Raptors takeaway: Davion Mitchell and Gradey Dick make case for bigger roles

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If Sunday's Raptors-Celtics game was as boring and uninspiring as an exhibition can be, the sequel was pretty much the opposite. Boston had its stars back in Toronto on Tuesday, but instead of jumping out to a 34-point lead with its second and third players like it did at home, the team fell behind by 24 points when Scottie Barnes and Gradey Dick moved to Toronto.

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The entertainment continued the rest of the evening as Boston erased a 19-point Toronto lead with a great second quarter and battled the rest of the way in a breezy game where the Raptors eventually won 119-118 despite one Wild finishes that included three lead changes in the last minute.

Barnes made five three-pointers, something he has only managed in three regular-season games in his career, and missed Toronto's first preseason triple-double by one rebound. Dick had 27 points, one more than Barnes, while Jakob Poeltl had 15 points and 16 rebounds. Jayson Tatum ran 24 in Boston, Derrick White 23 and Jaylen Brown 19.

The Raptors led by 10 when the teams left most of their starters off the rest of the night, but the Celtics rallied again.

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Here are some takeaways from Toronto's only preseason home game:

You never know what you're going to get

Toronto entered the game with just over a third of its preseason three-point attempts, putting it near the bottom of the league rather than the top. But then the Raptors took off, firing ten three-pointers on 14 attempts in the first quarter. It hit a franchise record for brands in a quarter and was quite unexpected. Barnes and Dick combined to score 7 of 9, while Davion Mitchell and Ochai Agbaji, who combined to go 1 of 10 in the game, each had one goal.

Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said before the game that he hoped his team would make more three-pointers after “missing open shots” in the previous two games. “We have to recognize these situations better and shoot more confidently,” Rajakovic said. That happened in the first quarter, but the shots tend to even out, and Toronto couldn't even hit a three-pointer in the second quarter, missing all eight attempts. This allowed the Celtics to storm back. Boston shot 8 of 15 from three-pointers in the second period for 40 points. That included three treys from Tatum, who has reworked his shot somewhat after struggling from beyond the arc in the playoffs and the Olympics.

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When it rains, it pours

The Raptors were already missing numerous players, including starters Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett as well as key backups Kelly Olynyk, Bruce Brown and Ja'Kobe Walter, and they lost one of their most intriguing preseason players. Rookie point guard Jamal Shead, who battled with Davion Mitchell for minutes behind Quickley, left early in the second quarter because of left hamstring strain.

Shead had been the first reserve player Darko Rajakovic had called on in the game and had shown his usual defensive intensity, but missed all three shot attempts, including a three-pointer. Shead hit two more free throws before leaving, improving to 13 of 14 from the line.

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Rajakovic had previously praised Shead for his energy, motor skills and “relentless” defense. “He never stops. He continues to fight and that allows us to find bargains and create transition opportunities.”

Mitchell picked a good time to play his best basketball of the exhibition season. He picked his teammates superbly, delivered eight assists, some in spectacular form, and provided his usual solid defense (check out Mitchell's sequence at the start of the fourth quarter for a good example). The surprise was that Mitchell started 3-for-4 with three-pointers.

Mitchell could return to the bench as early as Friday when Brooklyn's preseason ends. Quickley was cleared for full-contact shootaround Tuesday morning and could play depending on how he responds to two more days of practice.

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TOP BILLING

The Raptors' best performers on the night were Barnes (all-around punch in an impressive rebound); Thick (it wasn't just the outside shooting, he was also good inside, constantly making cuts to get the lead while also playing much better defensively than he did in Boston); Mitchell (he did everything well, to put it simply); and Ochai Agbaji, who had difficult defensive tasks, but was up to the task and at the same time showed better offensive performance than before. Jakob Pöltl, who is celebrating his 29th birthday, continued his strong preparation for the season. He has been the most consistent Raptor in the exhibitions so far and has looked good on both ends of the floor

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