A little bit of everything as the Raptors fall short in Boston

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It was as varied a bag of returns as you’re likely to see even in a preseason game.

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At times, the Raptors seemed completely out of character when they faced the Boston Celtics at the venerable TD Garden. Those would be the first four minutes of the game, the last three minutes of the first quarter, and most of the fourth quarter when both teams got on their benches.

But on the bright side there was a dominant second quarter when the Raptors scored 46 points and a competitive third when they maintained their close lead after an initial 15 deficit after that first quarter.

It all added up to both positives and negatives in another game that looked a lot like two teams still finding their way.

The 113-111 final that favored the hometown Celtics was appropriate given that neither team looked significantly better than the other overall, although both took turns dominating the other.

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Perhaps the best thing about the whole night was that it was a better overall performance than the one the Raptors gave two nights earlier in Philadelphia.

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“Today was a good step, I think we improved tonight,” guard Fred VanVleet said afterward. “We played much better than the other day, obviously we would have liked to come out with a win, but these games serve more as practice than anything else, so I think we are going in the right direction.

“We had a great practice (on Friday) that carried over to the game (on Saturday),” VanVleet said. “We don’t play that well in Philadelphia. You just want to keep watching guys take action and we’ll see who can play and who can’t, who can follow a game plan, who can be a coach, and we’re seeing that. All the guys have been good and trainable and they have developed and made progress so the offense will probably take some time, we are doing some different things and trying some new things, but in terms of defensive energy and playing hard, that has to be everything. day.”

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From Toronto’s perspective, the positive conclusions began with the night that VanVleet enjoyed.

VanVleet was very much like the player who has won the reins of this team with Kyle Lowry now in Miami.

After a terrifying inadvertent collision with Celtics big man Robert Williams in the first quarter that left VanVleet on his back and unable to get up right away, the Raptors point guard bounced back with his best effort of the preseason shooting 5 of 8. from behind the arc and finishing with a high team of 22 points to accompany five assists and two steals.

Again, it is not a surprise given the reputation he has already established in his young career, but it is positive.

Then there was Precious Achiuwa’s tough inside game, Lowry’s cherished comeback in the sign and the trade with the Heat.

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Achiuwa fought back handsomely against Celtics big man Williams, who has been a bit of a bum to the Raptors since he started setting up some consistent minutes in the Bubble.

Achiuwa had 13 points and 13 rebounds in 29 minutes. Perhaps most encouraging was his willingness to grab his own rebounds and head straight onto the court without allowing the Celtics defense to establish itself. That opened up opportunities for both Achiuwa and the team as a whole.

Signs also abounded that OG Anunoby was continuing to fine-tune his offensive game. The case in question was a step-back triple with Al Horford to the face as the Raptors struggled to rebound from an initial 16-point deficit.

And what would a Raptors player be without further mention of Scottie Barnes, who seems to highlight a different ability in each and every game.

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Saturday was his passing.

Barnes isn’t just the energy guy with an infectious, upbeat style.

And no, that’s not real news to anyone who’s been watching the Raptors’ fourth overall trade pick and all-trade game.

But his passing game was on full display last night. Not only does Barnes put the ball in scoring positions for his teammates, he drives them to those positions with his passes.

Twice in the first half, Gary Trent Jr. cut hard down the middle and both times he was rewarded with calm and timely passes, robbing the Celtics of any chance to keep him from scoring.

Nurse, while a huge fan of Barnes’ vision of the court and his ability to improve his teammates, doesn’t want him to forget about his own shot.

“I think he’s going to have to combine that with some scoring,” Nurse said when the topic of playmaking was brought up. “They are going to start playing the pass. When you pass someone, you will have to get to the basket a little. We also talked about that a little bit with Dalano (Banton) and Dalano took a good leap to just turn the corner and go to the rim downhill.

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“I think Scottie gets by with a few guys at times and he should probably be moving toward his layup, getting a little closer to the free throw line,” Nurse said.

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ALL NOTHING PRE-SEASON

It’s very possible that it was the way the Raptors wanted him all along, but it’s certainly not the way things tend to break down in the preseason. Normally, the team has its camp and then distributes the preseason games for the remainder of the preseason. But this year, the five preseason games are bundled together in a span of just nine days, leaving the Raptors a full week after their final overhaul before it actually begins Oct. 20 against Washington.

There are pros and cons to the way the Raptors’ schedules are broken.

“I think one of the things you probably do is we had a good, hard practice this morning. Probably much more difficult than normal, ”Nurse said. “Because you’re not really that worried. You are in teaching mode, and it is a time to teach, and it is a time to work, and the minutes will be shortened. No one’s going to go up 35, 38, none of that yet.

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“Even (Thursday) it was a long, long, long session of film and tour and practice and intensity, then you run it again today. You are doing that every day now. I think we don’t really care that there is a game on top of that. We have to find our way through the game, so we keep working, really. “

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

The Raptors, and he Leafs, received government approval Friday to return to full fan capacity for all future home games.

The Raptors were at around 10,000 for their first preseason game at home this year, but when they open the regular season on Oct. 20 against Washington they will be back in those 19,800 family members.

“I think everyone is excited about the electricity that the crowds of our house bring and obviously, in their capacity, it is always a special place to play, maybe a little more special since the absence,” Nurse said. “And energy, we certainly thrive on it, and we need it, and all that stuff. So yes, this is very good news. “

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