Another Grizzly result as Raptors continue to plummet in NBA standings

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How low can the Raptors go?

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Apparently, the team can fall below the level of the Memphis Grizzlies, a group with a nearly identical record as the struggling Raptors.

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An extremely depleted group of Grizzlies visited Toronto on Monday night, built up a lead as big as 19 points and never trailed in an easy 108-100 win.

Jaren Jackson scored 27 points for the Grizzlies, Luke Kennard added 19 and Vince Williams 18.

RJ Barrett tried to keep the Raptors afloat, but didn’t get a lot of help early. Scottie Barnes got hot later, but Kennard was on fire from three, Jackson was disrupting everything defensively and the Raptors never found a rhythm in falling to 16-28 compared to Memphis’ 16-27 record.

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Toronto has dropped seven of eight without injured centre Jakob Poeltl. The team has not been able to rebound or defend the interior without Poeltl and has also missed his presence on offence, be it because of his pick-and-roll prowess or passing abilities.

Barrett paced the Raptors with 29 points and Barnes had 22, but many off the other Raptors struggled.

Jackson had six steals in the first quarter, the most by a player in a quarter in an NBA game since 1996-97.

The records could come into play come draft night when Toronto will have to surrender its first-round selection to San Antonio if the pick isn’t in the top six. Memphis had the NBA’s sixth worst record heading in, Toronto the seventh worst, though teams can move up or down at the lottery.

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Point guard Immanuel Quickley was poor, committing five turnovers, his high as a Raptor, in the first half alone. Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic had said he wanted Quickley to be more aggressive on offence, but he meant shooting more, not turning the ball over. Quickley got more shots up in the second half, but went just 3-for-13 from the field.

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The game was tied 32-32 after a quarter, largely thanks to 65% Toronto shooting, but the Raptors cooled off and the Grizzlies seized control, building a 14-point advantage through three. The Raptors got within eight in the final minute, but no closer.

The team gets three days off before Kawhi Leonard and the excellent Los Angeles Clippers come to town on Friday.

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WALKING WOUNDED

Few teams have had as disappointing a season as the Grizzlies.

It started with superstar guard Ja Morant’s suspension and then morphed into a non-stop run of injuries. Starting centre Steven Adams got hurt before the season began (Monday was the one-year anniversary of his last game), Morant got hurt not long after he returned to action (and spurred a brief Grizzlies turnaround), fellow backcourt star Desmond Bane remains out, along with key off-season pickup and former defensive player of the year Marcus Smart as well as key Canadian big man Brandon Clarke.

Toronto was minus Poeltl again, but Rajakovic said pre-game that Poeltl is progressing well and the team hopes to see him play sometime soon.

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“He has started to work on the court. He’s according to plan progressing with the loads and what he’s allowed to do,” Rajakovic said.

DINO BITES

Rajakovic has a lot of fans around the NBA, but one of his biggest supporters is Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins. Rajakovic spent three seasons working under Jenkins in Memphis, including some time as his lead assistant.

“Darko’s one of the best basketball minds I’ve been around,” Jenkins said before the game, adding he wasn’t surprised to see how improved Toronto’s half-court offence has been under Rajakovic. He also praised the coach’s ability to connect with players and with people around the league.

X: @WolstatSun

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