Lucas Nogueira’s solid play in Game 1 an example of Casey’s confidence in bench
TORONTO — Lucas Nogueira had played about eight minutes each in 49 games during the regular season. And when Raptors coach Dwane Casey called his name with the game on the line Saturday night, Nogueira was sitting in his usual spot near the end of the bench, slurping on a drink.
But as always, the big Brazilian was ready to go in.
Casey’s confidence in his bench never faltered during the regular season, and Toronto’s “bench mob” grew into one of the best in the league. One through 11 on Saturday night, the Raptors’ depth played a huge part of Saturday’s 114-106 Game 1 win over the Washington Wizards, and will be a theme throughout their playoff run.
“I never know (if I’m going to play),” Nogueira said. “I’m always there sitting on the bench, drinking coconut water, watching the game. Some days, they say ‘Lucas, go ahead,’ and I just go and play.