Blank for the Hernangómez

One of the two season duels between the Raptors and Pelicans, who only see each other twice a year as they are in different conferences, took place this Thursday in Toronto after the All-Star break. The previous one had been played in January. and subtle differences. Between both duels, not only has there been that short break in the season, there was a market closure that always agitates the teams. And the differences get bigger. In the duel of more than a month ago we were able to see the Hernangómez brothers face off in a game that resulted in a victory for the Pelicans, but on that second occasion the triumph changed sides and both Juancho and Willy had to observe the result without being able to contribute to it. A pity for them that it has not been reduced to this, it has become a trend for the two as the dreaded moment approaches in which the two end their contracts (month of June) and do not have a promotion handle to show their skills.

In the case of Juancho Two things have come together. For starters, planning a squad in which your position is overcrowded. Lots of eaves. And seniors who can also alternate with more interior work. It is a repeated profile. Siakam, Anunoby, Barnes, Boucher or even Achiuwa, rougher, have always been ahead of him. Even Koloko or Young have been left out in this match, like the man from Madrid. Because the other important point in this equation was the signing of Jakob Pöltl, who already knew the house and is the interior reinforcement that the Raptors were looking for in the market. The sum of the two factors gives as a result that there is no room for Juancho. His shooting forward facet is poorly exploited, the shots don’t go in, and Nurse doesn’t trust him as much as others.

on the side of willy everything is less understandable. While it’s true that the Pelicans’ inside rotation is also competent and not easy to gain a foothold in, two other points of contention are seen as a problem. First, Zion Williamson’s absence should open up opportunities for everyone else, but he’s not. Jonas Valanciunas, who wanted to be transferred in the market, continues as a reference center in the absence of the young man from Salisbury, whose health continues to be a murky matter that seems far from being resolved. But, in the background, neither Willy nor Jaxson Hayes is covering Zion, who was supposed to be in the fight for minutes with the Spanish. Green is playing low with Jones as the starter and Nance as the backup to help the Lithuanian center.

A new lost opportunity for the two brothers, even to live a moment of love and company despite the fact that they have stopped counting for their coaches, in a ScotiaBank Arena that once again experienced a victory of their own. This change in the squad is noticeable and the goal is getting closer to his fingers. The Raptors add already the third win in a row if we take the results prior to the break and also the sixth in seven gamesa boost for your future options.

The match was very well managed by the locals until the last quarter. The fifteen-point advantage with which they entered the game almost vanished. The Pels, especially with the momentum of McCollum (23) at first and Ingram (36) trying to finish off, worked like little ants in that last act to have a chance to fight at the end. And so it was with nine consecutive points from BI that brought the distance to -2 with 33 seconds to go. To a basket to tie or win. But there the thing stopped. A clearing play for Pascal Siakam (23) well defended by Jones in the central part made the ball pass from the Cameroonian to Gary Trent (18), waiting on the left side, to launch a triple that entered within the time of possession and who slipped into the hoop to burst the Canadian fans. There were only thirteen seconds of game time left and no more happened.