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Published Oct 29, 2025 • 4 minute read
Collin Murray-Boyles
Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets battles for the ball against Collin Murray-Boyles #12 of the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. Photo by Kevin Sousa /Getty Images
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The one-two punch of Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram at least gave the Raptors a fighting chance against a very unorthodox Houston Rockets team whose starting five is arguably the NBA’s biggest, even though they do not start a true big.
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It is true that Barnes and the Notorious B.I.3. are the Raptors’ undisputed best players.
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For the first time this young season, each was unleashed on the offensive end.
Offensively, when the two stars are producing, generating enough points won’t be problem.
The problem has been on the defensive end where the Raptors once again viewed stops as an afterthought.
If the Raptors roster featured more players such as Barnes and Ingram, defensive deficiencies might be mitigated.
They don’t and unless this team decides to play with some semblance of intensity and cohesion on defence, more nights as Wednesday will become unavoidable.
The first quarter ended with the Raptors yielding 39 points.
The second quarter was far less putrid as Toronto actually outscored Houston.
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However, when an opponent is allowed to make close to 60% of their shots from the field, something is truly amiss.
Houston would win the game, 139-121, to hand the Raptors their fourth straight loss.
In Toronto’s losses, it has allowed its foe to score an average of 130 points.
Not good.
In fact, it’s quite shameful.
The Barnes-Ingram combo combined for 60 points on 22-for-34 shooting.
Houston attempted 15 more free throws because it was the more aggressive team.
The following are three takeaways from a muted night of basketball, even with Kevin Durant, whose 31 points led Houston, making his first and only appearance of the season, a night when the Rockets buried deep three-balls to beat the buzzer at halftime and to end the third quarter.
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1. CMB Good
In his third NBA game, first-round pick Collin Murray-Boles made his first start, a well-earned reward based on his improved play against the Spurs after CMB struggled in Dallas in his debut.
The starting assignment also made sense from a strategic perspective in the wake of Jakob Poeltl’s unavailability and how the Rockets play.
The kid has experienced a baptism by fire in being matched up against some of the very best the NBA has to offer.
Against the Rockets, he began the game guarding Durant, two nights after CMB took his turn trying to contain San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, which came one night after guarding Anthony Davis on a few possessions.
CMB came out of college with a defensive mentality.
Offensively, he can drain threes.
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His sweet spot is on the left wing, which isn’t unusual because CMB is a left-handed shooter.
We’ll soon see if the kid can put the ball on the floor because you know defenders will take away his space.
Whether it was marking Wemby or K.D., the kid was in an unenviable position.
He’ll learn from these experiences.
One lesson involves playing defence without fouling.
Wednesday night, CMB picked up four fouls in 18 minutes.
He played a total of 25 minutes and reached double digits in scoring for the second game in a row.
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2. Backs To The Wall
To begin with, no one has ever and nor will anyone ever mistake Poeltl as an elite centre capable of filling up the stat sheet with his offence.
In the Raptors’ system, he’s as valuable as any player given his role as a conduit on offence and his paint presence in the paint.
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From the moment he suffered a lower back injury in the pre-season finale, Poeltl has not been himself.
When he left Monday night’s game in San Antonio after playing nearly 24 minutes because of lower back tightness, the red flags were obvious.
Prior to Wednesday’s tip, head coach Darko Rajakovic told the assembled media that the team’s starting centre wouldn’t be available.
Officially, Poeltl is listed as a day to day.
He’s the only true big the Raptors have on their roster.
Poeltl fouled out in the season opener and had as many fouls (16) as attempts from the field in the opening three games.
Houston doesn’t start a legitimate centre, but they do have two seasoned bigs in Steven Adams and Clint Capela.
In the opening half, the Rockets crushed the Raptors on the boards to the tune of 27-9, including an 11-0 disparity on the offensive glass.
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Second-chance points and paint points, not unexpectedly, were decidedly in Houston’s favour.
It would continue into the second half.
Without Poeltl, Toronto is very vulnerable and it has been painfully obvious.
Even with Poeltl, the Raptors have been susceptible because he hasn’t been healthy.
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3. Grin And Barrett
Tough night for RJ Barrett, whose contract was not extended when he was recently eligible.
He’s not exactly a defensive stopper and on nights, such as Wednesday, when Barnes and Ingram are going off on the offensive end, it’s hard to find an exact role for Barrett.
The trade for Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, whose defensive shortcomings are also a concern, doesn’t look good with OG Anunoby in a New York Knicks uniform.
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The blockbuster was orchestrated by Masai Ujiri as was Quickley’s quick extension.
GM Bobby Webster must also wear it, but he at least has the authority to address it, if it’s even possible.
It is early and the Raptors have played only five games, but some signs of concern of emerged.
The most pressing is on defence.
A close second can be found in the standings where the Raptors sit at 1-4.
Up next
Following Thursday’s off day, the Raptors are back on the road to play their fourth away game of the season when they hook up with the host Cleveland Cavaliers Friday night; Friday also marks the first night of the NBA’s in-season tournament; Toronto is also grouped in a division featuring Indiana, Atlanta and Washington.
fzicarelli@postmedia.com
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