The Raptors suddenly have issues to deal with as they try to end this mini-slide on the road.
The Toronto Raptors have been fortunate on the injury front to date this season. While the injury to Jared Sullinger was disappointing, when it occurred there hadn’t been a huge investment made in structuring offensive and defensive schemes involving him. Delon Wright’s shoulder issue was irksome for him, but not a serious blow for the team as he was #3 on the depth chart for point guards.
However, Patrick Patterson has a problem. He left the Phoenix game in Q2 and didn’t return after his left knee appeared to buckle. Fortunately there was no contact, so whatever hyperextension occurred was likely mild.
Patrick is, as you well know, coach Dwane Casey’s Man for all Seasons. He’s officially a Power Forward, but has functioned as a Center in super-small lineups. He plays the third-highest number of minutes per game [MPG] on the team; his 28.4 MPG trails only the All-Star backcourt.
A must-win?
Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers is taking on greater significance than it should. The Raptors have dropped two straight, with that stinker in Phoenix being their worst game of the season. While the Lakers’ 12-24 record provides some advance comfort, the LA guys have to feel some optimism that their even-worse counterparts in Arizona were able to take down Toronto.
December 28, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Patrick Patterson (54) shoots the basketball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the first quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Raptors travel to San Antonio, a city which has been a write-off since our franchise started. The Spurs lead the all-time series 29-11, and Dwane Casey’s Raptors have never won there.
So if the Raptors lose to the Lakers, and the expected happens in Texas, our guys could drag themselves home in the midst of a 4-game losing streak. The first game back is against a strong squad of Utah Jazz. Not good.
Next man up
Who picks up 2-Pat’s missing minutes? I suppose Pascal Siakam, though to my eyes he’s hit a rookie wall. He’s neither scoring nor rebounding. DeMarre Carroll has the defensive chops to take on bigger men for brief periods. He’s also capable of spacing the floor. Lucas Nogueira and Jonas Valanciunas played together recently, but I don’t see that happening against an outside shooting team like the Lakers.
If 2-Pat sits, he’ll have had a decent amount of time to rest and rehab his knee before visiting the Spurs.
No surprises early
What will matter more than Patterson’s presence or absence is the ability of the Raptors to get out of Q1 alive. 18, 17, 21 respectively – that’s how many points our guys have racked up in their last 3 first quarters. Two of those games ended in losses, and the third would have but for a brilliant Q4 performance from Kyle Lowry.
As Ian Fleming wrote in Goldfinger: “once is accident, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action”. The Raptors’ offense is stale, and opponents are taking advantage.
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