Gary Trent Jr. Clinches Raptors 1st Victory of Playoff-Defining Stretch as Defense Locks Down Pelicans

The Toronto Raptors got a clutch three-pointer from Gary Trent Jr and crucial plays from Jakob Poeltl to sneak away with a victory over the New Orleans Pelicans

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Raptors have been here before.

It was just a year ago Toronto came out of the All-Star Break needing a late-season push to avoid the play-in tournament. They’d been a good team to that point, slightly better than this year’s group, but it was going to take a jump defensively to solidify themselves as a playoff team.

Raptors coach Nick Nurse challenged the group to be better and they responded, going 16-9 over the final 25 games of the season and surging to the fifth seed in the conference thanks in part to a 110.2 Defensive Rating over the stretch, good for fifth-best in the league.

This year the message is the same: Shore up the defense and everything else will fall into place.

“We’re trying to have another run like that,” Nurse said Thursday evening before Toronto's 115-110 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. “Intensity, longer stretches of intense defense, ball pressure, disrupting rhythm, things like that, is kind of our theme, kind of the way we like to do it.”

In their first game out of the All-Star Break, the Raptors rose to the call. The defense looked as good as it has in months. Jakob Poeltl continued to be a stabilizing on both ends and eventually, Gary Trent Jr. came up clutch. It, of course, wasn't easy for the Raptors who allowed a double-digit four-quarter lead nearly slip away, but a beautiful find from Pascal Siakam freed up Trent for the game-clinching three-pointer and allowed Toronto to sneak away doing just enough to start this playoff-defining stretch with a victory.

"I just think it's been making progress to getting there," Nurse said of his team's defense. "The question is, why weren’t we playing better three months ago, probably? But again, lots of pieces moving, lots of things going on, just whatever, and probably put some of that stuff behind us."

Poeltl looked a little more comfortable with Toronto’s aggressive defense in his first game out of the All-Star break. He held his own in a pair of switches against Brandon Ingram in the first quarter as the Raptors locked down the Pelicans early, surrendering just 19 points in the first quarter.

"Sometimes you are almost putting yourself out of position, but you are pressuring the ball handler and trusting your teammates that they are going to have your back behind you coming for a trap or coming in for a steal or stuff like that," Poeltl said of Toronto's aggressive defense. "It’s a little bit counter-intuitive when you are used to playing a little bit more passive where you have to protect yourself. Now I’m being aggressive and putting myself out there in almost bad defensive positions because you trust that if you speed your man up, there is someone else there to pick up the slack."

Both Poeltl and Scottie Barnes kept the ball moving for Toronto offensively, finding cutters, and throwing high lobs overtop of the Pelicans’ defense. The lone noteworthy issue, if you will, came when O.G. Anunoby found Barnes above the break for what should have been a wide-open three-point attempt. Barnes, however, passed it up, driving to the hoop and eventually finding Poeltl for a dunk. The result was fine but considering Raptors coach Nick Nurse said Wednesday he wants Barnes shooting more rhythm threes, the process was flawed.

Barnes looked only slightly more comfortable in the second quarter, nailing a three-pointer over Jonas Valančiūnas after pump-faking a shot and seemingly going through all his passing options first. He did connect on a perfect rhythm three from Gary Trent Jr., the kind the Raptors have been looking for from the sophomore wing who finished the night with 18 points and five rebounds.

With Anunoby back healthy, Precious Achiuwa slid to the bench and looked good playing alongside Chris Boucher and Jeff Dowtin Jr., who saw surprise minutes with the second unit. The third-year forward swatted away a CJ McCollum layup, sending Boucher in transition before Anunoby finished the possession with a one-handed slam.

The most notable difference for the Raptors’ defense came in the way they played Valančiūnas. There was far less double-teaming of the Pelicans’ 6-foot-11 center who’d averaged 18 points per game against Toronto over their last three meetings. Instead, the Raptors let Poeltl take him one-on-one, holding the former Raptors big to just 12 points in 29 minutes. 

"I thought we were big at the rim," said Nurse referring to Poeltl who had 21 points, 18 rebounds, and three steals. "We made them take tough shots. And we protected the rim on a number of occasions when it looked like the play was in trouble and we saved them and we were able to get out the other way. But I thought the concentration, the effort, and the execution of what we were trying to do was good."

The Pelicans did go on a run late, but Poeltl proved too much. He scooped up three offensive rebounds midway through the final frame and converted three put-back layups of put-back layups and an And-1 to put Toronto back up double-digits. 

Eventually, all the attention New Orleans was paying Siakam cost them, as the All-Star forward finished the night with 26 points and five assists including the game-sealing pass to Trent who was playing the role usually filled by the Fred VanVleet, bluffing a screen for Siakam before popping out behind the three-point line.

With the win, Toronto moved into a tie with the Washington Wizards for the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference, just a half-game back of the Atlanta Hawks for the eighth spot.

Highlight of the Night

Saint Lucia's own Chris Boucher celebrated Caribbean Heritage Night at Scotiabank Arena in style by ending the third quarter with a ferocious one-handed slam in transition. 

🗣 INCOMINGGGGGG @chrisboucher pic.twitter.com/sEnGYmEjIz

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) February 24, 2023

"That was pretty cool," Nurse said of Boucher. "That’s Chris, right? He’s going to make some spectacular plays. He's going to do ‘em at both ends. He makes something happen. It isn't always good but tonight there was a sequence there where they were great."

Boucher followed it up on the ensuing Pelicans' possession by bocking Naji Marshall on a three-point attempt before striking a pose with one as the buzzer sounded.

Fred VanVleet Absent

It was announced just before tipoff that Fred VanVleet would miss Thursday's game for personal reasons. Toronto had a good indication that VanVleet would miss the game and was well prepared to let Siakam and Barnes handle the ball a little more with Dowtin off the bench. 

Up Next: Detroit Pistons

The Raptors will hit the road for a Saturday afternoon tilt against the Detroit Pistons at noon ET.