TORONTO — The perfect scenario was a convincing Raptors victory in which 19-year-old Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg, who has already proven himself to be one of the best teenagers in NBA history, sprinkled some stardust on the Scotiabank Arena floor.
Neither one is bad, and the Raptors have the most important parts taken care of. It’s a much-needed win over Flagg and the tanking Mavericks as Toronto’s playoff spot becomes even more tenuous with just 19 games remaining in the regular season.
The Raptors took an early lead and steadily built a lead as the evening went on. They went up by 20 late in the third quarter on a smooth turnaround jumper from Scottie Barnes, and they were sharp enough to keep the drama away throughout the fourth quarter, ultimately winning easily, 122-92. It was the tanking Mavericks’ 7th straight loss.
But considering the Raptors’ struggles against top-tier teams this season, managing the ‘minnows’ on the schedule is very important.
A big factor in the Raptors’ performance was that RJ Barrett played like a top Duke University product in a game that saw four of them in action, including Flagg. Barrett scored a season-high 31 points on 13-of-19 shooting (3-of-6 from 3), sending the strongest sign yet that he has found his game after struggling since missing 23 of 29 games in a two-month span that ended in late January.
What about flags? He’s both looked like one of the top 10 players in the NBA since LeBron James arrived in the NBA in 2003, and he’s also been a rookie who has struggled at times with the attention the Raptors are giving him defensively. He finished the game with 17 points and eight rebounds, but went 7-of-17 in 30 minutes and committed four turnovers. His frustration boiled over at one point, and he received his first NBA technical foul after claiming a no-call on a late drive to the rim. “I don’t think I ever got one (in college), not even last year,” he said.
But like the Raptors’ Scottie Barnes, Flagg still touched nearly every element of the game, adding eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and three blocked shots.
After players like Western Conference stars Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic missed the game in Toronto due to injury, Flagg’s contributions were also welcomed by Raptors fans, as his spike block from Immanuel Quickley and his climb up the ladder to block a layup from 7-footer Jakob Poeltl provided memorable highlights.
But even Flagg had to admit it was Barrett’s night. “I’ve known him for a while, and we took very similar paths (first at Montverde Academy in Florida for high school, then at Duke for a year in college), but he played an incredible game tonight,” Flagg said. “He was really efficient on both sides of the ball.”
It took Barrett a while to feel comfortable following the injury, but the signs are there.
Over the past six games, Barrett has averaged 21.7 points and 6 rebounds while shooting 56.7% from the floor and 46.7% from three. That’s a marked improvement over the 14.4 points per game on a 46.6/27.5 split he averaged in his first 10 games.
Against the Mavericks, he was crisp. He had a dunk and a cut layup in the first half. He drove through contact and his 3-point looks looked smooth and connected. All of these things become easier as your strength returns and your knees calm down, which was not the case at all until recently.
“So I guess a few weeks ago it wasn’t so good,” said Barrett, who became the eighth Canadian to surpass 8,000 career points just before halftime. “You just have to keep trying.”
He did, and the Raptors are the beneficiaries. Barrett has always tended to run a little hot and cold when it comes to shooting, but if he’s in the early stages of a heater that could stay for weeks at a time, it bodes well for the Raptors’ streak.
With 19 games remaining, Toronto remains in 5th place in the Eastern Conference, but is only one game ahead of Miami (5 straight wins, including conference-leading Detroit Sunday) and Orlando, which is on a 4-game winning streak.
The Raptors are on the road this week for games against Houston and New Orleans and suddenly their margins have shrunk to almost zero. Getting Barrett sailing again couldn’t happen at a better time.
“I think we know what he can do, we’ve seen it over the last two and a half years,” said Scottie Barnes, who had 17 points, four rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal on 6-of-12 shooting. “He can score the ball and help us in a variety of ways in the zone. Once he starts doing his thing, he’s pretty hard to guard, especially going downhill (to the rim) and kicking the ball.”
As an added bonus, Barrett’s offense and defense are often linked.
After Barrett hit his second straight 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter to put the Raptors up 26 points, Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic greeted him on the floor as he headed to the bench for a follow-up timeout so Barrett could demonstrate proper body position in pick-and-roll coverage.
The message: Barrett’s offense is important, but so is his attention to defensive detail.
“Obviously his attack is helping the team,” Rajakovic said. “But to be honest, what he’s been doing really well lately is he’s playing really good defense. And that always starts with him and it starts with us, and he’s got to do a good job there. When he does that, I really believe that when he plays with a lot of attention and effort on defense, it helps his offense as well.”
Barrett, who stole the spotlight from Flagg and helped the Raptors get one win away from where they wanted to be within a month of the playoffs, is beyond debate.
“I’ve been trying to get fit, get my body right, be able to move better, and try to be as consistent as I can,” Barrett said. “And (Rajakovic) is right, when I’m locked in, playing defense, playing defense and being active helps me get in the game.”
1. Stealing Nembhard: Mavericks rookie Ryan Nembhard had to wait until just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter to make his NBA debut in his hometown. The Aurora native wasted no time getting his name in the box score as he unknowingly stripped Barrett cleanly and came from behind to go the other way for a layup. Barrett wasn’t happy about the theft, but he was happy about Nembhard, who had been his late brother Nathan’s roommate in high school. Barrett and Andrew Nembhard grew up playing together since middle school. And Ryan? “He was always there,” Barrett said. The younger Nembhard left Gonzaga without being drafted, but joined the Mavericks and impressed. “It’s been quite a year since we’ve been together, and I’ve watched him grow since day one,” Flagg said of his fellow rookie. “He got the contract and I’m very happy for him.”
2. Good to have at home: When we caught up with Nembhard before the game started, Nembhard said: “It’s just basketball. But it’s not just another game, and it’s not a case of having to dig into your pockets for 20 or so tickets until your friends come out to see the team you grew up watching play an NBA game. “It was definitely cool,” Nembhard said after recording a steal and a layup followed by two assists in about five minutes. “You grew up watching this game and I came to see some of the games as a kid. “It’s always nice to come back to the city and play here.”
3. Murray-Boyles not on trip: The Raptors have ruled out Colin Murray-Boyles for this week’s two-game road trip through Houston and New Orleans as they hope his injured left thumb will recover. Trayce Jackson-Davis will miss at least Tuesday’s game against Houston after dislocating his left middle finger while dunking at the layup line. He had it reset and splinted, but also missed the game against Dallas after scoring 32 points in a conditioning period against the Raptors 905 on Friday. “I hit the perfect finger on the rim (to dislocate it),” he said. “And I looked down (at his suddenly bent fingers) and almost laughed.”
bonus: Markelle Fultz made her G League debut with the Raptors 905 on Sunday afternoon and recorded four points, five assists and no turnovers in 19 minutes in the 905 win. We’re told the 2017 No. 1 draft pick was offered a chance with 905 as a kind of audition for the Raptors’ top 15 roster spot. They are expected to fill on March 15th. Nothing has been committed yet, but just three years ago the 27-year-old was an effective starting point guard for the Orlando Magic, averaging 14 points and six assists on 50 percent shooting.
