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Toronto Raptors: 3 takeaways from Game 3 loss vs. 76ers

By Jonathan Turco

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 02: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter of Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the Wells Fargo Center on May 2, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Raptors 116-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 02: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors dribbles the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers in the third quarter of Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the Wells Fargo Center on May 2, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Raptors 116-95. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images /

3. Shooting improved but not enough

The Toronto Raptors shot 35-for-83 (42.2 percent) from the field in Game 3, which is a vast improvement over their Game 2 33-for-91 (36.3 percent) shooting. In the Game 2 takeaways piece, it was discussed how Green and Marc Gasol had outlier nights of shooting production from the first two games of the series. Game 3 proved that was the case as they both improved from their combined less than 20 percent shooting woes.

Green responded hitting three from deep in the first frame and shot 55.6 percent overall from the floor. Gasol only had a minor improvement shooting, 2-for-6 and is still scoreless from beyond the arc in this series. As a stretch-big who can be effective in both the pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop, if his outside shot isn’t falling, the defense will ignore him as a shooter and collapse the paint more,  which is exactly what the Sixers did Thursday night with him and few others struggling to shoot from far.

As a collective unit, the Raptors shot 7-for-27 from beyond the arc, with three of their starters scoreless in that regard. It doesn’t help that both Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry are both miniature guards opposing tall, lengthy defenders. The team’s guards were blocked twice while attempting a shot from beyond the arc. FVV, Lowry and Siakam were 0-for-12 from deep and VanVleet alone was 0-for-5.

FVV postseason performance last year was lackluster with many having thought it was because of his injured shoulder suffered during the last game of the regular season. His play in this series and the last hasn’t given the coaching staff any confidence.

With former guard Delon Wright shipped out in the package deal for Gasol and buyout free agent signing Jeremy Lin out with a sore back and his poor regular season play with his new squad, the Raptors are very limited in options behind Lowry, who is also struggling.

The Sixers’ depth at the point guard position is also fairly weak, with the team losing all trust in T.J. McConnell to facilitate the bench unit. The team has employed Jimmy Butler as the leader for the bench units for extended minutes until Ben Simmons is ready.

It is looking more likely the Raptors will have to adjust to add more size. The likely candidate to replacing FVV would be Patrick McCaw for his defensive ability, size and playoff experience in a limited role.

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