Raptors shooting woes continue in loss to Trail Blazers

The Toronto Raptors failed to capitalize from beyond the arc as their shooting struggles continued in a 99-91 home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.

It was the Raptors third-straight defeat.

Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam each had a team-high 20 points, but Toronto’s bench struggled immensely, including guard Gary Trent Jr., who went 1-for-7 on the night. Rookie Gradey Dick missed all three of his attempts from beyond the arc, while OG Anunoby, Dennis Schröder, Siakam and Barnes combined to shoot 4-for-22 from three.

“We couldn’t get buckets. That was the theme of the night,” Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said.

The Raptors entered the contest having shot 38.8 per cent from three-point range through their first three games of the NBA season. The Raptors finished 13.8 per cent from three on Monday night, compared to Portland players shooting 31.4 per cent. The Blazers also out-rebounded the Raptors 51 to 47.

Jakob Poeltl had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Schröder added 10 points and a team-high eight assists.

The Raptors were without Precious Achiuwa, who missed the game with a groin injury.

For Portland, newcomer Deandre Ayton had a game-high 23 rebounds and added 10 points for a double-double of his own. Jerami Grant had a game-high 22 points, while Malcolm Brogdon chipped in 21 points off the bench for the Blazers.

Canadian forward Shaedon Sharpe played well in his return to Toronto, with a complete line of 14 points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks. The 20-year-old from London, Ont., was drafted seventh overall by Portland in the 2022 NBA Draft.

The Raptors will try to end the losing skid on Wednesday when they host Giannis Antetokounmpo, former Blazer guard Damian Lillard and the Milwaukee Bucks at Scotiabank Arena.