10 things: Raptors roll the dice and lose to red-hot Rockets

Here are 10 takeaways from the Toronto Raptors’ 119-109 loss to the Houston Rockets.

One — Gamble: Nick Nurse approached this game like Russian roulette. He was dead set on doubling James Harden from the moment he entered Scotiabank Arena, but that allowed the Rockets to step into wide-open triples. The unorthodox strategy kept the Raptors in the game, but a lack of offensive execution down the stretch ultimately doomed Toronto. All in all, it was a calculated risk and the Rockets made enough plays to win.

Two — Unorthodox: Nurse’s plan was to have his best 1-on-1 defensive guard OG Anunoby hound Harden, while Fred VanVleet delivered the double-team. This strategy effectively forced Harden to surrender the ball each time down, while his teammates played 4-on-3 offense. The result was the Raptors surrendering 55 three-point attempts — and the Rockets hit 22 in the win. Harden was frozen out of the offense for the most part, but career journeymen like Ben McLemore stepped into a dozen wide-open looks from the corner as part of his game-high 28 points.

Three — Erratic: The Raptors were able to get by on their high-risk strategy because Russell Westbrook was nothing short of terrible. Yes, he scored a game-clinching layup and secured a triple-double, but he also shot 7-of-27 from the field. Westbrook struggled time after time to score on his drives to the rim, and the Raptors were able to run off his 20 misses and eight turnovers.

Four — Adjustment: Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni figured out a counter midway through the game, which was to send Westbrook down the middle of the floor instead of having him stay on the perimeter. Although the Raptors generally conceded open shots to Westbrook, they still had to scramble to prevent him from getting a free lane for a layup, which allowed Westbrook to find open shooters in the corners. Essentially, D’Antoni split the floor in half and turned a 4-on-3 into a 3-on-2, which created a plethora of open shots.

Five — Strange: The Rockets took the opposite approach on defense against Pascal Siakam as they were willing to play him straight-up and often allowed weaker defenders to switch onto him. Siakam did take 22 shots, but he was weirdly passive as he didn’t take most of the opportunities that were given to him. In times where he had point guards on him, Siakam would still reverse the ball and reset as if denying the mismatch for the sake of politeness. Siakam was also nowhere to be seen in crunch time as he failed to score on Harden in the post (that’s his only strength on defense) and generally did not look to demand the ball. Siakam needs to realize that as the leading man, he must rise to the challenge and become more assertive in crunch time. There is no more Kawhi Leonard to bail him out.

Six — Curious: Nurse has now gone two consecutive games with Anunoby on the bench in crunch time. Nurse’s reasoning is probably that Norman Powell is a more capable scorer and that the Raptors were playing from behind so they needed offense, but this decision must not sit well with Anunoby, who has done nothing to warrant a reduction in role. Anunoby is the Raptors’ second-best prospect behind Siakam and he needs to be empowered instead of being restrained.

Seven — Counter: In fairness to Nurse, he finds himself in an awkward situation. Akin to the Heat game, Powell made key plays in the fourth quarter and he also deserved minutes. However, with Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet in the backcourt, someone simply has to sit and the odd man out seems to be Anunoby. This situation is one where too much depth can become a problem — and can become especially discouraging when the results are losses.

Eight — Slow: Perhaps Serge Ibaka just isn’t fully healed after twisting his ankle, but this game was putrid from him on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Ibaka forced ill-advised shots that produced transition chances for the Rockets. Defensively, he was even worse as he was slow to rotate in a scheme that demanded him to move his feet and was nowhere to be found on the defensive glass. Yes, the Raptors were at a disadvantage because they were out of position due to Nurse’s defense, but allowing 20 offensive rebounds is what ultimately killed the team.

Nine — Clinical: Harden’s style is abrasive, but he deserves credit for making the most out of every opportunity. The Raptors were diligent in doubling him all night, but Harden still made them pay in the rare slivers of daylight that peeked through. He hit two step-back threes in transition — a horrendous shot for everyone in the league except the Splash Brothers — and nailed them. He also found the occasional chance to drive to the basket and converted each time. Harden is just an impossible cover and it’s no wonder Nurse went to such extremes to limit his attempts.

Ten — Worry: The Raptors are now 3-6 against teams over .500, which is a concerning trend. Context matters here, as most of the team’s difficult games have come on the road and Toronto has been in a constant state of flux in terms of its roster. But tough opposition also has a way of telling the truth. The Raptors are a cut below the elite in the league and still need to show some key improvements — namely the ability of Siakam and others to deliver in crunch time.

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