The Raptors are in desperate search of an address

The doubleheader in Florida between Orlando and Toronto turned out badly for the Canadians. Although the Magic advanced with the dunce cap of the Eastern Conference on their heads, however, the Raptors fell in their tracks, with a struggling offense and repeated concerns about the 3-point shot.

The first match won by Orlando 113-109 has not yet reassured the exercise (10/35), the second (111-99) is alarming with a sad 24% of the address, 6/25 behind the bow. The worst part was that the Raptors took care of the ball yesterday with only 9 turnovers, and they also defended well enough to cause 18 opposing turnovers. But these 18 lost balls produced only 23 points behind…

“When we cause so many loose balls, we have to score. That’s 18 chances to get back on them, and to finish with more than a point per possession, that’s not enough.”complained the coach, Nick Nurse.

If nothing is going right…

The latter will certainly have to deal with a roster battered by injuries since the start of the season, but the return of Pascal Siakam should start the engine for sure.

That night, the Cameroonian quickly found himself out of harm’s way due to mistakes. Premature discharge from “main creator” of the team did not help the mission of the Raptors coach, who must also deal with his shooters who are currently in trouble.

“We are having a hard time shooting now. OG had issues with his shooting hand, which probably affected him. Freddy (VanVleet) is clearly out of osmosis with his shooting right now. And we have a lot of expectations for these two guys, along with Gary (Trent Jr). We just have to find a way to start replenishing.”

In addition, OG Anunoby is dealing with another hip injury that kept him out of action tonight. If we add to that the new game without attacking Scottie Barnes (3/13 shooting) and Fred VanVleet (4/11), that’s a lot. For the Toronto point guard, it won’t take much to turn the wheel again in his team’s favor and change the dynamic in which his men are currently trapped.

“We’ve got to see some of those shots. Otherwise, the opponent gets more aggressive, and gains confidence if you fail them. And that’s what we saw tonight. It’s not a loss that we can’t just- just, in terms of the standards we want to show. But they played better than us two games in a row. They should be congratulated.”he said, thus denying any sense of panic.

For the Raptors, who now have a negative balance, the opposition should also increase in the next three games at home, against Sacramento, Brooklyn, then Golden State.