Can “Team BBQ” light it up in one of the best bbq cities in the world? Let’s watch!
Twitter has become a seedy hellhole so I can’t find who coined the “BBQ” phrase to describe the Toronto Raptors’ new-look core of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley (or whoever revised it to Spicy BBQ to account for Pascal Siakam) but that individual deserves some credit because you know what? It works! Especially with the team heading to Memphis, a known barbecue haven, to kick off a six-game road trip!
Speaking of new looks, how good have the Memphis Grizzlies looked since Ja Morant’s return? The Grizzlies are 5-3 since his December return (Morant missed one of the losses) and Morant is averaging 25/5/8 on 47% shooting. Pretty good!
In game 2 of the new era, expect the Raptors to still be finding their chemistry together; that means a few more turnovers, a few wonky possessions, and a few defensive lapses. Hopefully they don’t all come in the final 15 minutes of the game like they did on Monday! I’ll also be curious if Barrett and Quickley get more minutes (Quickley surely will, since foul trouble impacted his PT on Monday) and what that means for Siakam, who’s played 40+ minutes in three straight. Head coach Darko Rajakovic is learning what Nick Nurse learned last year — that his team doesn’t have enough depth or talent to compete without his top guys playing massive minutes. But this is a long trip and fresh legs will be needed to grind out some Ws.
Without OG Anunoby, containing Morant will be a challenge. I would imagine Barnes will get the primary assignment, but Quickley and Siakam will surely get some reps.
The Raptors haven’t lost in Memphis since 2017. Can they keep the win streak alive tonight? Let’s find out!
How to Watch
8:00 p.m. ET on TSN
Starting Lineups:
Toronto: Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam, Jakob Poeltl, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett
Memphis: Ja Morant, Marcus Smart, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., Bismack Biyombo
Injuries:
Toronto: Christian Koloko (respiratory — out), Otto Porter Jr. (knee — out)
Memphis: Steven Adams (knee — out), Brandon Clarke (achilles — out), Derrick Rose (hamstring — out), Vince Williams Jr. (foot — out)