Boo! Halloween may be at the tail end of this week, but the spooks and scares are all over the Toronto Raptors’ opening schedule.
After getting bullied by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, and Cooper
Flagg, the Raps’ schedule doesn’t get any less daunting. This week’s opponents feature an alien, Aquaman, a Spider, and someone likely toting a gun.
Thankfully, the team is already in the Halloween spirit.
October 27 @ San Antonio Spurs
As far as back-to-backs go, Toronto’s first of the season couldn’t have been worse. Less than 24 hours after battling Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis in Dallas, the Raptors fly to San Antonio to face Victor Wembanyama, who is already playing out of this world. Not that the players will notice, but viewership from Raptors fans back home will be fairly muted because tipoff is at the same time as first pitch for Game 3 of the World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers. Wemby may be a once-in-a-lifetime talent, but at least the Raptors face him one more time this season. The Jays haven’t been in the World Series in 32 years!
Back to the Alien, though. Victor opened the season by welcoming Flagg into the NBA with a 40-piece, then followed by swatting 9 shots in an overtime win over the Pelicans.
Apparently, the Spurs have other players who share the floor with Wemby. Stephon Castle will look to improve on last season’s Rookie-of-the-Year-winning campaign while dodging Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumours. Becoming the first team with three consecutive ROTY winners would be impressive, but second overall pick, Dylan Harper likely won’t have the ball enough to make an award-winning impact. In addition to Wemby and Castle, there’s also De’Aaron Fox (who has yet to suit up this season), Devin Vassell (the team’s 3rd-leading scorer last season), and Harrison Barnes (who started all 82 games last season).
Fun fact that may only interest me
Basketball Reference’s catch-all metric, Game Score, calculates a player’s productivity in a single game. Wembanyama’s season-opening line — 40 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks, 71% FG% — was the first time he amassed a Game Score that high (37.6) in fewer than 30 minutes.
Victor became the 26th player in NBA history to have a Game Score of at least 37 while playing less than 30 minutes. He’s the youngest to accomplish the feat, edging out Jayson Tatum by 23 days.
Prediction
In case you’re thinking of switching channels to the World Series whenever Wemby sits, it’s probably worth noting that two of San Antonio’s backup Centers are former Raptors: Bismack Biyombo and Kelly Olynyk. Wow, this team is so hard to dislike.
On Friday, Giannis shot 11-of-14 en route to a 31-point, 20-rebound, and 7-assist outing. On Sunday, Anthony Davis shot 11-of-14 and finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Playing its 3rd game in 4 nights, and the second game of a road back-to-back, the sky is the limit (or is it?) for what Wemby will do to the Raptors. Spurs defeat the visiting Raptors and cover the -5.5 spread.
October 29 vs Houston Rockets
Houston’s only visit to Toronto was likely one of the first games to sell out after the Rockets acquired Kevin Durant and instantly became title contenders.
However, Fred VanVleet, the team’s only experienced true Point Guard, IS out for the season with a torn ACL. Houston is winless after a double overtime loss to the defending champion, Oklahoma City Thunder, on opening night, and a home loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Head Coach Ime Udoka has gone with a jumbo lineup to start games: Amen Thompson (7’ wing span), Jabari Smith Jr. (6’11), Kevin Durant (6’11), Alperen Sengun (6’11), and Steven Adams (6’11). Jumbo might not be a large enough word. Considering the space connotations with the team name, what about calling them the Asteroid lineup? Whether it’s KD’s shooting gravity or Sengun’s Nikola Jokic-like talent, Adams has had no problems imposing his will. Aquaman currently leads the NBA with 5.5 offensive boards per game.
Fun fact that may only interest me
In 2007, Kevin Durant was drafted 2nd overall by the Seattle Supersonics. A few minutes later, Jeff Green was drafted 5th overall by the Celtics, then traded to Seattle in a package that landed Ray Allen in Boston.
Little did either know that it would be the final season in Seattle before the team was stolen and moved to Oklahoma City.
Fast forward 18(!!) years, and the last two active players to play for the Sonics have reunited in Houston.
Bonus fact: Steven Adams was drafted by the Thunder in 2013. He played all but one game in his rookie season, a season in which his teammate, Kevin Durant, won his only regular-season MVP.
Prediction
Houston’s gigantic lineup may have trouble with Toronto’s aggressive defense. Without a true Point Guard, the Rockets may cough up the ball a lot and ignite the Raptors’ vaunted transition offense.
On the flip side, Toronto’s aggressive defense may prove costly against Houston’s penchant for getting to the line. The Rockets rank 1st in free throws attempted and made.
This matchup is filled with intriguing pairings. KD and Brandon Ingram dueling for lanky mid-range supremacy. Barnes and Sengun flirting with triple-doubles. Adams and Jakob Poeltl battling for rebounds like a pair of sumo wrestlers. Green and Garrett Temple sharing stories about what it was like growing up in the 80s.
Ultimately, Houston comes through with a victory and covers the -7.5 spread.
October 31 @ Cleveland Cavaliers
For the 4th time this week, the Raptors have to compete with the Blue Jays for Toronto sports fan viewership. If the Jays are still playing on Halloween, they are either 1 win (or 2 home wins) away from a World Series title. In other words, for the 4th time this week, viewership will be down.
Which is a shame because the Raptors have the ultimate litmus test awaiting them in Cleveland. The Cavaliers and New York Knicks are the cream of the crop in the East. Every other team in the conference has at least one major flaw preventing it from reaching the top tier. Cleveland has started the season without All-Star Darius Garland and fellow starter Max Strus. De’Andre Hunter missed the first two games with a knee injury, but made his debut during Cleveland’s victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday.
Head Coach Kenny Atkinson is in no rush to get the full squad on the court. The benefit of being in a two-horse race for a trip to the NBA Finals is that all health-related issues have one unifying goal: be healthy for the playoffs.
Fun fact that may only interest me
Lonzo Ball was drafted 2nd overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 NBA Draft. The oldest of Lavar’s boys was supposed to be the next great Point Guard in La La Land. After two sub-.500 seasons, Ball was included in the Anthony Davis trade that landed Lonzo in New Orleans. The Lakers would go on to win a championship the following season.
Rebuilding after the departure of AD was always going to be tough on the Hornets. After two sub-.500 seasons, Ball was traded to Chicago in a deal that landed Garrett Temple in New Orleans. The Hornets would return to the playoffs the following season.
In his first season with Chicago, the Bulls jumped out to a 27-12 record and firmly in the mix for a playoff spot. Unfortunately for Lonzo, he required surgery on his left knee and was lost for the season. Chicago would return to the playoffs that season.
Ball signed with Cleveland this offseason and has provided quality minutes. Will Lonzo finally make his playoff debut in April?
Prediction
The Raptors have lost 7 of the last 8 meetings with the Cavaliers and 6 of the last 7 at Rocket Arena. Gone are the days of OG Anunoby shutting down Donovan Mitchell. Sure, Scottie always brings a little extra when battling fellow 2021 lottery pick Evan Mobley, but until the Raptors show consistency on both ends of the floor (especially on defense), you have to go chalk in this matchup. Cleveland beats the Raptors and covers the -8.5 spread.
November 2 vs Memphis Grizzlies
Well, this is awkward. (No, not Ja Morant and whether or not he can bring guns into Canada) Memphis’ only visit to Toronto this season has been dubbed ‘Zach Edey Night’. I’m not sure how far in advance that was decided, but Edey is still out with an ankle injury he suffered during the summer and will not be in uniform. Gulp.
As has been the case for many Grizzlies seasons, it seems the injury bug has hit Memphis hard to start the season. Joining Edey on the sidelines is fellow Canadian, Brandon Clarke (knee), super sub, Ty Jerome (who finished 3rd last season in Sixth Man of the Year voting while with Cleveland), and a pair of Juniors, Scotty Pippen and Vince Williams.
New Head Coach, Tuomas Iisalo, has done well to get his squad off to a 2-1 start, despite being short-handed. Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. are a tough, battle-tested duo that can carry any roster. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, while off to a slow start, still provides a veteran presence that should stabilize the starting unit. But the big reason Memphis has outperformed in its first week is its latest stellar draft pick, Cedric Coward.
The 11th pick is averaging 19.0 points off the bench, leads the team in steals (1.7), and is easily the best shooter so far (70/73/92 splits!!). If the Grizzlies can ever be fully healthy, they have the blueprint to be the next Oklahoma City Thunder.
Fun fact that may only interest me
Coward was a perfect 6-for-6 from three in Saturday’s win over the Indiana Pacers. Only 2 other players who attended Washington State have hit 6 triples in their rookie seasons: fellow Grizzly, Jaylen Wells, and former Raptor, Malachi Flynn.
The only other Washington State alum to drain 6 threes in a game: Klay Thompson and Aron Baynes. What a collection of names!
Prediction
The Grizzlies are coming to town at the wrong time. Toronto sports fans will either be on a high from winning a World Series (Game 7, if necessary, is the night before) or angry from losing. Regardless, the Blue Jays’ season will be over, and fans will belatedly turn their attention back to the Raptors. That should add a little extra oomph inside Scotiabank Arena.
Memphis’ defense was carved up in a lopsided loss to Miami’s high-paced offense last week, giving up a franchise-record 146 points in regulation. Toronto showed in Atlanta what is possible when the offense is buzzing, transition opportunities are plentiful, and multiple players get going. The Raptors start November on the right foot by winning and covering the -4.5 spread.
Last Week: 2-1
