Title: Terence Davis II responds to Nick Nurse criticism, first start with career night in Raptors’ OT victory
Date: January 8, 2020
Original Source: The Athletic
Synopsis: In my latest for The Athletic Toronto, I wrote about Terence Davis bouncing back from Nick Nurse’s criticism and having a career night in his first start.
Norman Powell let out a smile as Terence Davis II walked back to the bench, surely letting out an exhale of relief.
Davis had nearly committed what would have been a crucial turnover in overtime, trying to thread too difficult a pass to Serge Ibaka in transition. It was the crime of commission a team lives with from rookies, but it could have been deadly — the game was tied at 110 in the final minute, and whether the Raptors would have enough in the tank for a second extra frame, on the second night of a back-to-back, once again down five players, was a legitimate question. Luckily for Davis and the Raptors, Ibaka managed to corral the tipped pass and draw a foul. The Raptors would still have a chance to take the lead.
And so before Davis joined the huddle to regroup ahead of Ibaka’s free throws and Charlotte’s final possession, Powell took a moment to debrief with him. Like Ibaka has taken Davis under his wing from a nutrition and fitness perspective, Powell has used his time on the shelf with a shoulder injury to help where he can, continuing to play a leadership role with the team’s younger players. Before Wednesday’s game, Powell and Davis went through a film session together, with Davis hoping to straighten out his game after Nick Nurse said Tuesday he was “not playing very well.”
“My play was terrible the last few games, man,” Davis told the Sportsnet broadcast following the game.
Check it out on The Athletic.
Blake Murphy Sports Writing 