Raptors vs. Thunder, Dec. 5 Takeaways: OKC defence flattens Toronto home cooking

The Thunder looked every bit the team that should come out of the West

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Oklahoma City came to town and thoroughly demolished Toronto 129-92 at Scotiabank Arena.

The result was never in doubt as the Thunder jumped out to a 34-17 first quarter and looked in complete control the whole way. The first quarter could have been even worse if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t go 0-for-6 from 3-point range.

Defeat on Thursday meant the end of a four-game home winning streak and also brought about the first defeat of a current five-game homestand.

Here are the game’s takeaways:

Offence short of time, space

Tenacious, intimidating, suffocating. Those are the words that come to mind when watching the Thunder defend.

They are the best defensive team in the league for a reason and it’s scary to think of what this team might be capable of when all of Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso, and Isaiah Hartenstein are healthy at the same time.

Every shot Toronto took felt rushed and contested while every pass seemed like a horror movie scene where you hope the potential victim makes a triumphant escape — the subject in danger here being Spalding. The Thunder seemed bigger, stronger, faster, longer while just going about their business. This isn’t a Kevin Garnett ra-ra, in-your-face type of defence but rather very Tim Duncan-esque in just going about their business and leaving you deflated. They take on the identity of their leader.

Jakob Poeltl’s absence due to illness was a huge bummer as they so clearly missed his screen setting, rim gravity, and connectivity. A game after Scottie Barnes put up a career-high 34 and R.J. Barrett scored 29, the duo combined for 29 points on 10-of-29 shooting in this one. That also brought an end to Barrett’s four-game streak of shooting at least 50% from the field.

Dick shows rhythm in return

Having missed just over a week, it would have been perfectly understandable for Gradey Dick to struggle for rhythm against a very difficult Thunder defence.

He came into the game with a 25-minute restriction and finished with 23. Dick scored 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting from three and made his only 2-pointer — a step back fadeaway from the mid-range corner. The first shot he made was actually a ridiculously quick catch-and-shoot from the corner (first clip in video below).

I also liked that, despite the blowout nature of the game, Darko Rajakovic opted to get Barnes, Barrett, and Dick some playing time together and reps in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. Unfamiliarity is still an issue because of all the injuries and Rajakovic recognizing these minutes to help those three is a positive. Every moment is a teaching moment for Rajakovic and these were some garbage time minutes that could help accelerate the process of those three getting more comfortable.

Mogbo’s career-best scoring effort

While there was very little to take from this game, it was fun to see Jonathan Mogbo put up 17 points that included a 3-pointer! This is the fourth time this season that Mogbo has reached double-figures.

The highlight was definitely a blow by for a dunk when matched up against Hartenstein, though, I really liked the first play below where he identified the mismatch with Aaron Wiggins from the corner and attacked the basket immediately while using his body to great effect.

Watching him knock down a 3-pointer, you have to pay tribute to the work he and the Raptors have put towards it in the summer. Mogbo attempted just two 3-pointers during his two years in college and is up to 16 attempts (five makes) so far in his first NBA season.

Staying realistic

Winning three games out of four and five out of eight with the defence making strides was creating some healthy excitement. The narrative of what this team is capable has noticeably changed from when it was 2-12 with a porous defence.

These three games to close out the home stand were always going to be extremely difficult, though, and staying in these contests let alone winning would be an accomplishment. The Oklahoma City game went as expected, Dallas has found its rhythm with 10 wins from 11 while New York has won nine of 11.

Losing these games would only be a reality check for those who got extremely carried away by the last four to eight games. While the actual process has been encouraging through 23 games, the 7-16 record is pretty much what you’d expect.

Notes

• It was one of those banner synergy days for the organization as Ja’Kobe Walter, Jonathan Mogbo, and Jamal Shead all did double duty having played the Raptors 905 game against the Greensboro Swarm earlier in the day. Walter had seven points on 3-of-4 shooting and four assists, Mogbo had nine points on 4-of-5 shooting, and Shead was at his playmaking best with 12 assists to go along with six points. The 905 won 134-92 and you can watch the replay on YouTube if you’d like.

• I expect Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to win MVP this season (this is absolutely not betting advice). Nikola Jokic is putting up absolutely insane numbers (he just passed Magic Johnson for third on the all-time triple doubles list) but the Nuggets are flirting with .500, languishing in a Play-In spot, and I suspect there may be a bit of voter fatigue with Jokic. It’s not his fault because of the way the roster is seemingly crumbling around him. Gilgeous-Alexander looks like the best player on possibly the best team. Let’s face it, the award is less likely to go to Donovan Mitchell or Jayson Tatum.

• Much has been made of Scottie Barnes being ranked 11th on ESPN’s Top 25 under 25 list. I’m not going to get into what ESPN did right or wrong but here’s what my list would look like in tiers:

  Tier 1 - Clearcut superstar
  Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Edwards, Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren.

  Tier 2 - Debatable ceiling as superstar or second-best player on elite team

  Evan Mobley, Franz Wagner, Alperen Sengun, Jalen Williams, Scottie Barnes, Tyrese Maxey, Tyrese Haliburton, LaMelo Ball, Cade Cunningham, Brandon Miller.

  Tier 3 - Between third and fourth-best player on elite team

  Darius Garland, Jalen Johnson, Jalen Green, Jalen Suggs.