Toronto Raptors: 3 takeaways from Game 6 vs. Wizards
By Chris Conner
3. The Raptors played their best defense of the series
As Drake famously said once, “Better late than never.” Those lyrics couldn’t have been any truer Friday as Toronto put forward its best defensive performance all series.
After holding Washington under 100 points in Game 5, the Raptors knew how important their defense was going forward. After holding the Wiz to a series-low 41 percent shooting, Toronto provided an identical result in Game 6.
The Raptors also were able to force 14 Wizards turnovers while doing a good job of taking care of the ball themselves, finishing with six turnovers. Toronto made Washington work on almost every possession Friday, forcing the Wizards into many shot clock decisions.
Man, way to know the scout on defense. Watch the Raptors bust up multiple actions the Wizards were trying to run and force a contested shot late in the clock. #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/YuEb1bjQPZ
— Eric Fawcett (@EricFawcett_) April 28, 2018
It’s fair to ask if a healthy Otto Porter could have made a difference. While that’s possible, when engaged, the Raptors look capable of stopping any team. After all, they finished in the top five in defensive rating as a team during the regular season.
That team simply hadn’t shown up much until the last two games. It’s beyond clear now that if Toronto can play consistent defense like Game 5 and 6 showed going forward, it’ll not only be capable of stopping anybody, but be just as good as anybody.