For the fifth and final game of their road-trip, the Toronto Raptors faced the Oklahoma City Thunder, clinching their fourth-straight victory, to the tune of 103-101. This was the first of their two contests
this season, but Oklahoma City hasn’t lost at home to Toronto since 2022, a streak that the Raptors have now finally been able to break.
This matchup was tight from start to finish, with neither team able to build much of a lead. Ultimately the late-game defensive heroics of Scottie Barnes secured the win for the Raptors.
After a phenomenally strong start to the season (24-1) the Thunder have slowed down significantly, going 13-8 in the games that followed. Like many other teams at this stage of the season, they are battling injuries, missing Jalen Williams, Alex Caruso, and Isaiah Hartenstein among others from their lineup. Despite being shorthanded, the Thunder put on another performance to be expected of the reigning NBA champions from top to bottom.
Headlined by the dynamic performance of Canadians Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort, their defence, ball movement, and shooting helped pave the way for their whole lineup. As a Canadian, it’s fun to watch them play well… except against Toronto… Shai finished with 24-3-6 with a steal and a pair of blocks while Dort had 19-8-2 along with two steals. Kenrich Williams and Aaron Wiggins also had strong performances off the bench.
Across the court, Toronto’s controlled ball movement was crucial for them from start to finish. Only 2 turnovers in the first half that didn’t lead to a single point for the Thunder was a key to this game. It wasn’t for lack of passing though, with many of their assists occurring in transition or tight to the basket through the defence. Their placement and execution were instrumental, highlighting the Raptors’ continued developing chemistry.
It was another all-around effort from the Raptors with six players in double figures. Immanuel Quickley had another excellent road performance with a 23-point, 11-rebound double-double while shooting 6-10 from long range. Scottie had another almost triple double with 10-10-8. His biggest contributions were defensive though, as he continues to make a case for defensive player of the year. He added a steal and three blocks to his growing defensive numbers, with a level of intensity in the stretch that sealed the game’s outcome for Toronto. Shooting only 3-8 would be enough to deflate many players, but there was no dip in effort for him and it paid off.
IQ came out strong from the opening minutes of the game. He scored an early 9 points in only 6 minutes of action, along with a pair of rebounds due to his aggressive energy on the defensive boards. His scoring was crucial for the Raps as no one else was able to really get much going.
Ingram struggled against Chet Holmgren’s length, managing to shoot only 2-7 from the field while looking a little uncomfortable throughout the first. Despite shooting only 39% from the field collectively in the quarter, the Raptors were down only 5 points.
Toronto settled in to start the second, utilizing a combination of high screen and rolls and drop-off passes at the rim to catch up and periodically lead in a back-and-forth with the Thunder. Ingram was able to operate more easily in the absence of Holmgren, cashing in 6 points quickly.
The Thunder were able to get ahead with their superior 3-point shooting led by Lu Dort and Isaiah Joe. Toronto’s ball movement and transition play allowed them to outscore OKC by 9 in the frame to hold a 54-50 lead on the way into the locker room.
The Raptors were able to sustain their lead for much of the third quarter, held onto with solid defence. The help was active and they were able to get extra deflections and touches on the ball that denied Oklahoma City opportunities. Scottie continued to struggle from the field, but even more so with the whistle. Committing his fourth foul sent him on the bench, while OKC lost Jaylin Williams for the remainder of the game after a tough fall while trying to draw a charge.
Shai began to look for his own shot now, with Walter and Shead both struggling to contain him. Toronto worked to find a solution for the zone defence the Thunder showed intermittently but were able to stay within a possession by the close of the quarter.
In the final frame it took only a couple minutes for Scottie to earn his fifth foul and return to the bench. In his absence, the bench was able to keep them in the game with Dick, Shead, and Walter all contributing.
Walter continued to evolve in his assignment of Shai, fighting to deny him the ball on every possession. The Raptors worked hard, doubling him at times to try and force what was left of OKC’s bench to make shots. In the final minutes, they relied on IQ to make a pair of big 3-pointers from the same spot in back to back possessions.
As with much of the season, their late-game execution was solid, holding a single-possession lead with half a minute left in the game. A massive block by Scottie earned Toronto the ball back, and after Shead missed a pair of free-throws, he came up big again to tip the rebound out where they retained possession of the ball and IQ could convert the free-throws. They let the last few seconds run out, played disciplined defence to avoid fouling, and walked off the floor with another win.
Next, the Raptors will return home to face another tough competitor in the New York Knicks, hoping to keep their win streak alive. They will have an extra day to rest and help with lingering injuries to the lineup. Tune in Wednesday at 7:30pm on Sportsnet.
