Injuries already mounting, while Barnes has to be lot better with lineup depleted
Halloween came early as opening night was more like an opening fright for the Toronto Raptors.
A pummelling by the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers wasn’t even the worst part of the evening for the Raptors. That would be losing starting point guard Immanuel Quickley — arguably the second best player on the roster — after only 14 minutes due to a painful-looking fall onto this tailbone. Losing 136-106 wasn’t ideal either, though, as it was the franchise’s worst loss in a season or home opener.
Toronto wasn’t terrible to start and actually hung with a team expected to be in the fight for a homecourt playoff spot until a few minutes into the second quarter. At that point, their shots kept falling and their defence became nearly useless and the Cavaliers took full advantage. An 18-4 run by Cleveland to end the quarter, coupled with Quickley’s exit from the game, all but sealed matters as the lead increased to 20.
After three it was even worse — a 105-79 Cavaliers advantage.
Evan Mobley, who finished second to Scottie Barnes in rookie of the year voting three years ago, was the best player on the floor by far. He looked the part of an all-defensive team player, completely scuttling Toronto’s attack, while also appearing quite improved on the offensive end. Meanwhile, Barnes was way off, starting 3-for-12 with zero trips to the free-throw line and missed his next two shots before exiting for good.
Mobley had 25 points and eight rebounds in just under 27 minutes, Donovan Mitchell added 21 for the Cavs, while Caris LeVert has 19 off the bench.
Quickley had 13 points and four assists before leaving and Gradey Dick was another bright spot for the Raptors, scoring 16 points and matching his rookie season total of two blocked shots. Chris Boucher had 18 and Jamal Shead 10 in his NBA debut. No other Raptors scored in double figures.
MISSING IN ACTION
There were nearly as many Raptors wearing street clothes as jerseys on opening night. Starter RJ Barrett is progressing, but remained out with a shoulder injury. Reserve big man and fellow Canadian Kelly Olynyk was also a no-go, along with rookie wing Ja’Kobe Walter and veteran Bruce Brown.
The hope is that Barrett will be able to play on Friday when Nick Nurse and the Philadelphia 76ers come to town. Olynyk also could be an option, but Walter and Brown aren’t close. Quickley’s status will be updated in the coming days as well.
The only notable Cleveland absence was sharp-shooter Max Strus.
FIRST TASTE OF NBA ACTION
Four Raptors played their first NBA games. Shead had the best night, Jonathan Mogbo scored seven points in his first seven minutes, Ulrich Chomche scored his first bucket in his first minute of play and Jamison Battle scored six on a pair of three-pointers. All but Shead did most of their work with the game well out of hand.