Takeaways as Raptors show progress in loss to Cavaliers

Cleveland Cavaliers 132, Toronto Raptors 126

The Raptors can compete.

That’s what made their loss earlier this week so frustrating. This team isn’t as bad as it looked against the Orlando Magic and Milwaukee Bucks. Wednesday’s game, despite the lopsided scoring against the New York Knicks, hinted at progress, and Thursday’s effort against the Cavaliers only reinforced that impression.

Of course, Toronto won’t be competitive every night. There will inevitably be more blowouts over the next few months. But when it comes to effort and resilience, the Raptors have no excuse for not showing up.

They proved that by going toe-to-toe with Cleveland the other night in a back-to-back, even leading into the fourth quarter. The problem for Toronto was Darius Garland, who simply proved too much. He hit a dagger step-back three over Scottie Barnes in the final minute and Toronto’s offense couldn’t keep up down the stretch.

Did the Raptors benefit from an uncharacteristically strong night from beyond the arc? Absolutely. The three point differential has been a glaring problem for Toronto this season.

But even without the long ball, the Raptors looked much sharper against the Cavaliers. Defensively, their rotations were crisp most of the night, the ball movement was purposeful and the half court offense was effective. Barnes turned in one of his most complete performances of the season, confidently knocking down jumpers over Cleveland’s towering frontcourt.

In the fourth quarter, with no one else able to contain Garland, Toronto turned to Barnes. He rose to the challenge and blocked a late layup attempt in a last ditch effort to spark a comeback. Still, Garland’s 40-point outburst was too much for the Raptors to overcome.

Despite the loss, this was the kind of performance Toronto has been waiting to see from its young core. It’s less about the end result and more about the process. Competing against one of the league’s best teams — even without Donovan Mitchell — is a step in the right direction and a foundation the Raptors can build on.

Chris Boucher can help someone.

It might not be the Raptors who have been inconsistent in their use of Boucher over the past two seasons. But with his mid-sized contract and relentless energy off the bench, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a suitor at the trade deadline.

He also deserves that opportunity.

Boucher fell out of Toronto’s rotation completely earlier this week, only to resurface in garbage time against the Knicks, scoring 10 points in just four minutes. He followed that with a near-flawless performance against Cleveland, shooting 5-for-8 from three-point range and nailing his first five attempts from deep in a 23-point, 12-rebound showing on Thursday.

In the third quarter, he slipped behind Cleveland’s defense with a sharp cut on the baseline, finishing off a pinpoint pass from RJ Barrett to put Toronto up 11.

Boucher’s most notable play, however, didn’t even appear in the box: The typically trigger-happy Boucher sent a nice three-point look to set up an even better shot for Ja’Kobe Walter.

Given how lackluster Toronto’s bench was on Wednesday, how the group responded on the second night of a back-to-back was crucial against an excellent Cavaliers team. Jamal Shead chipped in with a season-high 15 points, including three three-pointers.

The Raptors experimented with a centerless lineup in the second quarter, using Scottie Barnes as their de facto big man. It’s a look Toronto has rarely deployed this season, but given Kelly Olynyk’s struggles this year, it’s a wrinkle the Raptors might want to explore more often.

The potential development of Jonathan Mogbo — currently with Raptors 905 — could provide another small-ball opportunity as the season progresses. With Olynyk’s lackluster play of late, giving someone else a shot at those bench minutes might be a move worth considering for Toronto.

The Raptors conclude their road trip Saturday night when they host the Detroit Pistons at 7 p.m. ET.