Gradey Dick stars as the Raptors narrowly lose in Charlotte

The Raptors did it again. The flare screen for Gradey Dick, transitioning to him as a backscreener in Spain Leak. They scored again because Dick is fantastic at attacking the top foot of closeouts; because Dick does super aggressive closeouts and because Dick is a talented rim finisher. Dick is a bigger part of the offense with each passing day – partly because of injuries, partly because he eats up usage while increasing efficiency – and if there's anything to be learned from all these injuries, it's that The Raptors are resilient bunches. On offense, the game was led by RJ Barrett and Dick with a silver bullet.

Dick ran across the screens, slipped into the spaces, sprinted out in transition and attacked the rim with vigor en route to 17 first-half points on just 9 shots. His offensive punch, along with Barrett's work downhill and providing seven assists, kept the Raptors alive while fending off a disproportionately hot shooting half from the Hornets – who made 10 three-pointers in the first 24 minutes. In the third quarter, a putback by Dick – a testament to his all-around offensive prowess – ultimately gave the Raptors their first lead in memory as they overcame a 23-point deficit and officially put the game away.

At the other end? Power? Devotion? It came mainly from Jonathan Mogbo. Mogbo, making his first career NBA start tonight, was great on defense. Whether it was denying the LaMelo ball for eight seconds to stop the Hornets' initiation at the point of attack, or blocking Miles Bridges, or planning moves on the help side to stop attacks, he did it, man. He didn't just make a defensive contribution either. The game was in many ways a track and field contest – a comfortable spot for the Raptors, who have covered the most miles in the NBA – and Mogbo enjoyed leading the transition and sneaking into the dunker spot, where he had the Namesake assisted – Multiple dips from this point.

Davion Mitchell also did a phenomenal job with Ball. I don't want to be clever, but the ball pressure was really great. Ball is a great point guard, but that means he can dribble relatively well and isn't as nervous as other guards, and Mitchell did a damn good job of securing his spot.

The fight at the center was kind of hilarious. Nick Richards and Jakob Poeltl seemed unable to stop each other, so they just kept scoring and rebounding in front of each other – almost as if they had a gentlemen's agreement to help the others rack up stats – Of course, since Poeltl is better, the Raptors won the big man battle. To reiterate, entering the 4th quarter, Poeltl had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Richards had 15 points and 12 rebounds. So to speak, two large ships that passed by in the night.

Unfortunately for the Raptors, it happened again after they crawled all the way back and cleared the wall that was the 3-point deficit in front of them. The Hornets went on an 18-2 run, thanks in large part to their 3-point shooting. As much as the Raptors fought, and they fought, in this case they couldn't climb all the way back. They were close, but they couldn't close the defensive hatches. Too many digs that didn't break up the floor, too many threes that were given up.

But a through line and something to be celebrated? Dick's 30-point, 3-steal performance on 65 percent shooting. The thought of Barrett going 31 and 8 against the Hornets may not have shocked anyone, but the combination of 61 and Dick is a notable silver lining. Dick doesn't need anyone to do the work for him. He doesn't need shooting opportunities to fall into his hands. He seizes the day, every damn day.

The injury luck has been terrible, the basketball has been riddled with inconsistency, but not from the Raptors sophomore — who seems like he might eventually put the word “star” next to his name. A silver lining indeed.

I wish you a blessed day.