probably the most half, forcing the ball towards others, that sadly meant it ended up within the fingers of 1 Austin Reaves, who has taken up the mantle because the Lakers’ go-to scorer on nights like Thursday with out Luka Doncic.
Reaves carried the load with 44 factors, 10 assists and 5 rebounds whereas taking pictures 13-of-21 from the sector and 5-of-11 from vary. He’s averaging 41.0 factors, 5.3 rebounds and 10.0 assists in 4 video games with out Doncic this 12 months.
The 27-year-old has change into one thing of an inevitability himself. He netted a ridiculous 22 factors within the third quarter on jaw-dropping three-pointers from over 30 ft away and an uncanny skill to attract contact on drives to get to the road.
Toronto has been a stellar third-quarter workforce this 12 months and went into the night time netting 31.9 factors per recreation popping out of the break — the third-best mark within the league behind solely Denver and Oklahoma Metropolis.
However Reaves saved the Lakers’ head above water, countering the Raptors’ 40 factors within the body by serving to his aspect to 33. The nine-point lead they constructed at half-time was down to 2, however it may’ve been considerably worse had Reaves not performed hero.
That lead was constructed up by the Lakers’ measurement within the first half, with centre Deandre Ayton the beneficiary of the absence of Raptors massive man Jakob Poeltl, scoring 10 of his 17 factors within the first half off straightforward entry passes and lobs from Reaves and James.
The Lakers took the lead immediately off the opening bucket of the sport from Reaves, constructed up a 13-point lead — their largest of the sport — with a minute to go within the second quarter and didn’t relinquish management till halfway by way of the third.
Although the Raptors clawed again into it, previous ghosts got here again to hang-out them. So whereas LeBron’s presumably never-to-be-repeated streak of 1,297 video games of scoring a minimum of 10 factors got here to an finish, a Lakers streak of dominance over the Raptors lives on. Some narratives persist.
