Morning Coffee - Mar. 13, 2025
Rhoden and Lawson are nice surprise | NO TANK FOR YOU! | RIP Oliver Miller
Quick Reaction: 76ers 105, Raptors 118 - Raptors Republic
J. Rhoden
43 MIN, 25 PTS, 12 REB, 5 AST, 4 STL, 9-19 FG, 4-10 3FG, 3-4 FT, 3 TO, 14 +/-
Good energy at the very start of the game on the offensive glass. Came away with six rebounds at the end of the first quarter. All around great game and he surprisingly flashed some solid playmaking tonight. This game should do enough to secure Rhoden a spot on next year’s roster after a solid stretch of basketball.
Raptors beat 76ers as rivalry takes on different meaning - Sportsnet
The Raptors did their part to execute the mission. When veteran centre Jakob Poeltl lined up for the tip — after sitting out two of the past three games for rest — he was making his 335th NBA start. Joining him on the floor were Jared Rhoden (making his second NBA start), Jamal Shead (third) and 10-day signee Colin Castleton and rookie Jamison Battle, who were getting their first NBA starts. Not playing for Toronto were regular starters Scottie Barnes (finger), Immanuel Quickley (rest), RJ Barrett (personal reasons) and Gradey Dick (knee, bruised sit bone). Also out were regulars Ochai Agbaji (ankle) and Ja'Kobe Walter (thigh strain). Brandon Ingram (ankle) remained out and the Raptors' most effective reserve, Chris Boucher, didn't check in and hasn’t seen the floor in two weeks.
The Sixers' injury and inactive list was just as long and top-heavy, but it didn’t matter. Even though Poeltl was held to 17 minutes and Shead was glued to the bench after 12, perhaps because the Raptors were plus-17 with the rookie on the floor as he dished five assists while repeatedly splitting the Sixers defence. But even while playing 38-year-old Garrett Temple, Lawson and Rhoden at point guard for all of the second half, Toronto couldn’t out-tank Philadelphia.
For whatever reason, the Raptors' gathering of youngsters and players trying to gain traction in the NBA has proven more effective than their opponents'.
While on Monday night, it was two-way player AJ Lawson having a career night in a Raptors win, on Wednesday, it was Rhoden, another athletic wing who went undrafted in 2023 after playing four years at Seton Hall but had been a good G-League player the Raptors signed to a two-way last month. He showed out with career highs of 25 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four steals in 43 minutes.
“It felt really good,” said Rhoden. “It’s just a testament to the hard work I’ve put in to have this moment. It’s really special, and I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to be here and show what I can do.”
Lawson had another nice night off the bench with 28 points and six rebounds, while Orlando Robinson finished with a career-best 25 points and nabbed 12 rebounds, which tied his career mark, while Castleton had 14 rebounds, another career milestone. The only smudge on the effort was the Raptors' 22 turnovers, but that might be as expected given they only had one point guard — Shead — and he barely played.
“Just to see those guys step on the floor, and contribute that well was special,” said Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic, while also making note of his team notching 33 assists on 44 made field goals and holding a 17-10 edge in offensive rebounds.
Unlike a lot of the big moments in the Raptors and Sixers shared history, the game was never particularly close. Toronto led by 14 at half and while Philadelphia cut the lead to seven with 5:16 left, Lawson and Robinson scored on consecutive possessions and pushed the lead back to double figures.
It was a game the Raptors would have been fine to lose, but at this stage of their respective seasons, Philadelphia is simply better equipped to do that.
Toronto Raptors down Philadelphia 76ers in injury-riddled matchup - Raptors Republic
The Raps would only have nine guys available, rolling out a starting lineup of Jamal Shead, Jamison Battle, Jared Rhoden, Colin Casleton, and Jakob Poeltl, marking the 27th used starting lineup for Toronoto this season (8th most in the league). The four players outside of the latter have only combined for 170 games in total, with the 7-foot Austrian himself more than tripling that with his 587 games played.
Nonetheless, there was a basketball game to be played and it started all Philadelphia. Jared Butler, Quentin Grimes, and Justin Edwards all drained shots early, helping the 76ers take an early 8-2 lead. The rest of the quarter would be all Toronto, however, outscoring their opponent 27-15 from then on. It was largely thanks to the teams’ 3-point shooting, ending the frame 4-of-5 from downtown after starting the quarter 0-for-6. Jared Rhoden played a big part in the Dinos leading 29-23 after one, finishing the quarter with six rebounds, five points, and one steal.
While one two-way ended the first quarter strong, another two-way started the second stronger, with A.J. Lawson scoring all over the place. Coming off a career-high 32 points last contest against the Washington Wizards, the Brampton, Ontario native scored quick six points, leading a 14-8 run to start the frame, 43-31. Then it would be Rhoden’s turn to turn up, draining multiple three’s and helping Toronto out to a 57-35 lead, extending the run in the quarter to 28-12. The Raps would continue to play well the rest of the way, especially from beyond the arc. They would end the half 12-for-23 from the 3-point line and would lead 69-55 at the break.
Rhoden was fantastic.
The 25-year-old showed off his well-rounded game, finishing with 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists while going 6-for-9 from the field and 3-for-5 from distance in the first half. His physicality shined through both on the boards and defensively, as he offers pluses in those areas at his natural two-position. Offensively, played on and off the ball, hitting catch and shoot jumpers just as easy as he got to the rim off the dribble.
The third quarter would see Lawson start in place of Jamal Shead — who would not play in the entire third quarter — with the frame being owned by Philadelphia. The Sixers would ultimately outscore Canada’s team 31-20 in the third, shooting 50 percent from the field along the way. The road squad ended the quarter on a 20-8 run to bring the game within three, 89-86, heading into the fourth.
The final quarter was back-and-forth. After Toronto started the quarter on a 12-2 run, they held their lead the rest of the way, cruising to the win behind strong games from Lawson, Rhoden, and Orlando Robinson.
The Toronto Raptors pull off the most unsuccessful tank game of all time - Raptors HQ
Now of course, players don’t tank. If you’re a fringe 10-13th spot rotation guy or a two-way and you are given the full green light to play — you’re playing the hardest you’ve ever played in your life. This is your shot. This is your chance to get noticed.
Maybe the team messed up by signing a bunch of good-hearted, hard working, underdog mentality kind of players — because they were motivated. They wanted it so bad, and you can’t even blame them. You almost (and kind of did) want them to succeed.
In the end, despite a valiant comeback effort from Nick Nurse’s 76ers, the Raptors still won this game 118-105. AJ Lawson had another great game scoring 28 points on 50% shooting from the field and 4-9 from three. Orlando Robinson 24 points, 12 rebounds to get the double-double, while Jared Rhoden scored 25 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals to lead the starters. To think, none of these guys were even on the roster to start the season...
Look, if anything, this is somewhat a good sign. Even if the Raptors don’t get a top draft pick this summer — these guys seem alright? Can the Lawson, Rhoden, Shead etc dominance last or is it just twisted luck that it’s happening right now, only to fizzle when the Raptors need some bench rotation guys next season?
Is Darko’s development system just THAT good that even when they try their hardest, they can’t lose? Masai and Bobby have to be laughing at this, because how can you not? They are trying SO HARD to fail and just cannot manage to. It’s hilarious.
Maybe they will make the play-in, maybe they won’t get a top-four pick, maybe maybe maybe — but if these guys are actually this good, maybe that’s not a bad thing after all?
Former Raptors head coach, now 76ers head coach (until mid-April anyway, probably not much longer), Nick Nurse said prior to the game that he is trying to be positive. The 76ers entered the season as championship potential and are now a lottery team. He’s low-key losing his job in a very drawn-out, painful kinda way. The only thing we can do on the Raptors side right now is take a lesson from our old friend Nick and be positive.
So yeah, the Raptors can’t seem to lose. Hilariously, we are annoyed that they can’t seem to lose. Yes, the schedule isn’t doing them any favours as well as they play against some of the worst teams in the NBA. Yet, maybe we are seeing the sparks of what could become a legitimately good basketball team, and people are too focused on the lottery balls to realize it. Let’s go with that.
Sixers Bell Ringer: Despite career night from Dowtin, strong performance from Grimes Sixers fall on the road at Toronto - Liberty Ballers
The Sixers traveled to Toronto on Wednesday night for an all-important clash of Eastern Conference foes. The Sixers and Raptors came into this game with just a half game separating the teams in the draft lottery standings. Big implications all around in this one with both teams would be without all their notable names. Let the tank-off commence!
The start of this one was about what you would expect. Sloppy play and errant shots were aplenty as the two teams struggled to find a flow offensively. The rims would start to widen throughout the quarter as the Raptors and Sixers got solid contributions from their bench units. The Raptors would lead 29-23 at the conclusion of the first quarter.
The Raptors took off in the second quarter behind red hot shooting from beyond the arc. After a 0-for-5 start from three to start the game the Raptors caught fire hitting 12 of their next 16 attempts from distance. The Raptors would lead by as many as 21 in the period. The Sixers clawed back to a 69-55 deficit at the break on the back of a game-high 17 points from Quentin Grimes.
The Sixers went on an early run to begin the third quarter, but the Raptors quickly countered with a run of their own. The Sixers refused to go away. Carried early in the quarter by the play of Quentin Grimes and then to finish the quarter by Jeff Dowtin and the interior defense of Adem Bona, the Sixers trailed by just three points at 89-86.
The Raptors pulled away in the fourth quarter behind strong performances from Jared Rhoden, Orlando Robinson and A.J. Lawson. Robinson finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Rhoden poured in 25 points, 12 rebounds and dished out six assists, a career night for the Seton Hall product. Lawson had a career-high 28 points off the bench as well for the Raptors. Despite strong efforts from Grimes, Bona, and a career night from Dowtin the Sixers would fall 118-105.
You can’t tell the Raptors without a program, but they’re good enough to beat the Sixers - Toronto Star
There were signs and signs of inexperience, of course. After leading by 22 points midway through the second quarter, the Raptors allowed Philadelphia to crawl back into the game and cut the deficit to three heading into the fourth quarter.
And while the Raptors outrebounded their opponents 59-40 overall, they still committed 20 turnovers that led to 20 Philadelphia points.
Jared Rhoden, in his second career start, registered career highs in points (25) and rebounds (12) for his first double-double. He also had four steals and seemed more interested in talking about his defence.
“I think that’s my main calling card,” Rhoden said. “It’s just showcasing that I can guard the point guards, switch on to four men and just be a physical defender out there, giving (Immanuel) Quickley, Scottie (Barnes) and all those guys breaks when they need them.
“That’s my job, that’s my role and I’m ready to do the intangible things.”
Orlando Robinson matched Rhoden with a career-best 25 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, while A.J. Lawson added 28 points and six rebounds for the Raptors. Veteran Garrett Temple chipped in with eight assists and eight points.
“Garrett has such a great influence on this team, on and off the court,” Rajakovic said. “What you saw tonight is what you’re seeing every single day with him. He’s just a consistent hard worker, does the right things, all about the team, all about high character and it rubs off. He’s really good, setting a really good example for everybody on the team.”
Philadelphia was led by Quentin Grimes, with 29 points, and former Raptor Jeff Dowtin Jr., with 20.
Toronto has won three meetings with the 76ers this season. They will meet one final time later this month in Philadelphia.
Raptors Pull All the Levers But Can't Loss to 76ers in Crucial Lottery Showdown - Sports Illustrated
The stakes couldn’t have been higher.
Well, maybe that’s a stretch. In the grand history of this rivalry, this one was different. It wasn’t Game 7 against the 76ers. If anything, it was the complete opposite. Call it the anti-Game 7. Two teams battling as hard as they could to lose Wednesday night, each eyeing the fifth-worst record in the NBA and the 42.1% chance at a top-four pick that comes with it.
The problem is someone had to win and on Wednesday it was Toronto Raptors who reluctantly clinched a 118-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at Scotiabank Arena.
There have been times recently when Toronto’s tanking effort was questionable. Why, for example, did they bring back Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley against the Utah Jazz? Why hadn’t they rested more players or further limited the minutes of their best talent?
This time, though, there was little room for criticism.
Of the regulars, only Jakob Poeltl started, and even that felt like a stretch as he was limited to just 17 minutes. The Raptors made a genuine effort to roll out their least experienced, least talented players in some of the most unusual lineups in franchise history. At times, rookie Jamison Battle was the longest-tenured player on the floor. They even started Colin Castleton, who was on a 10-day contract and had joined the organization less than a week ago.
And yet, it wasn’t enough.
Philadelphia is just that bad. A combination of injuries and a seeming disinterest in competing at times made the 76ers a perfect foil for Toronto.
The Raptors, by contrast, only suffered from one of those issues. They tried, and all things considered, looked about as competent as a tanking team can.
Toronto jumped ahead by 22 in the second quarter as Jared Rhoden broke out for 12 of his 25 points in what turned into a three-point shootout. A.J. Lawson drilled a pair of threes en route to a 28-point performance, while Philadelphia showed little ability to rotate or close out on shooters. Even Orlando Robinson got in on the action, knocking down a pair of threes off the bench on his way to a career-high 25 points.
The Raptors did their best to pull the plug. Jamal Shead’s minutes were limited to just 12, and he didn’t appear in the second half. Poeltl was pulled five minutes into the third quarter and never returned. That left just enough of an opening for Philadelphia to make a push.
A pair of buckets from former Raptors guard Jeff Dowtin Jr. brought the 76ers within three late in the third. But that was as close as they would get. Rhoden picked off an errant inbounds pass for a scoop-and-score transition bucket, then drilled a three to push Toronto’s lead back to 13. At that point, there was nothing left for the Raptors to do but win.
Raptors win embarrassing tankathon against Philadelphia 76ers - Toronto Sun
Old-timers used to say you can’t tell the players without a program, and that was likely the case on Wednesday night in Toronto when the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers faced off with both teams missing most of their regular players.
Toronto controlled the contest for most of the night, survived a third quarter push from the visitors and eventually came away with a 118-105 victory, the team’s fifth in the last six games as dreams of drafting Duke star Cooper Flagg recede further into the distance with each passing game.
Jared Rhoden scored 25 in his first NBA start, Colin Castleton grabbed 14 rebounds in his first start, Canadian A.J. Lawson contributed 28 off the bench, Orlando Robinson 25. Quentin Grimes led Philadelphia with 29 while former Raptor Jeff Dowtin Jr. scored 20.
The paying customers got treated to Jakob Poeltl, Andre Drummond, Kelly Oubre Jr., plus many other players they likely didn’t know much about.
That’s what happens when the Raptors rest starting point guard Immanuel Quickley, have starting small forward RJ Barrett out for personal reasons, star power forward Scottie Barnes resting to heal up a hand injury, shooting guards Gradey Dick, Ochai Agbaji and Ja’Kobe Walter all injured. And that was just a portion of the Toronto side missing. Nick Nurse’s struggling 76ers (13 losses over the previous 15 games heading into Wednesday) were once again without former NBA MVP Joel Embiid and all-stars Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, amongst others.
Oliver Miller, former NBA big man and Arkansas star, dies at 54 - The Athletic
The Toronto Raptors, where Miller scored a career-high 12.9 points per game during the 1995-96 season, paid tribute to him on the video board during Wednesday night’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
A cause of death has not been announced, but Miller shared a video on his X account Feb. 27 that revealed he was dealing with cancer.
Miller played nine years in the NBA, breaking in with the Suns as a rookie in 1992. The Suns drafted him with the 22nd pick, one of three Arkansas Razorbacks chosen in the first round, joining Todd Day and Lee Mayberry. As a rookie, Miller, who was listed at 6-foot-9 and 280 pounds, battled weight problems that would plague him throughout his career. He also became a valuable reserve in Phoenix’s run to the NBA Finals, where they lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
He’s remembered fondly for the impact he made early in that playoff run. Despite earning the Western Conference’s top seed, the Suns dropped the first two games of a best-of-five series against the Lakers at home. They won the next two in Los Angeles to force a deciding Game 5. Miller was the difference.