Raptors May Have Found New Starting Lineup in Loss to Warriors

The Toronto Raptors may want to give Chris Boucher a look with the starting lineup after an impressive performance against the Golden State Warriors

The Toronto Raptors might finally have found their starting lineup for the season. It just wasn't the one they started Sunday night with.

Raptors coach Nick Nurse has been searching all season for someone to step up and solidify his starting unit. It's taken him from Aron Baynes to Alex Len to a small-ball lineup with Norman Powell and no centre on Sunday night against the Golden State Warriors. But with Powell struggling, Chris Boucher stepped up to the plate. Showing why he deserves a look as the Raptors' starting big. Unfortunately for Toronto, the good news once again came with the bad, as the Raptors dropped to 2-7 with a 106-105 loss to the Warriors in San Francisco.

"Listen, I think we are building," Kyle Lowry said. "Our record is 2-7. That’s terrible. We are not this bad of a team, but we are building toward something. Just give us a little more time and that record will swing pretty drastically when we get a little bit better."

The Raptors certainly had a chance Sunday night. After climbing out of a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit, Toronto had a chance for the win in the dying seconds. Pascal Siakam — who had played well all evening — had a one on one with Andrew Wiggins. But he couldn't beat the Canadian, unable to penetrate the Warriors defence, and settling for a fadeaway mid-range jumper that didn't fall.

"I mean, it went in and out. Pretty clean look," Nurse said. "It was Plan B, but it was a decent Plan B. I just looked at it on the film and we probably coulda executed it just a smidge better. Maybe he could have got a driving lane but we kind of came into his driving late, so he kind of had to spin and take that shot. Again, just kind of like the way the ball has been bouncing. Man, that was a pretty good release. Kinda looked like the ball was going to go right in the middle and then it rattles in and out. Been having those go out on us a little bit more than we’d like."

It was another moral victory kind of game from the Raptors who appeared to find what should be a solid starting lineup going forward. Though Powell got the start, his audition didn't last long Sunday night. He took two quick fouls within the first five minutes of the game, opening the door for Boucher to grab Nurse's attention. The 6-foot-9 Canadian didn't disappoint, scoring 15 points to go with six blocks.

"He’s been giving us a lot," Nurse said. "He’s really, he’s checking the rim, he’s on the glass. He’s just effective keeping the ball alive, tip here and there, and he’s doing a decent job of finishing down there."

It wasn't so much what he did in the box score, but how the Raptors played as a unit with Boucher and the other starters, Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and OG Anunoby. Entering the fourth quarter the Raptors trailed 88-72. Ten minutes later, thanks largely to a breakout fourth quarter from Lowry, Toronto took a 102-100 lead.

"We want to be able to play our best defence in the fourth quarter and I thought we really did a good job," Nurse said. "Hardly any breakdowns, there were several early in the game, through the course of the game you’re going to have them but I only have one in my head in the fourth quarter where there was we just didn’t do the right thing."

It was an incredible comeback from Toronto who struggled to hit shots all night. Lowry couldn't do much of anything until the fourth quarter, scoring just one point through three quarters. But after Boucher fouled out with 1:37 to go, Toronto couldn't hold onto the three-point lead. The Warriors took a one-point lead into the dying seconds and Siakam's shot fell just short.

The miss, however, shouldn't cloud an otherwise impressive performance from the 26-year-old Siakam. Even against the Warriors' tough interior defence, Siakam got to the rim, shooting 9-for-14 from the field and 2-for-4 from behind the arc. He chipped in with a team-high 25 points and 11 rebounds, though his Achillies' heal Sunday was a 5-for-9 shooting performance from the charity stripe. 

Up Next: Portland Trail Blazers

The Raptors will end their West Coast road trip on Monday when they head north to Portland to take on Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers.