Raptors’ offence compromised without leading scorer Brandon Ingram

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The five through seven slots in the Eastern Conference standings can change on any night, with no team assured of anything.

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Atlanta, Toronto and Philadelphia continue to contest the seedings as no team wants to slip into the No. 7 hole, which will force the occupant to take part in the play-in tournament.

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Under this backdrop and aware both the Hawks and Sixers took care of business Wednesday night, the Raptors were in a must-win scenario at Scotiabank Arena where Toronto had won five in a row.

By the end of the night, the Raptors found themselves deadlocked with Philadelphia, each sporting a 42-34 record. However, since Philly holds the tiebreaker because of a better division record, the Sixers hold the sixth seed, and the Raptors are the seventh seed.

Toronto was its own worst enemy in dropping a 123-115 decision to the visiting Sacramento Kings.

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The Raptors started poorly and ended poorly. There were some moments of sustained play, but clearly not enough.

The Raptors are now in a hotly contested race to avoid the play-in.

Teams want to get on a roll this late in the season. What teams don’t want is to get rolled over by a weak team such as the Kings.

The following are three takeaways on a night former Raptor DeMar DeRozan eclipsed Dominique Wilkins for 17th place on the NBA’s career-scoring list; up next for DeRozan is Oscar Robertson.

1. First Things First

This late in the season, there’s no merit in trotting out the back-to-back tips as an excuse for a poor start.

Inexcusable best describes the Raptors’ approach against the Kings, whose roster is dotted with names the most ardent hoops fan would remotely recognize.

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Lethargic is another description when describing a team playing at home is only able to generate 22 points in 12 minutes.

A night earlier, the Raptors had a horrible shooting night in Detroit and lost to the Pistons.

The Kings are nowhere near as good as Detroit, but they were more adept at shooting the basketball, which is why the visitors led after the first period.

Toronto was without two starters in Brandon Ingram (heel) and Immanuel Quickley (foot).

Their absence can’t help explain why Toronto began the game so poorly, playing with virtually little energy and even less urgency.

The status of Scottie Barnes was a game-time decision (shoulder). He played, but sported medical tape on his left shoulder.

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2. King For A Day

Once DeRozan made his way out of the tunnel area that leads to the floor, he greeted many familiar faces and shared moments.

DeRozan was a class act during his days in Toronto, and not much has changed.

When he was introduced pre-game, the crowd accorded DeRozan with warm applause.

It should have been louder, but it was nice to see how the fans haven’t forgotten how often DeRozan laid it all on the line when he suited up for the Raptors.

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There was very little acknowledgment for another former Raptor, Precious Achiuwa, whose athleticism was tough to match as he easily reached double figures in scoring, mainly on dunks.

In the first half Wednesday, DeRozan went 0-for-8 from the field.

He made amends by pouring in 12 points in the opening five minutes of the third quarter.

Achiuwa recorded a double-double (18 points, 15 rebounds) in 19 minutes as the visitors led 61-56.

For the full contest, Achiuwa and DeRozan each netted 28 points.

Doug Christie serves as head coach of the Kings, while Leandro Barbosa is an assistant.

Both played for the Raptors, but it was Christie who had a longer tenure in Toronto.

He was a member of the Raptors’ first playoff team, which lost its playoff series to the New York Knicks.

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Christie doesn’t have much to work with in Sacramento, a roster that once featured Russell Westbrook, Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis.

The Kings haven’t been relevant in what seems like forever.

De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton were once teammates, forming a young backcourt tandem that was broken up when Haliburton was traded to Indiana for Sabonis

3. Bench Stench?

A bit too harsh, but some kind of rotation needs to be established.

Clearly, four second-unit players have earned playing time — Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, Sandro Mamukelashvili and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles.

All four have started at times this season to fill in for an injured incumbent, including on Wednesday, when Shead and Walter were inserted into the starting group.

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At the start of the second half Wednesday, CMB started at centre for Jakob Poeltl, who hadn’t started on back-to-nights since the third and fourth games of the season when the Raptors were in Dallas and San Antonio, respectively.

He did re-enter the game in the third quarter.

Come playoff time or even if the Raptors drop into the play-in tournament, tight rotations become the norm as starters are asked to play extended minutes.

Gradey Dick continues to fall in the pecking order.

Interestingly, it was Alijah Martin, and not Markelle Fultz, who got backup minutes at point guard.

Fultz’s 10-day deal was set to expire following the completion of the game.

What the Raptors need is for Quickley, who missed his sixth game in a row, to be back.

Up Next

The Raptors hit the road for a two-game trip that tips off Friday in Memphis before heading to Boston to play the host Celtics on Sunday; the Grizzlies are very beatable, while the Celtics have been unbeatable when matched up against the Raptors, whose season road finale is in New York against the Knicks on April 10.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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