They wanted a spark, they needed it.
Someone had to do something special, something big, something to take the pressure off the bigger names.
Hello, Serge Ibaka.
Ibaka’s hot start – 11 points in about 10 minutes – was precisely the extra thing the Raptors needed to equalize their streak with the Boston Celtics after a 100-93 win on Saturday.
Funny thing, Nick Nurse has mentioned many times how Ibaka may possibly fit the games but finish on a high note. Saturday was exactly the opposite
“It hit a trail of three guys very fast,” Nurse said. “This kind of help, which always gives Serge’s pace a boost when he sees his first shot come in.
“Then I think there was a timeout, literally right after he hit that, and we did a little set for him to get another one and he wasn’t even that open and he did that too.
“(He had) a good start of shooting and I thought he also did a good job at times protecting the rim.”
Ibaka’s production was also not lost to his teammates.
“(When) Serge plays like that, we’re always a better team,” guard Kyle Lowry said. “When your big players play like they did tonight – Marc made a big hit for us, Serge (played) like he did tonight – he gives us a big pass.”
There were other things too …
THREE POINTERS
- Know your enemy: Lowry did what Lowry does, taking a charge from a bigger opponent. His first Saturday came in the fourth quarter when he remained standing and was pinned by Jaylen Brown under the basket.
It was Brown’s fourth personal foul and Lowry knew it. On the next possession, he made sure to get Pascal Siakam in the low post against Brown. Siakam, in one of his few forays into the basket, was smart enough to figure out who was protecting him and what Brown’s bad situation was. He scored easily on Brown.
It’s a simple game when you think it’s what Lowry always looks like. He knows exactly where he wants the ball to go long before it gets there.
“I think it has that … predetermined. He goes through the middle area and I think he realizes where the ball will lead and who might be open, “said Nurse.” He’s not always right, sometimes the ball jumps very high to someone who isn’t open, but many times he’s right and he’s really selfless. Let’s say a good offense is to draw more than one defender and then hit the open man, and that’s what he’s doing there. “
- It’s enough: OK, so the bench wasn’t great – well, the bench was actually just Ibaka and Norm Powell except for a three-minute stint for Matt Thomas – but it was pretty good compared to what it had been.
Powell and Ibaka combined for 16 points in the first quarter and a half; in the totality of game 3, they had 10 in the whole of game 3.
- The things it does: There seems to be this fascination with Marc Gasol’s offensive production, his apparent reluctance to shoot, and his addiction to jump shots – well, more like twists – rather than after-play.
Sure, it would be nice if he were a 20-point-a-night scorer, but it affects the team’s offense in other ways.
Twice in the first quarter, he made smart, short and quick passes to Fred VanVleet when he probably looked like he could make his shots. VanVleet punched two three open points from the right side.
Gasol had four assists in the first half – more than anyone else on the team – and this is where his offensive prowess lies.
Sure, he had a hard shot at the basket for a bucket as he got fouled in the first minute of the third quarter, so what do I know?
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