The Raptors have lost four of their last five games and were pummeled by Charlotte on Friday, 111-86. Coach Darko Rajakovic felt the schedule caught up to his team — it was the fifth game in seven nights.
“Physically, we were worn down. I’m really proud of our guys tonight. We tried. But when you’re trying and you’re missing layups and wide open shots, it’s hard to keep it up. We didn’t quit. We continued fighting but we didn’t have enough in the tank,” he told Josh Lewenberg of TSN (Twitter link).
We have more on the Raptors:
- Rajakovic believes Scottie Barnes should be a contender for the Defensive Player of the Year award, per Lewenberg (Twitter link). “He’s guarding point guards, wings, fives. He’s doing it all,” the coach said. “There’s a reason why he was voted Defensive Player of the Month and he needs to be in consideration for Defensive Player of the Year. Obviously it’s early in the season but he’s trending that way.”
- Brandon Ingram has suffered a number of long-term injuries during his career but he’s not a fan of load management. He expects to play every night that he’s healthy this season, Lewenberg tweets. He’s appeared in all 24 of their games this season, averaging 20.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 33.8 minutes per contest. “It’s intentional to not miss games because I have no reason to,” Ingram said. “If I hear from the training staff and they tell me my body doesn’t look good, I’ll listen. But so far, my body’s been feeling good. I’m doing everything in my control to be ready for games.”
- Jamison Battle suffered a left ankle sprain in Friday’s game. X-rays were negative and he’s considered day-to-day, Lewenberg tweets.
Toronto rumors are they are trading for Morant. Quickley straight up.