Raptors’ impressive depth on full display in scrimmage opener

The Houston Rockets learned the same lesson Friday night that the Toronto Raptors starters have learned during team practices lately: Don’t mess with the second unit.

Raptors’ practices have been extremely competitive lately thanks in large part to the energy the team’s bench unit has been bringing. Last week, Norman Powell said he’s been pushing the unit to prove they deserve more minutes and they’ve been responding.

“I just think we have a very hungry group of individuals that wants to go out there and prove themselves,” Powell said last Friday.

They certainly proved themselves this Friday night, leading the Raptors to a 94-83 scrimmage game victory over the Rockets.

“There was a competitiveness there with those guys,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of the bench. “They work and do the principles of defense, challenge shots, and it helps them on offense.”

The second unit outscored the Rockets’ bench 41-23 and helped turn a three-point fourth-quarter deficit into a six-point Raptors lead with just over seven minutes to go in the game.

“Those guys, they’re hungry,” Raptors forward Serge Ibaka said. “They know every time they step on the court it’s great energy.”

Rookie Terence Davis II led the way for the second unit, scoring 15 points in just under 20 minutes. He went 4-for-9 from the field and 6-for-6 from the charity stripe and showed the kind of relentless rim attacking ability he’s become known for during his rookie year.

“Sometimes when I’m on the courts, especially with the second unit, I have to be a little more aggressive,” Davis said. “Personally, I like my offensive game. I think I’m an offensive threat.”

With Patrick McCaw sitting the night out for rest, Davis’ impressive showing will certainly help his case for an increased workload as the team’s eighth man when the playoffs roll around.

“The way he played tonight is the way he’s looked at for the last two, three weeks,” Nurse said of Davis. “He’s just been bolting up and shooting shots and making plays and scoring.”

Ibaka was the only Raptor to outscore Davis against Houston. The 30-year-old Ibaka continued to dial it up from deep, showing no signs of slowing down after the NBA’s four-month hiatus. 

He went 8-for-10 from the field including 2-for-3 from behind the arc for a team-high 18 points.

“I give him a lot of credit he’s really, really worked on his mechanics of his shooting and he’s continued to do so almost every single day,” Nurse said of Ibaka. “You can just tell, I think when it gets swung to him and he gets ready to let them go and just, he wants to shoot them, he’s hunkering down, he’s shooting them with conviction, and he’s hitting them in the heart. I think that’s a big part of it, it’s just a confidence in the work that he’s put in that he feels good about his game.”

Ibaka got the start over Marc Gasol who sat out the entire night but will be ready to go for the team’s next scrimmage on Sunday, according to Nurse.

The Raptors will take on the Portland Trail Blazers in their next scrimmage game on Sunday at 6 p.m.