RSS Raptors Team Notes

[Toronto Raptors]

The Rap-Up: Managing adversity and expectations

Welcome to the second quarter of the season!

Blowing the lead in Charlotte on Saturday, then getting blown out in New York on Sunday should not change your opinion on how the Raptors performed over the first 21 games. By winning 2 of every 3 games and getting the 14th victory two months (or 27 games) earlier than last year, Toronto’s season has been an overwhelming success so far.

In winning nine games in a row, and sweeping the season series with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Raptors put the Eastern Conference on notice that they plan on playing games past April.

Now that they’ve exceeded expectations, the Raptors face a new challenge as they embark on the second quarter of the season: managing those expectations. Toronto has done a great job of taking care of business. Whether it’s defeating lottery-bound teams like Washington, Brooklyn, and Indiana, they’ve also capitalized on injury-depleted teams like Cleveland, Atlanta, and Philadelphia.

Toronto can no longer catch teams by surprise. With 4 hungry opponents coming to town, will the Raptors be able to get back to their winning ways?

Now this…is a work of art pic.twitter.com/0MgPvsp4VY

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) November 30, 2025

December 2 vs. Portland Trailblazers

As far as the first quarter of the season goes, there may not be any team that’s shocked more fans than the Portland Trailblazers. With all due respect to the Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns, and even these Toronto Raptors, not a single team in the NBA can hold a light to Portland’s biggest accomplishment so far: the Trailblazers are the only team to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder!

In fact, Portland has also defeated the Warriors (twice), Lakers, and Nuggets already this year. Giant slayers, indeed!

The Trailblazers entered the season with low expectations of making any noise in the West, despite having a very loud offseason. It started with drafting Cedric Coward (a Rookie of the Year candidate) to Memphis for a future first, two future seconds, and a pick they used on Hansen Yang (to many people’s surprise). Shortly after, Portland bought out DeAndre Ayton’s contract, who would then sign with the Lakers. Portland continued to turn heads, this time by trading Anfernee Simons’ expiring contract for 3 seasons of Jrue Holiday. Finally, the Blazers found themselves on the other side of a contract buyout and bringing back Damian Lillard after Milwaukee cut him loose.

After losing its season opener at home to Minnesota, the Blazers found themselves leading the news again. Head Coach, Chauncey Billups was arrested for allegedly taking part in illegal poker operations. In a time when everything old is new again, I still blown away that the term “Jailblazers” has somehow returned.

Fun fact that may only interest me

Two seasons ago, there were only 4 players that averaged at least 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.

• Nikola Jokic
• Luka Doncic
• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• LeBron James

Last season, there were only 4 players that averaged at least 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.

• Nikola Jokic
• Luka Doncic
• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Jayson Tatum

This season, there are only 4 players that average at least 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.

• Nikola Jokic
• Luka Doncic
• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Deni Avdija

Deni Avdija tonight became the second player in NBA history to score 30+ PTS in each of his first four career triple-doubles.

31 PTS
19 REB
10 AST pic.twitter.com/dllErbbfZN

— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) December 1, 2025

Prediction

Another reason for Portland’s success — as far as 8-12 records go — is Jerami Grant. For the first time since he was with the Thunder in 2018, Grant is no longer a starter. Donovan Clingan has taken over Ayton’s vacancy at Center. Shaedon Sharpe, Toumani Camara, and Avdija have all remained starters. So, Grant was bumped to make room for Holiday. Jerami has responded with renewed energy and purpose. He leads all reserves in scoring with 19.1 points per game and is one of the early favourites to claim the Sixth Man of the Year award.

While Portland has an impressive resume of victories this season, they’ve come down to Earth lately. The Blazers have lost 7 of its last 9 games and own the 4th-worst offense over the last two weeks. This game in Toronto is the first of a five-game road trip — already Portland’s second road trip of five games! The Raptors get back on the winning track and cover the -6.5 spread.

December 4 vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Before the season started, I was a guest on a Lakers podcast, Lakers Fast Break, to preview the Toronto Raptors. To wrap up the show, and to appease the Lakers-heavy audience, the host, Gerald Glassford asked for my thoughts on the Lakers. With LeBron James missing the beginning of the season, I said the Lakers shouldn’t worry too much if they start slow, because all that matters is that LeBron, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves are healthy for a playoff run and a top-3 seed.

After 19 games, I was surprisingly correct about the ranking — Los Angeles is 15-4 and currently 2nd to OKC. However, there was no slow start because, surprise, the Lakers still have Luka!

Doncic leads the league in scoring with 35.1 points per game, ranks 4th in assists with 9.2 per game, and edges out DeAndre Ayton (8.7-8.6) and leads the team in rebounds. The Robin to Luka’s Batman has NOT been LeBron, but Austin Reaves!

Reaves is 9th in points (28.8), 12th in assists (6.8), and 8th in true shooting percentage (68.1%). Austin is one of only two guards in the top 10 in true shooting percentage — a category typically dominated by bigs — with the other guard, AJ Green, owning a usage percent (13%) more than half the amount of Reaves’ (28.5%).

I’m struggling to think of a better duo in the NBA than Luka and Austin. Possibly because a better duo doesn’t exist. Add in LeBron freaking James, who is still spry, regardless of age or wear and tear, and you can easily see why Lakers fans are in good spirits.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić and New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson have been named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for Week 6 of the 2025-26 season (Nov. 24-30). pic.twitter.com/HMc4gWmWbR

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 1, 2025

Fun fact that may only interest me

For the majority of this column’s existence, LeBron James has been a Laker, which means the Raptors only face him twice a year. I’m not going to scan through 7 years of my archive but it’s probably fair to assume that whenever the Raptors faces the Lakers, this section is occupied by an incredulous LeBron stat.

Today is slightly different, as James’ scoring records have been trending lately.

Cooper Flagg recently surpassed LeBron as they youngest player in NBA history to score 35 points in a game. That seemed like a record that could stand the test of time since high-school-to-NBA leaps were banned.

Giannis Antetokounmpo recently scored his 21,000th point. He then boldly predicted that he could break LeBron’s all-time scoring record in “four, five years.” Maybe the comma was a mistake and he meant “four-five years” because scoring 21,251 more points over the next five seasons means Giannis would have to score 51.7 points per game (while also playing all 82 games in each of the seasons).

Prediction

This is a bad matchup for Toronto. Nobody gets to the free throw line more than the Lakers. Luka (1st) and Austin (3rd) make more free throws per game than anyone in the league. The Raptors, while they’ve toned down their defensive ball pressure of late, are still a bottom-10 team in foul calls. Scottie Barnes may be on his way to his first All-Defense selection, but even he won’t have an answer for Luka. Meanwhile, Reaves will have his way with Immanuel Quickley or RJ Barrett. Lakers win and cover the +2.5 spread.

December 5 vs Charlotte Hornets

The second game of a back-to-back, as well as the final game of a three-games-in-four-nights stretch is typically the most difficult. It certainly doesn’t help that the Raptors have to face the pesky Hornets.

Before the draft lottery, I was hoping, obviously, for Toronto to land Cooper Flagg. Assuming that wasn’t going to happen — the Raptors only win draft lotteries when the draft class sucks — my second wish was to move up and snag Kon Knueppel. At first, it was the thought of having a Dick-Knueppel duo that would break the internet. But as I learned more about each of the prospects, Knueppel really stood out as the future Klay Thompson that Gradey Dick was promised.

This is the third time these teams are playing each other in under three weeks. It’s basically a playoff series. As with any playoff matchup, you get comfortable with the opponents’ players and lineups. One thing I’ve learned is that Moussa Diabate gives my Reggie Evans vibes. I love him.

One thing I have not learned, only solidified what I already believed: I dislike Miles Bridges.

Fun fact that may only interest me

Charlotte and Toronto have always played each other tough. While the Hornets owned the the matchup in the first decade of the Raptors’ existence, it’s been mostly Toronto for the last decade. Charlotte has won the season series once over the last ten seasons against the Raptors…….the championship season, when Jeremy Lamb the Hornets took 2 of 3 from Toronto.

#whoremembers pic.twitter.com/9gpvVKtpNE

— RapsShowYo (@RapsShowYo) November 30, 2025

Prediction

For the second consecutive game, the Raptors are at a rest disadvantage. RJ Barrett may or may not be back. Since returning from his back injury, Jakob Poeltl has sat out one of the games in each of Toronto’s 3 back-to-backs. It’s probably safe to assume Jak will play the Lakers and sit against the Hornets.

Toronto should have taken care of business in Charlotte last Saturday. They won’t make that mistake again. The Raptors win and cover the -5.5 spread.

December 7 vs Boston Celtics

The Celtics are annoying.

Granted, that’s a statement Raptors fans could probably state every time Boston comes to town. But this year’s Celtics a different kind of annoying.

When Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles tendon during last season’s playoffs — followed by the salary-clearing trades of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday — the message seemed pretty clear from Boston’s front office: sit this season out and come back stronger in 2026-27.

However — there always seems to be a ‘however’ when the Celtics are the topic of discussion — Boston still has a Finals MVP, Jaylen Brown, an All-Defense guard, Derrick White, one of the best coaches in the league, Joe Mazzulla (top-4 in Coach of the Year voting, twice), and the greatest (ahem, only) Portuguese player of all time, Neemias Queta.

They’ve essentially defeated the teams they were supposed to (Wizards, Pelicans, Nets, Grizzlies, Clippers), while maintaining the same identity of launching triples (leading the league in non-corner threes frequency for a third consecutive season).

Fun fact that may only interest me

This is a Raptors-Celtics game, but this section is dedicated to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The preseason favourite to sit atop the East alongside New York has been hit with injuries and currently a pedestrian (for them) 12-9.

Five of Cleveland’s nine losses have come at the hands of the Raptors and Celtics. Cleveland’s worst margins of defeats:

• Loss by 20 to Boston
• Loss by 13 to Toronto
• Loss by 11 to Toronto
• Loss by 11 to Toronto (another one)

Prediction

When the calendar flipped from 2021 to 2022, the Trailblazers moved Anfernee Simons into the starting lineup. He had only started 8 of the first 184 games of his career. From then on, Simons started 205 consecutive games he played in. That streak came to an end when he slipped on a Celtics uniform. The 7-year veteran has come off the bench for each of the 20 games he’s played for Boston……and has performed admirably! His minutes, usage, and overall numbers have generally decreased, but he’s making more out of his time on the floor. Simons’ three-point and field goal percentages are above his career averages, while his Win Shares per 48 are also a career-best. He has essentially replaced Peyton Pritchard (who has replaced Holiday in the starting lineup) as the annoying Celtics guard to come off the bench.

The Boston reserve who will not annoy the Scotiabank Arena crowd is Chris Boucher. Slimm Duck will make his regular season return to Toronto. Unfortunately for viewers at home, this game is not being broadcast on TSN, which means fans will not hear Jack Armstrong scream, “Booonnnnjooouuuuuuuurrrrr!!”

Covering the Raps, I've gotten to watch/tell some of the most remarkable success stories in sports but none were more unlikely than Chris Boucher's. He wrote about his incredible journey in great detail for @PlayersTribune & it's definitely worth your time https://t.co/IBEEZRMfTB

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) October 10, 2025

A team with Boston’s offensive profile should give Toronto fits. The Celtics win and cover the +2.5 spread.

Last week: 2-2

Season record: 14-7

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-a...s-december-1-7-blazers-lakers-hornets-celtics

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Scottie Barnes is a bonafide NBA All-Star

It’s the beginning of a week-plus long home stand for the Toronto Raptors, as they welcomed the Portland Trail Blazers to Scotiabank Arena Tuesday night. After losing in back-to-back games against Charlotte and New York on the road this weekend, the Raptors got the news that Scottie Barnes was the Eastern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Month for October/November. Darko Rajakovic was also nominated for Coach of the Month, but lost to Detroit’s JB Bickerstaff.

Regardless of those nods, it was time to get to work and kick off a condensed week of games with a good start. While Portland were surely a formidable opponent, their injury luck hasn’t been the best this season. A win tonight was necessary to stop the bleeding from the losses of the weekend and start this stretch with confidence.

i dont even know what else to say besides that scottie barnes is playing amazing every time out on both ends. putting it all together in year five.

— William Lou (@william_lou) December 3, 2025

With the winning streak now behind us (for now?), the Raptors will have a challenging stretch of games ahead of them. Back-to-backs, star players, West Coast teams, and the NBA Cup single elimination round. That’s okay, though; part of growing as a team is learning how to face the adversity that is inevitable in the NBA.

Darko’s Coach of the Month nomination relates back to this, too, given that he is such a great coach to lead a developing team through growth. It’s why he was hired, and it’s why he’s seeing a lot of progress this season. Gone are the tanking days, and now Darko can lead this team to the best of his ability to some success this season.

When Darko was asked about his Coach of the Month nomination before the game against Portland, he didn’t really have much to say about it, but noted that he doesn’t really have many feelings about it. The team is just focused on “getting 1% better every day,” as he put it. That was also the message during their nine-game winning streak — don’t lose focus, don’t let ego (from these recognitions) get in the way of the real work. It’s that humble and connected team culture that is being talked about around the league by guys like Kendrick Perkins and others. Darko doesn’t let anyone get too inflated, but also instills confidence in pride in them as well. Immanuel Quickley said it best after the game, this team thrives on “staying even-keeled.”

A big reason why the Raptors faltered over the weekend is because of RJ Barrett’s absence from the lineup. The Canadian is averaging nearly 20 points a game for the team and brings a ton of physical offence and efficiency to his role. His importance had been emphasized in his absence as he recovers from a minor knee injury and hopes to return during this home stand.

Yet, that means the Raptors are down a starter, and while their top replacements are great defensively, it’s hard to replace that offensive impact.

That’s only hindered the Raptors some of the time over the past week. On Saturday, it was their inability to get anything going in overtime, and on Sunday, they were just overpowered by the Knicks.

Tuesday night’s game was more of an even contest, with the lead flip-flopping more. The Raptors were able to recover from a huge discrepancy in three-point shooting to start the game, and while they definitely let Portland continue to come back, they always recovered. It was easier for them to maintain a 15-point lead in the second half, with their shooting recovered and with Immanuel Quickley and Scottie Barnes both scoring 20+ points in the third. Ultimately it came down to a clutch game situation for the Raptors… again. Feels like a lot of those lately, but the Raptors have a winning record in these situations this season, 7-3.

Scottie hitting every shot, IQ flying around screens for 3s, Jak finishing reverse layups. Life is good in the third quarter.

— William Lou (@william_lou) December 3, 2025

Scottie Barnes, in particular, was proving he earned a league-wide nod this week with his contributions on the court. Barnes has been playing at an All-Star level this season, averaging 19.9 points per game with 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 stocks per game.

“I’ve been guarding the best player [on opposing teams] since middle school,” Barnes told the media on Tuesday.

It was Barnes and Quickley who continued to show up offensively for the Raptors, especially when Ingram sat for a lot of the 4th quarter after rolling his ankle. Despite another clutch game situation for the Raptors, they were able to get the win 121-118 over Portland.

On a day in which Scottie Barnes finally got some long overdue league-wide recognition for his work on D, he was pretty damn special on the other end of the floor.

28 points on 18 shots, 7 rebounds, 7 assists & a +18. Raptors were -15 without him. No other starter better than +7

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) December 3, 2025

Barnes scored 28 points in the win shooting 10-18 from the field and 3-7 from three, with 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 blocks. He does everything for this team, and the way he is putting together his leadership on and off the court in his 5th year in the NBA is pushing this team to new heights. If the Raptors keep winning like they are, now with a record of 14-7 on the season, Scottie should already be a lock for an All-Star spot.

“This was a big time win for us, we really needed it,” Barnes said in his post game media session.

The Toronto Raptors play again this Thursday when they welcome the Los Angeles Lakers to Scotiabank Arena.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-s...-raptors-scottie-barnes-all-star-win-portland

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Can Raptors build on reputation as dominant home team?

The Toronto Raptors return to the Scotiabank Arena for the start of a five-game homestand with a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST on TSN.

A combination of poor shooting and defensive mishaps resulted in the Raptors dropping their last two games against the New York Knicks and the Charlotte Hornets. It’s the first time Toronto has dropped consecutive games since Oct. 24-29.

Outside of this contest being the first meeting between the Raptors and the Trail Blazers this season, here are three more storylines to consider:

Home for the holidays​

With the Raptors hosting an NBA Cup game against the Knicks on Dec. 9, the upcoming stretch will be the first of three five-game homestands this season. The Raptors are 7-2 at home this year. Only four teams (three in the Eastern Conference) have played fewer home games than Toronto this season.

At 7-2, the Raptors have the sixth-best home record in the NBA and the third-best in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors haven’t finished with a winning home record since the 2022-23 season, during which they went 27-14 on home soil.

The Raptors’ home and away splits are fairly comparable despite the difference in the home-win loss columns. If there’s one noticeable thing the Raptors do better in front of their fans, it’s shooting the three-ball. On their home court, the Raptors are shooting 39.7 per cent on 31.9 attempts per game. On the road, the efficiency drops to 33.9 per cent on 32.3 attempts.

Blazers look fun​

For the second straight year, Portland is 8-12 through the first 20 games of the season. While the Trail Blazers are 3-7 in their last ten games, this stretch included opponents in the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and two games against the Oklahoma City Thunder. There’s enough competitive grit on the roster to suggest their identity lies somewhere in between the slump they’re in now and the team that started 4-2.

Their resurgence begins with Deni Avdija. In his second full season with the Blazers since being traded by the Washington Wizards, Avdija is an early candidate for the Most Improved Player award. Avdija finished with 31 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Thunder’s elite defence in their last game on Nov. 30. It was his second triple-double of the year, which already matches his total from last season. Avdija is putting up career-highs in points (25.8), assists (5.8), rebounds (7.1), field goal percentage (47.6), and three-point percentage (37.8).

After only playing 67 games in his rookie season last year, centre Donovan Clingan had his perfect season snapped when he missed his first game against the Thunder. Now that he’s starting every night, the seven-foot-two big sophomore is figuring out the league. Clingan is one of nine players currently averaging a double-double.

The Austrian hammer​

Clingan is dealing with an illness that appears to be spreading through the NBA, but if he is available, the Raptors will need to check their own injury report. Jakob Poeltl missed the previous game against the Knicks due to load management for his back injury. Anything back or knee-related isn’t ideal for centres, especially for a Raptors team that doesn’t have true big man depth behind Poeltl.

The Raptors are 3-3 without Poeltl and look considerably outmatched against teams with serviceable bigs. Poeltl’s absence takes Scottie Barnes away from what he does best schematically on the defensive end. It also forces Barnes to exert energy and foul capital on the opposing big man.

The Raptors are also 7-0 when Poeltl scores at least 10 points.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-g...ors-build-on-reputation-as-dominant-home-team

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Nitpicking the Toronto Raptors Ahead of Matchup With Los Angeles Lakers

The Toronto Raptors play game two of a five-game homestand against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST on Sportsnet.

With over a quarter of the season in the books, the Raptors are 15-7 and second in the Eastern Conference, primarily due to an eight-game home winning streak. Despite the Raptors exceeding nearly everyone’s expectations, there’s sensibility in critiquing the team during their recent run of success.

Outside of Luka Doncic missing the game due to personal reasons, here are three more storylines to consider in the upcoming matchup.

The Offence is a Work in Progress​

The Raptors rank tenth in offensive rating but the offence feels uninspiring, particularly during the most important stretches of games. Toronto has been outscored in the fourth quarter in its last five consecutive contests. Lately, the team looks stagnant on offence, especially as they try to get the ball to Brandon Ingram in his preferred spot in the left corner. Teams have recently shaded coverage from various areas, and it’s often resulted in the Raptors resorting to a ‘break-glass-in-case-of-emergency” type of scramble within less than 10 seconds on the shot clock.

RJ Barrett is still dealing with a right knee sprain, which means the Raptors’ auxiliary options must continue to operate with little room for error. The team was fortunate that Gradey Dick finally broke out of his slump with 14 points against the Portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 2. It was Dick’s first double-digit scoring game since Nov. 23 against the Brooklyn Nets. The Raptors have to get production from one of Dick or Ja’Kobe Walter until Barrett returns.

Since Barrett went down, Ingram is also shooting 43.9 per cent from the field and 35.7 per cent from three. After averaging a whopping 26.3 shots in the first three games without Barrett, Ingram has reverted to 14 shots per game. There are times when Ingram has looked passive, but defences have done a good job of keeping him out of actions. With teams slowing the Raptors down, they must grow comfortable with playing in a half-court game in preparation for a potential playoff run.

Hollywood North​

Unfortunately, Canadian basketball fans won’t get to see Doncic in the Lakers’ only visit north of the border this year. But for the Raptors defence, it couldn’t have played out any better. Doncic is averaging 35.3 points (career-high), 8.9 rebounds, and 8.9 assists to go with 1.6 steals. His 13 double-doubles currently put him on pace to break his career-best total of 49.

Without Doncic, the Lakers are a tricky team to place. Austin Reaves becomes their best player. The fifth-year guard is having a career year, averaging 28.1 points on 51.9 per cent shooting. Lebron James looks like he’s still easing his way into game shape, but he’s always prone to turning back the clock against the Raptors.

With Jakob Poeltl sitting the game out, it’s DeAndre Ayton who could end up being the matchup’s x-factor. The Lakers are 8-0 when Ayton finishes with at least 10 points and 10 rebounds. Ayton has been recently dealing with a knee ailment.

The League is Taking Notice​

In his fifth season, Scottie Barnes has seemingly put everything together. He’s moving differently than anyone else on the court. It almost always looks like he’s one step ahead of the action.

Barnes is averaging 20.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5 assists per game. He’s also notching 1.4 steals and 1.6 blocks. But the most impressive element of Barnes’ growth has been his outside shooting. Barnes is shooting a career-high 41.6 per cent on 3.5 three-point attempts. His previous best was 34.1 per cent on 4.9 attempts during the 2023-24 season. He was named an all-star that year. It’s also encouraging that many of his attempts are coming from the top of the arc rather than the corners. If he continues to shoot anywhere near this level of efficiency, he’ll become one of the league’s toughest covers, especially due to his playmaking.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-g...tors-ahead-of-matchup-with-los-angeles-lakers

 

[Toronto Raptors]

‘You can’t control winning’ says Raptors coach as they lose to Hornets

“We can’t control winning,” Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic said on Friday evening. On a cold December night, the Raptors prepared to play their second game of a back-to-back, their 5th game in seven nights. Last night’s buzzer-beater loss to the LA Lakers still fresh, it was time to let that go and focus on the task ahead, tonight’s game against Charlotte.

It’s one of those weeks where the grind of an 82-game season starts to settle in. Yet, in more of Rajakovic’s words, “exhaustion cannot be an excuse.” The Toronto Raptors could have used a win, as they attempted to get the edge in their season series over the Hornets. It doesn’t matter what happened last night, it doesn’t matter what next week looks like; it was time to focus on the present moment, this game.

That ability to focus on the present is a skill that will take you far in basketball, especially in a season as long as the NBA’s. Especially when you just lost to the Lakers last night, on a LeBron James-assisted buzzer-beater after fighting your way back into the game. As Rajakovic put it, you need to focus on what you can control — it’s a skill that most people need to work on, NBA player or not.

In Darko’s eyes, you can’t control whether you win or lose a basketball game. There’s always going to be factors — like the referee’s calls, or the shot not going in, the opposing team stealing the ball — that his team simply cannot control. If you focus too much on winning instead of focusing on what you can control, like your effort on the court, you’ll get away from the small things that actually do control results.

“If you put winning as your primary objective and goal, then you’re losing focus on details,” Rajakovic said. “You want to have your focus on execution, on preparation, on things that you really control. We control how we’re gonna get involved [in the game].”

Eventually, those small details add up. That’s the “1% every day” mentality that has been the basis of Rajakovic’s coaching philosophy since the moment he stepped into this role.

“You have to be present,” Immanuel Quickley said tonight, “because it’s a process, it’s a journey.”

So, what are the things the Toronto Raptors can control?

The biggest, most obvious one is their effort on defence. That’s something that Scottie Barnes does so, so well. When he’s out there leading the defensive effort, it looks like he sees the game in slow motion. So much so that Barnes is able to direct his lineup like he’s the conductor in his own basketball orchestra.

When he’s playing defence, Barnes focuses on doing whatever he can to help the team in that moment. It’s on instinct — does the team need a body on help side? Where are the holes in their shield? At what precise moment does he need to make the leap to block, so that he has the best chance of stopping the play but avoiding a foul?

“The [raw] talent is there for sure, but talent without work is nothing,” Rajakovic said Friday about Barnes’s defensive IQ. “He’s really diligent with studying the film. Sometimes he fails, but the beauty of Scottie Barnes is that he figures it out for next time.”

That helps when you’re playing a team for the third time this season in December, like the Raptors were the Hornets on Friday night. The first time, the Raptors won in clutch time at home; the second time, the Hornets won in overtime at their own arena. The tiebreaker was either team’s for the taking, and tonight it was Charlotte that took it in a 111-82 blowout to a gassed Raptors team.

"Physically, we were worn down. I'm proud of them, they tried. Not enough in the tank," says Darko.

Says he hopes a day of rest tomorrow will hopefully help. https://t.co/wNtvrTFJ8l

— chelsea leite (@chelsealeite) December 6, 2025

With RJ Barrett still out with his minor knee injury, Ja’Kobe Walter was back in the starting lineup tonight. Jakob Poeltl was back after sitting out last night, and Ochai Agbaji is out due to personal reasons. Despite saying last night that exhaustion could not be used as an excuse, the Raptors looked tired out there tonight. Sure, it’s not an excuse, but it’s definitely one of those uncontrollable factors Darko talked about when you’re playing this many games in a week.

When you’re gassed, it’s hard to get out there and grasp the controllables of a game. You’re not able to jump as high to get a round or be as active on defence. Your shot doesn’t have as much power. It was clear on every front that the Raptors were just running out of steam. The only player who scored more than 20 points in the game was Immanuel Quickley, who (quite randomly to be honest) had his best game of the season with 31 points.

Darko’s words ring more true after a rough night for the Raptors. This game seemed out of their control from the moment they tipped off. Everything from the 10-minute delay due to technical issues inside the arena to the way it felt like clawing up a cliff just to get a shot up.

If you’re going back to that “one game at a time” mentality, this is just a bump in the road. One loss in an 82-game season. Just like they started the day, the Raptors need to wipe this game from memory, rest tomorrow, and reset for Sunday’s game against the Boston Celtics. The Raptors are better than their performance tonight, but again, too many things out of their grasp to get the win tonight.

“The only thing we can control is our work,” Darko said after the game. His response to this game is to regroup, rest, and get back to work next week.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-s...ic-toronto-raptors-charlotte-hornets-nba-game

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Preview: Toronto Raptors vs. Charlotte Hornets

The Toronto Raptors will be hosting the Charlotte Hornets for their third of four games this season in the midst of a homestand. In the last few weeks, they’ve already faced the Hornets twice, splitting the first two games with each team winning at home.

Charlotte’s record is 6-16, proving how up and (mostly) down their season has been. After managing back-to-back victories, they immediately followed it up with a loss to Brooklyn, one of the worst teams in the League this year. Toronto has had their own share of difficulty recently. Last night, despite double digit performances by seven of the ten players who checked in, a last-second 3-pointer by Rui Hachimura sealed the Raptors fate, now dropping 3 of the last 4 games.

The Hornets will look to capitalize on Toronto’s down turn, especially with a rest advantage. Their injury report is fairly extensive, but some of their personnel are questionable or probable. Depending on who suits up, this game could look very different. Losing Collin Sexton is already disappointing for them, as he played exceptionally well down the stretch in the last outing against Toronto, forcing overtime and helping facilitate scoring in the extra minutes. LaMelo, Miller (when he isn’t injured) and Kalkbrenner have been fixtures, together contributing 46 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists per game. If any or all of them are missing, Charlotte will have to rely on rookie Kon Knueppel to continue to carry the offence and Moussa Diabete to help control the paint on both ends.

The Raptors are going to want this one, probably a little bit more than others. Answering their last loss, and also their loss to the Hornets will be on the agenda. Rather than keeping the score close, as was the case in two of their recent losses, Toronto will look to build a comfortable lead. BI will need to improve his shooting efficiency this time out, shooting less than 50% from the field and going 0-6 from long range last night. As a whole, the Raptors were shooting well, but throwing bricks at that clip, especially in close games can determine the outcome. They’ll have also improve their free-throw shooting. Only 81% is unfortunate, and the four they missed could’ve been the game against the Lakers.

On a more positive note, with the continued absence of RJ Barrett, Ja’Kobe had the opportunity to have one of his best games of the season so far last night. Scoring 17 points on efficient shooting and adding a couple boards and assists as well showed his potential for a bigger role.

Where to Watch​

7:30 pm ET on TSN

Probable Starters​

Toronto: Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, Ja’Kobe Walter, Immanuel Quickley

Charlotte: LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges, Moussa Diabete, Sion James

Injury Report​

Toronto: Not yet submitted.

Charlotte: LaMelo Ball (Probable: Wrist sprain), Pat Connaughton (Out: Calf strain), Josh Green (Out: Shoulder surgery), Ryan Kalkbrenner (Questionable: Ankle contusion), Tre Mann (Questionable: Knee soreness), Brandon Miller (Questionable: Shoulder subluxation), Drew Peterson (Out: G-League), Collin Sexton (Out: Quad strain), Grant Williams (Out: Knee surgery)

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/general/48797/preview-toronto-raptors-vs-charlotte-hornets

 

[Toronto Raptors]

LeBron’s streak ends, but Raptors lose to Lakers by buzzer beater

One of the most interesting games in the Toronto Raptors calendar — LeBron and the LA Lakers in Toronto. It comes at a pretty inconvenient time for the Raptors, honestly. Thursday’s game was their 4th game in 6 nights, the first in their second back-to-back of the week. The Lakers also had a bit of bad luck to overcome, given they were missing Luka Doncic, who is currently in Slovenia for the birth of his second child.

Yet LeBron was playing, which isn’t always the case for the Lakers’ sole trip to Toronto in a season. On Toronto’s injury report, Barrett was joined by Jakob Poeltl, who opted to sit on the bench tonight and play tomorrow, giving his back an extra day to rest.

In a packed week for the Raptors, a game against the 15-5 Lakers isn’t exactly optimal, especially missing Barrett and Poeltl. Barnes can definitely give James a hard time, assisted by the rookie Collin Murray-Boyles, who entered for his first minutes of the game to block the legend on a drive immediately. Still, it wasn’t even halfway through the first quarter before Scottie was noticeably a little gassed, getting back slowly after defensive possessions or staying in the backcourt entirely and letting his teammates operate. That didn’t stop him from a monster stat line tonight, though.

When asked where his innate ability to react quickly on defence comes from, Scottie said after the game that he is always “trying to play defence as best as I can.”

“I’m trying to help the team [on defence] in any way I can,” he said, “whether that’s trying to guard help side, no matter what it is, I just focus on that area.”

“A slight lag” is a good way to describe the way this game felt to start. From both sides, given the fact that the Raptors held LeBron James to just 4 points in the first half. While LeBron wasn’t cooking as usual, the Raptors couldn’t fully capitalize and get ahead, either. Without Doncic, it was up to Austin Reaves to carry the offensive load for the Lakers, while their big man Deandre Ayton, was getting what he wanted under the rim, given Poeltl was absent.

In the end, the Raptors did hold LeBron to just 8 points total in the game, breaking a years-long streak of scoring at least 10 points in every game he’s played in. He didn’t really care when asked about it after the game by the media, especially since his team got the win in the end. While LeBron wasn’t getting the points himself, he did dish it out very well, ending the game with 11 assists, including the one on the game-winning shot.

LeBron James' streak of 1,297 games with 10+ points is over.

He was held to under 10 points for the first time since Jan. 5, 2007.

— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) December 5, 2025

In the second half of the game especially, the efforts of second line guys were evident. Players like Ja’Kobe Walter, who has been subbing in for RJ Barrett while he sits with his minor knee injury, or Collin Murray-Boyles, who had maybe his best game of his rookie season, showed out. As for the Lakers, it was an effort largely dominated by Reaves, who ended the game with 44 points on 13 for 21 shooting.

The Raptors pulled out their gritty style of ball in the fourth quarter, with Scottie Barnes going nuclear on both ends of the floor. He continues to just do everything for this team, bordering on a triple-double tonight, missing just one assist to get him there. It was these efforts that allowed the team to go from being down 10+ to nearly sending the game to overtime, and the game ended on a buzzer-beater.

It was yet another clutch game situation for Toronto as well, something they are getting used to. Unfortunately, tonight, it did not go in Toronto’s way, like it has the majority of the time this season. In a thrilling end-of-game situation, the Raptors lost the ball while tied, leading to a wild Lakers possession to win the game 123-120.

An unfortunate loss for Toronto, especially given they have a game tomorrow against Charlotte.

As we like to do here, though, let’s keep in mind some silver linings. Apart from Scottie, it was a good offensive team effort from everyone. Every starter scored in double digits, with Barnes leading at 23 points, Ingram just behind with 20 points, Walter with 17, and Mamukelashvili and Quickley with 13 each. Barnes filled out his stat line with 11 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 stocks, shooting 8 for 16 from the field.

Jamison Battle is another player who has been taking advantage of his minutes on the floor and scored 10 points on 4 for 5 shooting from the field. As the Raptors head into more condensed games to end this week and head into next week, being able to stretch the rotation and depend on guys like Battle will help them in these clutch situations. Hopefully, they end up with more wins than losses, like tonight.

When Darko Rajakovic was asked in his postgame presser about how the team deals with the exhaustion of playing so many times in one week, he responded that they can’t “use that as an excuse.”

“This is the pace of the NBA,” he said, “there’s another game tomorrow. You just have to get ready and go.”

Go, they will, as they play Friday, Sunday, and then Tuesday in their NBA Cup quarterfinal game. Barrett is day-to-day and could make a comeback at any point, which the Raptors would happily accept. Fresh legs at this point would be welcome.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-s...aptors-la-lakers-scottie-lebron-reaves-streak

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Raptors recover from rough first half, not enough to overcome Celtics

A lot can change game to game in an NBA season. For the Toronto Raptors, there was a bit of a pattern over the weekend. It started when they played the LA Lakers on Thursday night, losing by a buzzer-beater shot assisted by LeBron James. It wasn’t necessarily a bad loss, but after the game, Darko Rajakovic was adamant that exhaustion from a busy schedule cannot be an excuse for not giving 100% effort.

Then came Friday night’s game, less than 24 hours after Darko’s comments about effort and exhaustion. The Raptors looked truly gassed on the court, losing a rough game to the Charlotte Hornets. After that game, Darko was a little less lenient in his stance on being tired. He said after the game that he was proud of his guys for truly trying, but that they were tired. Maybe not an excuse for losing that badly to Charlotte, but definitely a factor in their performance.

The Raptors then had just one day off before they were back for an early afternoon game on Sunday. Darko was asked about exhaustion again, this time as it pertained to Brandon Ingram’s sudden decrease in output. Again, Darko’s stance lightened, saying he was feeling the fatigue, it looked like we were feeling the fatigue (funny but true), and clearly, the team was too. They had to push past it, though.

The team’s philosophy is all about being 1% better every day. When Darko was asked what 1% better looks like today, especially after a game like Friday’s, he talked about the conversations the team had today. There was no time for practice or even a shootaround between games, given that the NBA calls for a mandatory day off after back-to-backs and today’s game was so early. Darko did say that the team had a productive film session on Sunday morning, focusing on the little improvements they could make to improve from their performance on Friday night. What else can you do when RJ Barrett is still out, and there isn’t really time to make other adjustments?

Tired or not, the Raptors’ start against the Celtics was not good. They were not taking care of the basketball, racking up turnovers and not making the shots they were getting. Three of those early turnovers were on Ingram alone, and the Raptors were lucky that those only resulted in 4 points for Boston. It got uglier fast, though, with the Celtics shooting the Raptors out of the building and the Raptors themselves not doing much defensively to stop them.

“I think we got back to ourselves in the second half,” Jamal Shead said after the game”. “That wasn’t us in the first half, no excuses for that.”

Toronto was not able to match the physicality of the Celtics, unable to keep up with their 56.6% shooting from the field in the first half (compared to the Raptors’ 46.7% shooting), and had double the amount of turnovers in the first half as well. Gradey Dick played 7.5 minutes in the first half, making zero shooting attempts in that time despite the Celtics cooking the Raptors on perimeter shooting.

Raptors are being outscored 14-2 on the break and 15-2 on the offensive glass. Celtics have made more 3-pointers (12) than Toronto has attempted (10). pic.twitter.com/UStJHCUY04

— Josh Lewenberg (@JLew1050) December 7, 2025

In the third quarter, the Raptors came back with a little more intensity, bringing the game back within 6 points by the end of the quarter. There was more effort being put into defence, Ingram had recovered from his rough scoring drought from this week, and both Agbaji and Mamukelashvili were providing good contributions off the bench.

Suddenly, it was a game, and the Raptors were switching leads with the Celtics. As usual, Scottie Barnes came alive in the fourth quarter. He’s been playing at an All-Star, hell, even All-NBA level this season, but he just hit another level in the fourth quarter. As Darko put it earlier this year, “Scottie turns into a monster in the fourth quarter.”

Ingram got going in this game as well, better than he has all week. He scored 30 points on 11-for-20 shooting and didn’t get any additional turnovers in the second half.

"Some days I just want to be at the gym, but I also know I have to take care of my body. It varies, but it's more cold tubs, more massages, more rest, more film. Trying to prepare as best I can for game time."

-Ingram on what he's doing to stay healthy this season

— chelsea leite (@chelsealeite) December 7, 2025

Ultimately, it wasn’t enough. Some really frustrating no-calls on the Celtics mixed with some really bad offensive decisions from the Raptors led Boston to extend the lead yet again. Toronto did a good job on defence down the stretch, though, and overall, the game didn’t end as badly as it started. Hard to recover from playing so poorly in the first half. It was nice, however, to see them be able to turn things around midgame instead of giving up. They need to work on making that something that doesn’t have to be done, though.

Boston took this game 121-113, their fifth consecutive win and the Raptors’ third consecutive loss.

“They were not the same guys [from the first to the second half],” Darko said after the game. “I demanded more urgency from this team.”

“We need every single player on this team to step on the floor and contribute,” he continued, when asked about how they are managing with injuries and absences, but also with fatigue and varying output from players in this stretch.

The more we see this team play 1) without RJ Barrett and 2) without a solid backup big man who is 7-feet tall, the more you see the cracks. They aren’t bad overall, but without a backup big (especially with Poeltl still recovering/struggling with his back), you can’t compete with bigs like Boston’s Queta. Then, with Barrett, you don’t have a guy who can get physical and get a few quick buckets when you need them.

“Barrett is incredibly important to this team, but he’s not here; we need to figure it out without him,” Darko said about missing Barrett’s output on the court.

Darko did say we would get an update on Barrett tomorrow. He’s been around and walking, so hopefully the update isn’t terrible. He’s been, funny enough, poking his head into the media room after games to say hello, but knows he can’t say anything about his condition. That’s how you know a guy really misses playing: he wants to come say hi to the media.

I really don’t think this team is bad. Maybe they aren’t 2nd in the East good, either, but it’s not the time to catastrophize. It’s time to make a plan to improve these subtle missing pieces. Get a backup 7-footer, get Barrett healthy, maybe try to figure out the shooting situation — but that doesn’t feel like a pressing matter if the real problem is missing Barrett. Wait until he gets back, see if his absence is truly the problem it seems to be, and go from there.

“Never get too high, never get too low,” Shead said after the game about how the team stays positive through these stretches of ups and downs.

They’ll need that mindset as they look ahead to the NBA Cup QFs game against the Knicks on Tuesday. When asked how you look forward to that game after some losses, Ingram said he’d tell the team to remember how they performed against the Knicks the last time. If you remember, they lost (pretty badly), and Ingram thinks that keeping that in mind will motivate them to do better on Tuesday.

Shead says they need to go into the game with a chip on their shoulder, with something to prove. They know they have what it takes to get some good wins (that win streak was good for confidence as much as it was for their record). It won’t be easy, especially if Barrett is ruled out again.

The Raptors aren’t counting themselves out yet, though.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-s...-raptors-boston-celtics-scottie-barnes-ingram

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Preview: Toronto Raptors vs. Boston Celtics

Already this season the Toronto Raptors have seen some hills and valleys. A 9-game winning streak has turned into dropping 4 of the last 5 games and scoring a season-low in their most recent outing against Charlotte. Now, in the midst of their home-stand, they need to see if they are able to stop the bleeding, especially before they enter Tournament Cup play.

This will be their first of four matchups against the Boston Celtics this season. In 116 total games against each other, the record sits 73-43 in Boston’s favour. The Celtics have won 11 of the last 12 as well.

With deep playoff runs and a championship under their belt, the Celtics struggled with injuries last year, making some notable changes to their roster in the last two years in an effort to regain dominance. They don’t quite have the same firepower though, and as a result, sit behind the Raptors in the standings at 14-9, due mostly to a slow start to the season. Recently, they’ve found their rhythm, going four in a row and winning 10 of their last 13 games, including contests against the Lakers, Knicks, Cavaliers, and Pistons.

Jason Tatum is still recovering, meaning they’ve had to lean on former finals MVP Jaylen Brown to lead the charge. He’s having one of the best seasons of his career to date, averaging 29-6-5 while shooting almost 50% from the field and 35% from long range. Payton Pritchard has also stepped up in a big way, contributing 17-4-5. Derrick White, Anfernee Simons, and Neemias Queta have all been important role players as well. Former Raptor Chris Boucher will be back for the first time as a Celtic in a regular season game, as he made an appearance in the preseason back in October. He’ll undoubtably receive a warm welcome, although unfortunately Boston hasn’t provided him with the best opportunity, appearing in only 8 games and averaging only 2 points and 2 rebounds per contest.

Despite the change in personnel, Boston’s strength has still been long range shooting. They sit third in the league on attempts per game at 43, and first in makes at almost 16. They’ve also proven to be an excellent offensive rebounding team, averaging 13 per game to sit in 6th for that metric. They’re able to space the floor and get opportunities for shooters, and when they don’t make the shot the first time, effort on the boards provides second and third chances.

This is where Toronto will have to stop them. With the exhausting stretch of games the Raptors have played lately, it seems like there hasn’t been enough gas in the tank. Rebounding, defence, and off-ball movement are all largely about effort, meaning that whatever fumes are left will be needed today. Still missing RJ and the possible loss of Quickley will both be another challenge, ultimately leading to the question of who will step up.

Scottie is the obvious choice, currently having a career year in points, steals, blocks, and all three shooting % metrics. His defence has also been integral for Toronto. Ingram is the next option, but has struggled with his shooting in the last few outings, scoring only 7 points in the loss to Charlotte. In reality though, Toronto plays better when they’re playing together. Still second in the league for assists with 30 per game, their highlight plays of the season have all been the result of extra passes and phenomenal ball movement. They will need everyone to find a way to contribute today even if it’s just chipping in a few points or a momentum-shifting defensive play.

The New York Knicks are looming in their quarterfinal matchup for the tournament, and Toronto will likely want to have a feel-good win under their belt before facing the second-ranked team in the East. It shouldn’t be surprising if they come out as a unit, moving the ball, getting big stops, and having just enough to get themselves a win.

Where to Watch​

Tune in at 3:30pm ET on Sportsnet.

Probable Starters​

Toronto: Jakob Poeltl, Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, Jamal Shead, Collin Murray-Boyles

Boston: Neemias Queta, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Payton Pritchard, Jordan Walsh

Injury Report​

Toronto: RJ Barrett (Out: Knee sprain), Jamison Battle (Doubtful: Ankle sprain), Immanuel Quickley (Questionable: Illness)

Boston: Ron Harper Jr. (Out: G-League), Max Shulga (Out: G-League), Jayson Tatum (Out: Achilles repair), Amari Williams (Out: G-League)

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/general/48811/preview-toronto-raptors-vs-boston-celtics

 

[Toronto Raptors]

What an NBA Cup would mean for the Toronto Raptors

Coming off three losses in a row from the Raptors, victory is not exactly at the forefront of the minds of the Toronto faithful. The NBA Cup knockout game against New York could look very different, especially if RJ Barrett makes a comeback. What if the boys in red take it all the way and win the Cup? Let’s take a look at what victory in the In-Season Tournament could mean for this Raptors team.

Change from past champions?​

For the two previous winners, the Lakers and the Bucks, the NBA Cup had not made a significant impact on conversations surrounding either team. Granted, it didn’t help that both franchises were taken out in the first round of the playoffs in their winning years, but the relevance of the NBA Cup must be understood in the context of its past wins not generating more than momentary hype.

While taking home the NBA Cup gets your team’s name in the news, the lack of any added advantage for the regular season or the postseason has been detrimental to making players and fans alike really care about the winners of the Cup. However, despite the playoff woes of both teams, the Lakers and Bucks were both laden with superstars when they won, something that the Toronto Raptors are decidedly not. Rather than a veteran roster, the Raptors are young and scrappy this season, with a half-decade since winning a round in the playoffs. This means that a small victory means much more relatively, and could serve as a rallying point for a young team chasing a first taste of postseason success.

All about the money​

With youth comes (relatively) small salaries, and the financial incentive of the Cup could mean a lot for some players newer to the league, and on smaller contracts. While the Raptors’ starters are all on eight-figure deals, the bulk of the bench players are making between 5 million and 2 million. With the NBA Cup rewarding its winners with upwards of half a million dollars, and runners-up with more than $200,000, the cushion of cash right before the holidays is a meaningful incentive for players to leave everything out there on the court. Someone like Jamison Battle, on the salary of just under two million dollars, would receive a roughly 25% Christmas bonus, no chump change for a player on a smaller deal.

Indeed, before winning the In-Season Tournament, LeBron James dedicated his play to the younger Lakers, knowing what a difference that kind of money makes for someone not on a massive contract. With the team chemistry as good as it is this year, Scottie and Brandon Ingram giving it their all for their teammates not getting paid as much is a narrative I can see arising as the Raptors make it closer and closer to a taste of real victory.

The future of the NBA Cup, and the role the Raptors play​

The NBA is a living, changing organism that does things like introduce a tournament for money after decades of no such thing existing. I believe that the NBA Cup, in its infancy, little more than a chance for some fast cash, could become a cornerstone of the NBA season if given some postseason or draft lottery weight. The potential for the Cup is limitless, and if the Raptors were to be one of its early winners, the bonus to the franchise’s legacy could mean a lot for the next generation of Toronto basketball fans.

With the Raptors’ top four in the East, and the first post-rebuild postseason appearance looking more and more likely, winning an NBA Cup could be a great highlight of the 2025-26 season for the Raptors: a benchmark from which to look back upon as an early moment of this roster’s growing legacy.

Tune into the Toronto Raptors’ first NBA Cup QF appearance Tuesday night at 8:30pm ET

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/general/4...barnes-brandon-ingram-lebron-james-lakers-win

 

[Toronto Raptors]

NBA Cup Matchup Should Reveal Everything About the Toronto Raptors

Something about the Toronto Raptors is broken. That much is clear ahead of their NBA Cup quarterfinal debut against the New York Knicks on Tuesday.

Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on Sportsnet.

After winning 13 of 14 games, including a stretch of nine straight, the Raptors are currently in the middle of a maddening downward spiral. The schedulers haven’t been the nicest this holiday season, with the calendar steering the Raptors to play seven games in 11 days, but that doesn’t excuse the lapses on defence nor the tendency to play down to opponents.

But what’s splintered can be mended, and nothing could better cure the Raptors’ woes than a win against the Knicks in a pseudo-playoff environment.

Other than an opportunity to wipe the disappointment of the last two weeks with four clean quarters, here are three additional storylines to look out for in the historic matchup.

Cue the “White rabbit pointing at clock” meme​

This feels like an oversimplified type of assessment, but considering the scale of the matchup against the Knicks, the surrounding cast around Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram must show up – especially with RJ Barrett expected to miss additional time. Barnes has been electric this season and has secured his position as the team’s best player. And despite Ingram grappling with a cold slump that rivals Toronto’s most bitter winters, his presence still generates unreal levels of gravity.

With Jakob Poeltl clearly battling some kind of injury, Sandro Mamukelashvili needs to continue playing within himself. Immanuel Quickley must fight on defence as teams continue to hunt him in the half-court.

But the biggest spotlight remains on the trio of Gradey Dick, Ja’Kobe Walter, and Ochai Agbaji. The latter had one of his best games of the season against the Boston Celtics but the Raptors are desperately searching for consistency to anchor them back to their previous winning ways. Dick and Walter’s poor play finally forced Raptors Head Coach Darko Rajakovic to deploy the Raptors 905 players A.J. Lawson and Alijah Martin.

The fun part about this specific matchup with the Knicks is that it’ll become a valuable data point in the evaluation process. Is the team one or two trades away from making a deep-ish run in the Eastern Conference? Or are the Raptors built on a flawed structure, where the removal of one Jenga-type piece will cause it to topple?

Deep Waters​

In their last outing with the Knicks – a 116-94 loss at Madison Square Garden – the Raptors conceded 45 three-point attempts. After allowing the Celtics to jack up 47 shots on Dec. 7, the Raptors now give up the ninth-most deep-ball attempts per game at 37.6. Before this current stretch of dropping five of their last seven matchups, the Raptors had managed to minimize their opponents’ efficiency from beyond the arc despite the barrage of attempts. But through a combination of their luck running out – teams hitting more open shots – and an unnecessary amount of help rotation, it seems the floodgates have opened.

The writing might already be on the wall and there’s potential disaster waiting for the Raptors when it comes to guarding the Knicks’ high-powered offence. New York ranks sixth in three-point attempts (41) and fifth in percentage (37.5).

OG Anunoby missed the last game against the Raptors in New York but he’s expected to be available against his former team in Toronto. He shot 5-of-7 from three in their win against the Orlando Magic on Dec. 7.

Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 22 points and eight rebounds against the Raptors but could miss this game with left calf tightness. With all of the Achilles injuries occurring throughout sports, the Knicks could play it safe by holding Anthony Towns out for a second straight game.

Miles McBride is out with an ankle sprain. McBride knocked down four triples on his way to finishing with 14 points against the Raptors.

It starts with Shead​

Jamal Shead is currently listed as doubtful with a quad contusion, but should the scrappy guard suit up, he’ll play an instrumental role in a potential Raptors victory. Shead is 3-for-19 from three dating back to the 118-111 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 29. Despite his recent struggles, something has fundamentally shifted, either schematically or from a mindset perspective, because Shead is averaging 11 shots per game in the last two contests.

The issue with Shead’s aggressiveness isn’t necessarily that he’s missing the open shots that opposing defences are daring him to shoot. It’s the shots he’s taking halfway through the shot clock or from an unrealistic distance behind the three-point line. Shead needs to get back to farming assists, knocking down the occasional jumper and using his effective floater.

There’s also a growing concern about the fact that the team’s best lineup has defensive issues. The double point guard combination, which also features Quickley, manifests advantages on offence, but creates as many drawbacks on defence. Raptors fans have seen it in old-school duos like T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon. Or Calderon and Kyle Lowry. The duo of Lowry and Fred Van Vleet were able to offset it with enough defensive grit and a super-powered offence.

Shead’s responsibility will be serving as the connective tissue between the times Barnes and Ingram are on the court together. He’s trusted to defend the extremely slim margins for the Raptors, and he can do so by winning key battles throughout the game.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-g...d-reveal-everything-about-the-toronto-raptors

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Davis to Toronto? What does is mean to trade for the big man?

Things were supposed to be different for Anthony Davis. The number one pick out of Kentucky made his way out of the muck and mire of New Orleans to the glitz and glamour of the Los Angeles Lakers, won a championship alongside LeBron James, and seemed fixed for his legacy to be cemented on the West Coast. Now, stuck in the purgatory of the injury-riddled Dallas Mavericks, it seems that the Mavs’ front office is mulling over whether to let Davis go to exchange for more pieces to support rookie Cooper Flagg. With Shams Charania reporting that the Raptors are amongst the potential suitors for AD, let’s take a look at what a potential trade package for the Maverick would look like.

New Inside Pass:

Giannis and the Bucks
Anthony Davis suitors
Mavericks, Warriors, Clippers latest

and much more on ESPN: https://t.co/HXLK4TxpZE

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 9, 2025

5 for 5​

As an asset, AD brings with him not only his otherworldly basketball capabilities, but a great deal of baggage in terms of his injury history and availability. Davis’ health struggles have been widely publicized, and he has already missed a number of games this season, after playing only 51 games in the 2024-25 season. As such, the ten time all-star’s value is a contentious topic that the Raptors would likely be able to leverage for a good deal.

A trade package centred around Jakob Poeltl, RJ Barrett, and picks, is the most likely offer that Toronto puts out for AD. In exchange for an injured, aging star, Dallas would receive a serviceable centre in Poeltl to shore up their roster. With centres Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II both out, having more backcourt depth in a slightly younger package would benefit the Mavericks.

With Kyrie Irving out and Davis having dialled back his offensive output, getting a temporary scoring punch would be of great benefit to the Mavs as well, which is why the production of RJ Barrett would hold some significant weight in trade talks. Not one player for the Mavericks has cracked 20 points per game this season, and exchanging some of Davis’ defence for Barrett’s offence would be worthy of consideration for both parties involved. At 25, Barrett is young enough to fit better with the developmental timeline of Cooper Flagg, but has enough experience that he could remain a valuable mentor for the rookie.

Davis’ reputation has enough weight that despite his risks and regression of late, the Mavericks would likely be able to demand some draft capital on top of players, likely in the form of two first round picks from the Raps. Considering that Toronto looks like a contender now, those picks might be a small price to pay in exchange for a veteran centre who could prove to be the true upgrade at the five that pushes Toronto over the hump. Shams has noted that Davis’ other Texas teammates might be on the trading block as well, so Davis might be paired with Klay Thompson in a package to make the Mavericks younger, more befitting of a place for Flagg to play his first NBA seasons.

The uncertainty that comes with Davis is a risk that seems even more pronounced now, and giving up one of our most reliable and important offensive pieces seems risky when we don’t know what our current roster looks like in the playoffs. That said, adding a veteran presence with real two-way capabilities could be the very thing the Raptors needs to take the next step for contention. My take? Too early to make this kind of trade: let this season play itself out. Even if Davis returns to his all-star form, the risk is too high, especially considering how well our current roster is playing. One misstep could send the franchise back into a pseudo-rebuild, the very state that the Mavericks find themselves in now.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-rumors/48838/anthony-davis-toronto-raptors-trade-shams

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Toronto Raptors’ woes continue as they lose NBA Cup QF to Knicks — but don’t panic yet

It’s been the closest thing we’ve had to playoff basketball in Toronto for a little while, as the Toronto Raptors played in their very first NBA Cup knockout game Tuesday night against the Knicks. Winner moves on to play the Orlando Magic in Las Vegas next weekend, losers head to Miami for a regular schmegular game next week. This game also counts as a regular-season game against the Raptors ’ record.

The Raptors came into this one as underdogs. As much as they killed the NBA Cup group stage, winning every game and being the first team to clinch a spot in this round, it’s been weeks since those games. Now, RJ Barrett is out with a knee injury (that seems to be healing well, but he’s still not back on the court), and Immanuel Quickley was out with an illness.

The energy going in was interesting to say the least. It’s hard, being down two very key players in a game with high stakes. Plus, after being questionable, Karl Anthony Towns turned out to be available for the game, another tough reality for the Raptors. You’d hope they’d pull something together of course, but it seemed very David vs Goliath from the start.

Brandon Ingram took on the burden of those absences and came out of the gate to have a massive first quarter. He scored 17 points in the first frame alone, making 6 of his 7 field goal attempts and bringing the Raptors to a 39-35 lead. Talk about respecting the Cup. It didn’t end up being enough to hold off Jalen Brunson though, who scored 20 of his own points in the first quarter, shooting 7-9 from the field and 4-6 from three-point range.

Anyway, things went south from there. The Knicks spent the second quarter icing out the Raptors on the offensive end, and Karl Anthony Towns went to work on both ends.

The offense has dried up for the Raptors in a big way. They have 11 points in the second quarter.

Knicks lead now up to 15.

— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) December 10, 2025

At halftime, the Knicks led 69-52 over the Raptors.

As the season goes on, the Raptors’ woes are becoming more and more evident. Maybe one of the biggest is the need for another big man. It’s funny how it doesn’t seem like too long ago that the team didn’t have a true centre at all, and that’s why Poeltl was brought in. Yet, it’s becoming clearer with every game that Poeltl’s back is bothering him, and even with him playing on the court, the Raptors don’t have a clear backup big.

Of course, there is Mamukelashvili and Collin Murray-Boyles, but both play that big-4, small-5 stretch big kinda position, which is good, but doesn’t replace what Poeltl brings to the team when he is at his best. Poeltl’s physicality, length, and rim protection are helped along with his size, and he has a few inches on both of his back-ups.

That’s when Poeltl is healthy, too. Which he clearly isn’t at the moment. His problem is described as back tightness, and it seems like something that is either taking a long time to heal or is something he just can’t shake at all. Regardless, you can see he is having a hard time moving out there, which is hard when you’re trying to match up with the size, speed, and skill of someone like KAT.

As trade deadline season begins to open up on Dec 15 — that’s the date a lot of the trade holds on certain contracts are lifted — the Raptors’ need for a big man seems to be the theme of their trade talks. They have already been named in some rumours associated with Anthony Davis, who seems to want out of Dallas, but it’ll be interesting to see what routes the team pursues.

So far this NBA season, the Toronto Raptors have been living in two extremes: The extreme GOOD of the winning streak and that stretch, and the extreme BAD of the past week and a half. Neither extreme truly represents what this team really is. They aren’t a top-seed in the East, sure, but they also aren’t a lottery team. At least, they shouldn’t be. They have enough talent not to be.

Three things need to happen for the Toronto Raptors right now. The first is that they need to take some days off, which thankfully are coming now. They’ll have a good stretch now to reset before having to return to action, at least a few days off in a row. Which is more than they have had for weeks. The next thing they need to do is get this team back to a level of health that is sustainable — get RJ Barrett and Quickley back into the lineup, and assess how bad Poeltl’s back is. What is the baseline of this team? We don’t know that right now.

That’s the third factor — figure out the authentic ceiling of this team, and address the weaknesses. Shop around for a big at the deadline. The reality is, this isn’t a team that needs to tank; they need to adjust. They need to figure out their true identity. Which is hard to do when you’re injured and playing such a condensed schedule.

When you think about it, their successes this season have already been a huge improvement from last year. This team was barely a .500-level team a year ago, and even making the NBA Cup knockout round is an improvement. Anything above being the 12-seed is an improvement. That’s not what people want to hear, but it’s true.

Things never turned around for the Toronto Raptors in their debut NBA Cup knockout game. The Knicks ended up dominating the game after the first quarter, Brunson finishing with 35 points on the night. The final score was 117-101. Brandon Ingram had his own 31 points, a silver lining for the Raptors, shooting 11-18 from the field.

The Raptors now have 5 nights off before they play their make-up game against Miami, in Miami, on Monday. The team says they will not practice for two days now before getting back into the gym, for rest. They also only play 2 games in the next 10 days, a contrast to their condensed schedule over the past two weeks where they played 7 games in 11 days.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-s...ptors-new-york-knicks-nba-cup-tournament-game

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Raptors look to get back on track against Heat

It was just a couple weeks ago that the Toronto Raptors took a 17-point lead against the Charlotte Hornets, a 10-game winning streak on the line.

It has been a long two weeks.

The team is now on a losing streak. A loss against the Miami Heat would bring the streak to five games. Their halfcourt offense has gone from one of the league’s best to the worst, since a knee sprain knocked RJ Barrett out of the lineup. Jakob Poeltl has been plagued by back troubles which have hampered his performance.

The Raptors are still showing flashes of the fun, selfless and intense defensive team that they’d been over the first month of the season, when they were second in the East. They looked pretty electric during the first frame of the NBA Cup quarter-final game against the New York Knicks. But injuries and fatigue from a jam-packed schedule have been too much to overcome.

Tonight, fresh off a few days’ rest, the Raptors travel to Miami to face the Heat, whose 14-11 record is nearly identical to the Raptors’ 15-11 mark. Here are the details for tonight’s game:

Where to watch

TSN, 7:30 pm ET

Probable starters

Toronto – Immanuel Quickley, Ja’Kobe Walter, Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl

Miami – Davion Mitchell, Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo

Injuries

Toronto – RJ Barrett (knee – OUT), Jamison Battle (knee – OUT)

Miami – Pelle Larson (ankle – OUT), Terry Rozier (not injury related – OUT), Kasparas Jakučionis (ankle – probable)

Rest up! The Heat are fast.​

The Raptors played a stretch of five games across eight days, and it showed. Guys looked tired and, while there were still good bursts of play, the team has endured long stretches of lethargic offense, lacklustre defensive rebounding and even a number of missed layups during this recent period. The team has now had five days to rest, and their fresh legs will hopefully give them a renewed competitiveness even without the offensive creation of RJ Barrett. The rest couldn’t have come at a better time: Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has revamped the team to become an uber-fast-paced machine that currently leads the league in pace. The Raptors have stunned teams at times with their pace this season, pushing the ball even off opponents’ made baskets. But no team has pushed the pace this year more than the Heat.

5-game losing streak is inevitable​

Both the Raptors and Heat are coming into this game on four-game losing streaks. One of these teams is leaving the Kaseya Center with a monkey off their back. The other team will have some soul-searching to do. The Heat have the advantage of missing zero core players – Tyler Herro is back in the lineup after missing a few weeks – while the Raptors are without Barrett.

Former Raptors include…​

Norman Powell, the beloved Raptor and NBA Champion who, at least in my eyes, was traded far too soon. His Players’ Tribune article continues to have both a breaking and warming effect on my heart. Powell’s production has exploded in the last couple years, landing him on lists of potential first-time All-Stars. He’s averaging a team-leading 24.6 points per game on 50-43-86 shooting splits. The Clippers traded him for Bradley Beal and John Collins.

Davion Mitchell, the gritty defensive point guard who lost his job with the Raptors to Jamal Shead and was traded last season, but is thriving right now, averaging 9.8 points and, most strikingly, 7.8 assists per game.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-game-previews/48858/raptors-look-to-get-back-on-track-against-heat

 

[Toronto Raptors]

The Rap-Up: Recalibrating for the second trimester

Welcome to the second trimester of the NBA season!

Say what you will about the NBA Cup, but it affords players and teams some much-needed rest. (If you think it’s too early for rest, take another look at the growing list of injuries league-wide!) While the first trimester feels like a race — frontrunners racing to establish supremacy; also-rans racing to exceed expectations; lottery teams racing towards the bottom of the standings — the second trimester is about jostling for positions and resetting expectations.

The Toronto Raptors fall into the second category of teams that surprised. Granted, they’ve fallen down to earth in December, but the team has shown enough to prove that there is a formula for success. Two seasons of losing and rebuilding have reaped some beautiful fruit (when everyone’s healthy).

With the team inching back towards full health, it will be interesting to see how Toronto fares after the NBA Cup break in reestablishing their place in the Eastern Conference pecking order.

December 15 @ Miami Heat

Speaking of overachievers, the Miami Heat have also turned heads to start the season. Miami has held opponents to 51.9% eFG, which ranks 2nd in the NBA (essentially 1st since OKC are from a different planet). The Heat’s defense ranks 1st in opponents’ FG % from long-mid-range and non-corner threes.

Miami has done all of this despite losing Kyle Anderson, Duncan Robinson, Kevin Love, and Haywood Highsmith during the offseason. They were also without Tyler Herro for the first 17 games of the season.

In classic Spoelstra fashion, he’s squeezed every positive attribute out of his players. Jaime Jaquez is averaging 15.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. Only 19 others are averaging at least 15/5/5, but Jaquez is the only one doing so off the bench. Miami rosters a Center who is 9th in rebounds per game, 12th in blocks per game, and 6th in defensive rating. You’re absolutely correct in guessing…..Kel’el Ware. Within the top 20 scorers in the league, only 5 players are averaging at least 50% from the field and 40% from three: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Anthony Edwards, Jamal Murray, and Norm Powell(!).

In another universe, this would have been played in Las Vegas with a spot in the NBA Cup Finals on the line. It’s probably the same universe where the Raptors and Heat battled for the 2020 Eastern Conference Championship. (What? No, I’m still not living in the past!).

Brian Windhorst says Tyler Herro returning has messed up Kel’el Ware and Jaime Jaquez “mojo”

“Ware and Jaquez had bigger roles before Herro came back and playing great. Since that has happened, In addition to league catching up, them two have lost their mojo a little bit”

(Via… pic.twitter.com/QqM7u0ynw6

— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) December 10, 2025

Fun fact that may only interest me

Since taking over as Head Coach in 2008, Erik Spoelstra has led the Miami Heat to the NBA Finals six(!) times, winning twice. His teams have had a positive defensive rating — better than league average — in 17 of his 18 seasons (including this year).

As part of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary, Spoelstra was named as one of the top 15 coaches of all-time. Players and coaches alike revere him as the best coach in the league.

Spoelstra has never won Coach of the Year.

Bonus fact: 4 other coaches from the top 15 list have also never won Coach of the Year (Chuck Daly, KC Jones, Jack Ramsay, and Jerry Sloan). What an odd award.

Prediction

The Raptors are 0-5 against teams currently ranked in the top 10 offensively and 3-2 against teams currently ranked in the top 10 defensively. Framed differently, Toronto has not defeated any team (outside of Cleveland) that is currently in the top 10 offensively or defensively. Miami is on the cusp of being top 10 offensively (12th) and very much entrenched as an elite defense (4th).

Toronto has lost each of the last four visits to Miami by double-digits, and have lost five of the last six meetings overall. The Heat get the win while covering the -5.5 spread.

December 18 @ Milwaukee Bucks

You know it’s a bad season when Darvin Ham and Taurean Prince lose in the NBA Cup! The pair had famously gone undefeated en route to NBA Cup titles with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023 and with these Bucks last season. Their invincibility carried on for two more games this season until falling to Miami and New York and, subsequently, bowing out of the NBA Cup.

On December 4th, Giannis Antetokounmpo was diagnosed with a right calf strain and sidelined for two to four weeks. Last week was a roller coaster of emotions as the Bucks notched an impressive victory over the Celtics, but followed by an absolute dud in getting routed by the Nets. Whether or not Antetokounmpo is in the lineup, there’s no reason Milwaukee should be losing by 42 points to the Brooklyn Nets.

Doc Rivers’ team is currently 11-16 and clinging to the final play-in spot. With over $60 million in dead money going to Damian Lillard and Vasilije Micic, as well as having only one tradeable draft pick for this year’s trade deadline, the writing should be on the wall to finally trade Giannis.

And yet…

Bucks Tell Rival Teams They're Buyers As Trade Season Opens https://t.co/at5on1wEve

— RealGM (@RealGM) December 15, 2025

Fun fact that may only interest me

In 2013, Bobby Portis Jr. won Mr. Basketball of Arkansas.

First of all, that title sounds 100 times cooler than winning the John Wooden Award for best collegiate player! Maybe it’s because I’m picturing a bunch of basketball players on stage like a Miss America pageant, but claiming the title of your favourite sport in your home state has got to feel like the ultimate honour. (Excuse me while I nominate myself for Mr. Mini Sudoku of Ontario)

Portis would go on to play 2 seasons with the University of Arkansas before being drafted by the Chicago Bulls.

Other notable players to win Mr. Basketball of Arkansas and play for the Razorbacks: Joe Johnson, Ronnie Brewer, Daniel Gafford, Isaiah Joe, and Jaylin Williams.

Prediction

Toronto had lost the previous 4 matchups against the Bucks before routing Milwaukee by 28 in the last matchup. This should be easier sledding with Giannis out. While there’s a possibility the Bucks surprise the Raptors like they did the Celtics last week, Toronto is healthier and desperate to get back to winning basketball. Toronto wins and covers the -1.5 spread.

December 20 vs. Boston Celtics

The Raptors desperately need this game. While it’s a home game, it’s also the third of six consecutive games where the Raptors are playing in a different arena. After starting the week with games in Miami and Milwaukee, the Raptors follow up this home game against the Celtics with a three-game road trip that will see the team spend Christmas in Washington.

With trade season officially underway — players acquired during the summer can be traded on December 15th — there’s one Celtic being thrown into every fake trade by every Boston fanatic: Chris Boucher. 2025 has not been a great year for Slimm Duck. He fell out of Darko’s rotation, even as the team didn’t care for winning last year. He was left unsigned for six weeks until Boston claimed him with the veteran minimum. Boucher’s ability to knock down threes and play impactful defense should have been an easy fit in Joe Mazzulla’s system. Unfortunately, Chris is, again, on the outside looking in and not getting playing time. Hopefully, he lands somewhere because he deserves to be in the NBA!

Jaylen Brown transition scoring

Leads NBA in transition points (145)

53/93 (57%) in transition pic.twitter.com/FZ3MYpYvro

— Naylor (@Naylor408) December 14, 2025

Fun fact that may only interest me

Oh look, another Mr. Basketball winner!

Jaylen Brown won Mr. Basketball of Georgia in 2015.

Seriously, can we make this into a real pageant with sashes and crowns? I want to know how Jaylen Brown will cure worldwide hunger.

Actually, no, I don’t want to know.

Prediction

As desperate as Toronto will be, the fact of the matter is that Boston has owned this rivalry. The Celtics have won 12 of the previous 13 matchups. Boston hoists threes (44.7% of their shot chart is from three; 2nd in frequency) as well as Toronto defends them (33.8%; 3rd in accuracy).

Part of the reason Boston lost to Milwaukee last week was because Sam Hauser shot 0-9 from three. Against Toronto, he will surely hit all 8 of his three-point attempts! Boston beats Toronto and covers the +2.5 spread.

December 21 @ Brooklyn Nets

Toronto plays the second game of a home-road back-to-back with a visit to the rising Nets. “Rising” may be a surprising was of describing a team with a 7-18 record, but Brooklyn already has more wins in December (4) than in October and November combined.

Leading the resurgence is Michael Porter Jr. In 4 of the 5 games he’s played in December, MPJ scored between 33 and 35 points, while draining at least 5 triples in each contest. The only game he didn’t reach those plateaus was the 42-point drubbing of Milwaukee where he wasn’t needed in the 4th quarter.

Michael Porter Jr is averaging 34.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists (!!) on 56% FG and 53.5% from 3 in the month of December

He leads the entire Eastern Conference in PPG this month.

The Nets are 3-1 & MPJ is +45 in those 4 games.

Eastern Conference All-Star? pic.twitter.com/yfAOlX2GLc

— MichaelPorterTruther (@MPJTruther) December 13, 2025

Fun fact that may only interest me

Michael Porter Jr.

Yes, you guessed it. Mr. Basketball of Washington in 2017.

The following year, Kevin Porter Jr. won the honour. Did the trophy makers just re-print the ‘Porter Jr.’ name plate and revise the year?

Prediction

Toronto has won 5 straight against Brooklyn, dating back to last season. Here are the scores for each of the last 3 contests:

• November 23, 2025: 119-109
• November 11, 2025: 119-109
• April 6, 2025: 120-109

Am I going out on a limb by predicting a Raptors win and a cover of the -9.5 spread?

Last Week: 0-0*

Season Record: 16-9

*I correctly predicted the Knicks to cover last week’s game but since there was no Rap-Up, I have no proof.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-a...-games-december-15-21-heat-bucks-celtics-nets

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Multiple Toronto Raptors have shots at All-Star nods

Voting for the 2026 NBA All-Star game in Los Angeles opened on Wednesday, and the Toronto Raptors have two players who have a decent shot at being there. The team’s social media accounts launched their voting campaigns, centring on Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram in their efforts.

If you’re unfamiliar with how NBA All-Stars are chosen, it happens in a few phases. First, there is the fan vote, where fans can vote for their favourite Eastern and Western stars. The five players in each conference who receive the most fan votes end up being honoured as starters. From there, the coaches choose the rest of the rosters, and then, if there are any injury replacements needed, Commissioner Adam Silver will choose them.

This year will be different, though, given that they are changing the format of the All-Star Game. They will have three teams of 8 players, two teams representing the United States and one team representing the rest of the World. The hope seems to be that the selection process will just end up making it so there are 16 Americans and 8 international players. The NBA’s website also explains that American players who have “ties” to other countries will be able to represent those countries on the international team, if that helps the numbers. Whether “ties” means legitimate citizenship or not is unknown. For example, there is an argument that Scottie Barnes could technically decide to represent Canada, since he plays and lives in Canada. Seems like a legitimate tie to the country, ya know?

SCOTTIE ALL-STAR

Vote now : https://t.co/hBrcYmT62a pic.twitter.com/uvnWDbcOEL

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 17, 2025

Per this explainer page on the format, if the numbers STILL don’t work out, it seems like Adam Silver will just choose additional All-Stars to add onto whichever team is lacking players. This means the teams may end up with more than 8 players total… It’s all a little odd.

This format change, of course, is to try and bring back some excitement around the NBA All-Star game, which has been lacking. No one really tries in the game, and it just ends up being boring. We’ll see if the US vs the World format and the three-team format, works, or if it just ends up being uncomfortable. I feel like the USA isn’t really in a place at the moment to be adding gasoline to international rivalries, but it’s also just basketball, so who knows.

You know, we here at Raptors HQ will be fully backing Team World, especially given the fact that it will very likely be led by Canada’s own Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. If there is some sort of scenario where Scottie Barnes ends up repping Canada, more reason to celebrate.

Although Barnes and Ingram would likely represent Team USA if they end up being chosen as All-Stars, we’d still be happy. Both have excellent cases to make it, and although it may happen in different ways for each guy, it’ll be reason to celebrate.

It seems most likely that Barnes would make it as a reserve through the Coaches’ vote. The Raptors have a hard time competing in the fan vote, given that Canada is pretty small in comparison to the US, and our players don’t get as much American coverage. Despite being a top defensive player in the NBA this season, Barnes being in the top-5 for voting seems a little unrealistic. You already have Giannis, a Knick or two, Jaylen Brown, Cade, maybe someone from Orlando. He’s up there, but the votes will skew to the players in the US for sure, even if the Raptors are currently holding at 3rd in the East.

Ingram’s path may come as an injury replacement, given that a lot of the options for All-Star picks are currently out or in and out with injury. Adam Silver picks those, so it’s not up to fans or biases, and he is usually pretty fair with his picks. That’s how Scottie was chosen as a replacement the first time he made an appearance at the All-Star game.

You can vote for Barnes and Ingram here.

Either way, it seems like Toronto will have some representation at the All-Star game in 2026.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/nba-all-star-game/48891/toronto-raptors-all-star-voting-canada-nba

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Toronto Tempo continue to establish identity with new jerseys

The Toronto Tempo have finally announced the look of the jerseys for their inaugural season, and it seems that the team in the 6ix will be dressed to the nines when they take the court next year.

The Tempo will play in two different kits, the “Explorer” in the wine-coloured Bordeaux, and the “Heroine” in white. The Explorer’s colour is described as “fashion-forward” and “unique across the league,” designed explicitly to be worn by the team on the court, and by non-players as an elevated-looking jersey, leaning into the optics of streetwear.

Worth the wait.

The Toronto Tempo jerseys have arrived. Sign up at the link in bio to be the first to know when the Explorer goes on sale. pic.twitter.com/ivWAIzhWyA

— Toronto Tempo (@TempoBasketball) December 16, 2025

That much was evident from the photos used in promotional material, with the most prominent model of the jersey decked out in the camo pattern now in vogue, drawing the mind to an urban catwalk as opposed to the bench on the hardwood. Both jerseys were modelled by women and men decked out in chunky rings and slim chains, adorned with henna and covering their faces with massive sunglasses. The models looked as if they’d walked into the photoshoot out of Queen West party rather than a Coca-Cola Coliseum locker room, so the push for the Tempo’s jersey to become a fashion symbol before an icon of athletics seems to be in progress.

For a team that won’t be debuting for months, this is a great way to generate hype and get the name “Tempo” out on the streets of Toronto in a more organic way than billboard ads would. The dark bordeaux red of the Explorer jersey gives the team some visual connection to the Raptors, while maintaining enough visual distinction that the two couldn’t be confused by someone familiar with either brand. The use of a diverse group of models serves to reflect Toronto even better than the six “speed lines” representing the six boroughs. Seeing women of all different ages and backgrounds wear Tempo colours proudly is the best part of the jersey rollout.

Woven into Canadian basketball history. Learn more about our inaugural jersey design

Featuring our Founding Partners @cibc and Sephora Canada pic.twitter.com/GL2PtfgkiK

— Toronto Tempo (@TempoBasketball) December 16, 2025

When the Tempo branding was announced for the first time just about a year ago, I was thoroughly underwhelmed and extremely disappointed. My feelings on the “T” logo and the team colours have not changed. The logo (and name) of the franchise still appear derivative of the Indiana Pacers’ “P” with its trailing lines; as well, the names “Tempo” and “Pace” both relating to speed are too close for comfort. The branding being centred around powder blue and dark purple felt disconnected from the historic use of bright blue and red in the city’s sports teams, without being visually interesting enough to stand alone.

With the jerseys, the Tempo have done what I always hoped they would, and begun the move away from their initial awkward visual identity. They did so by embracing a much bolder set of colourways and an ethos of fashionability, while continuing to incorporate the blue as an accent colour rather than as the dominant hue.

Myself and other some members of the Raptors HQ staff have pointed to the CIBC logo as excessively large, which I believe is something that could be corrected in future iterations of Tempo uniforms. Compared to many modern WNBA jerseys, with large sponsor logos on the back, the Tempo will be showcasing their corporate relations front and centre, which is less than ideal when trying to build an independent identity.

I hope that with time, the Tempo will continue upon the path they have begun upon with these jerseys, evolving their identity into a more complete version of itself.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/wnba-news/48877/toronto-tempo-wnba-jerseys-new

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Raptors take on Giannis-less Bucks

The Toronto Raptors got back on track on Monday with a win against the Miami Heat, and will look to keep it going in Milwaukee tonight.

Both the Raptors and Heat entered Monday’s contest on four-game losing streaks, but the Raptors pulled it out with clutch performances from Jamal Shead and Scottie Barnes, and a 28-point performance from Brandon Ingram.

While it wasn’t the prettiest start-to-finish game, the Raptors closed it out strongly. Tonight they’ll look to carry that momentum against a familiar opponent: the Milwaukee Bucks.

Tonight marks the third game this season between the Raptors and Bucks, with the first two having resulted in a six-point loss and a 28-point win for the Raptors.

But the Bucks will look different this time around, as perennial MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo is sidelined with a calf strain that’s kept him out for two weeks.

The 11-16 Bucks have not been particularly good with Antetokounmpo this season, but they’ve been truly rudderless without him, with a record of 2-8. They are coming off a 127-82 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, a basement-dwelling team stuck in 13th in the East. (Former Raptor Gary Trent Jr. led the Bucks in scoring that game with 20 points.)

In many ways tonight’s matchup lines up well for the Raptors. Giannis is out. The Raptors’ road record of 8-5 is better than the Bucks’ 8-7 record at home. Granted, they are still without RJ Barrett, whose slashing and offensive creation have proven to be sorely missed by the Raptors, who are 12-5 with Barrett and 4-6 without him.

The Raptors would be greatly helped if Jamal Shead can pick up where he left off against the Heat, when he was a team-leading +27 and dished out 10 assists along with eight points. They also got nice bench contributions from Sandro Mamukelashvili who put up 11 and seven rebounds plus two steals, Gradey Dick who scored 10, and rookie Collin Murray-Boyles, who stuffed Bam Adebayo.

And, of course, Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram are both making cases for the All-Star team. Ingram put up 28-5-5 against the Heat, while Barnes stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, 10 rebounds and six assists along with two blocks and three steals. Ochai Agbaji has been getting the starting nod as of late in Barrett’s absence.

Tonight’s game takes place a few days after the NBA’s unofficial “trade season” opened up. Despite a nice start to the season, the Raptors have found themselves in trade rumors. Unlike in past years, however, when every rumor was about which beloved player the Raptors would be selling next, these ones have been on the theme of upgrading at the center position.

Jakob Poeltl has been a productive difference maker when healthy this season, but back issues have kept him out of the lineup in seven games. In a bunch of the games he has played, Poeltl has looked noticeably slower and less effective than his usual self. While the five days of rest before Monday’s game will hopefully help in his recovery, Poeltl’s mobility will be something to monitor as the Raptors are rumored to be eyeing the center market, with names like Anthony Davis and Domantas Sabonis floating around.

Where to Watch

TSN, 8 pm EST

Probable starters

Toronto: Immanuel Quickley, Ochai Agbaji, Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl

Milwaukee: Ryan Rollins, Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent Jr., Kyle Kuzma, Myles Turner

Injuries

Toronto: RJ Barrett (knee – OUT), Jakob Poeltl (back – probable)

Milwaukee: Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf – OUT), Taurean Prince (neck – OUT), AJ Green (shoulder – OUT), Kyle Kuzma (illness – questionable), Cole Anthony (neck – questionable)

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-game-previews/48896/raptors-take-on-giannis-less-bucks

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Late-game execution the key for Toronto against the Bucks

After a challenging homestand, the change of scenery has been a welcome sight for the Raptors. After a solid win Monday, they followed that up tonight with a well-fought win over the Milwaukee Bucks 111-105.

Both teams have had their share of struggles recently. Milwaukee continues to miss Giannis Antetokounmpo who was joined by Taurean Prince and Kyle Kuzma on the injury list once again. A massive, 45-point loss to Brooklyn and trade rumors continue to make the Bucks look like a rudderless ship that has been underperforming all season. The Raptors had their own woes, with RJ and Jak still sidelined with their respective injuries. Undoubtedly that contributed to their recent string of losses, but their kryptonite during that stretch was exhaustion. With a little rest they have returned to form.

this ball movement pic.twitter.com/g6DdSTiJ46

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 19, 2025

Bobby Portis was the unsung hero for Milwaukee, doing everything that he usually does that makes him such a big part of their roster. His shooting, defence, and scrappy plays helped keep them in the game. He finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals and a block. Kevin Porter Jr. and Myles Turner were also big parts of the Bucks offence, ending with 22-4-13 and 21-6-1 respectively.

The pace and ball movement were the keys for the Raptors, finding open shooters with the extra pass. Their rebounding, especially on longer boards, were excellent tonight, preventing second chances for the Bucks for much of the contest. Mamu, Scottie, and Ingram all led the way for Toronto tonight, ensuring the victory despite difficult games for much of the lineup and only 21 total bench points. Mamu, returning to Milwaukee where his career started, took advantage of the familiar territory and the opportunity to start the game. His 3-point shooting, aggression on the boards, and cutting all helped contribute to the Raptors’ win. He finished the game with 18-7-2. Scottie was also an excellent factor for Toronto on both ends, showing why he leads the league in stocks this season. He ended with 24-11-2 with 3 stocks, helping clinch the victory for the Raptors. Ingram showed veteran savvy, forcing his way into the paint and making tough shots whenever the Raptors found themselves in a scoring drought. When the final buzzer sounded, his final contribution was 29-8-2 and 2 steals.

GET THAT GARBAGE OUTTA HERE pic.twitter.com/bokKAHZ43T

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 19, 2025

The Raptors started hot. BI went 3-3 in the frame from long range and Scottie went 4-4 from the field. Their defence was high-energy, denying possessions early for the Bucks. As soon as they got the ball back, they were out and running, giving themselves a variety of easy looks. If the Bucks were able to find the shooter, Toronto would make smart extra passes to get easy and open shots. Their biggest weakness to start was turnovers, with 7 in the first quarter, many of which were unforced and simply questionable passes in through the paint to cutters or on the wing. Despite leading by 11 points early, the turnovers gave the Bucks a chance to get within 6 at the buzzer.

Scottie leading the league in stocks (steals + blocks) this season

VOTE SCOTTIE FOR ALL-STAR : https://t.co/hBrcYmT62a pic.twitter.com/v1ttJ3d0vt

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 19, 2025

In the second quarter, the Bucks were able to draw even with Toronto. Their biggest adjustments were defensive, shutting down a lot of the Raptors’ transition play and facing them with a physicality that is tough to overcome. Their bench also outperformed Toronto’s as Gradey Dick continues to struggle this season. Shead, Walter, and Battle were all almost non-factors as well. Meanwhile, Bobby Portis, Ryan Rollins, and Gary Harris scored a combined 25 points in the first half alone, giving the Bucks the edge. One of the more interesting notes as the quarter wore on was the absence of foul calls in Toronto’s favour. Despite some contact around the rim, Toronto didn’t get a single free-throw in the entire first half. The Bucks were 10-12, a stark contrast that led to plenty of conversation from the Raptors’ coaching staff and players on the court.

okayyy, B.I pic.twitter.com/AAgFzn74Ei

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 19, 2025

Doc Rivers wasn’t shy to make adjustments during half-time, coming out of the locker room with an adjusted lineup that went on an early 6-point run, giving the Bucks the lead for the first time. Quickley made an effort to get going early, but was still unable to find any shooting rhythm. The free-throw disparity started to be corrected, with both Scottie and BI finding their way to the line in the first few minutes. Toronto regained and held the lead, now with a bit of help from the bench. Shead and CMB weren’t big scoring factors, but their stifling defence slowed the Bucks. As the quarter wore on, the Raptors’ frustration with the officiating grew, but they were able to stay composed and hold a 7-point lead before the final frame.

B.I SLAM pic.twitter.com/DtDogGq3sw

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) December 19, 2025

The Bucks weren’t ready to give in easily and the Raptors weren’t initially ready to respond. Milwaukee tried to will themselves the lead, putting in more effort for loose balls and rebounds. Their desperation made them too aggressive though, so for the final 7 minutes of the game, Toronto was in the bonus. Darko left the bench out as long as possible, trying to buy rest for the starters, but let the Bucks within a single possession. Scottie and BI restored order with their return, building back their lead. They were able to survive a scoring drought halfway through the quarter, and execute in the final two minutes to escape with the game. Unexpectedly, the biggest offensive possessions came from Quickley who made a pair of big baskets when needed most despite struggling all game.

Next, they will return home for a single game against Boston on Saturday before going back out on the road.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-s...ecution-the-key-for-toronto-against-the-bucks

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Toronto Raptors have a Poeltl Problem

The Toronto Raptors have a lot to be proud of these days. They are currently (as of Friday, Dec. 19) 3rd in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 17-11, and have also won their last two road games after a hard stretch of losses that ended in their NBA Cup elimination. Yet, as we head into trade season, the focus now shifts to what this team can do to improve before the deadline.

The Raptors have one glaring problem as we approach the new year: Jakob Poeltl. While his potential on paper makes this team exponentially better, the glaring problem is his ongoing back injury. When he’s out on the floor, he looks stiff and disjointed, and the amount of time the Raptors have been keeping him off the floor draws more concern about the severity of his injury.

Ahead of the Raptors’ game on Thursday night in Milwaukee, Poeltl was questionable to play. Many online speculated that his questionable status may have been to build some precedent before they ultimately hold him during one of the Raptors’ upcoming back-to-back games for rest and injury management. Then, he was confirmed out of the game, after the Raptors had barely played in the past 10 days, giving him a lot of time for rest and recovery in between. The fact that he was still held out because of this injury was not a good sign.

One of the team’s biggest needs as we head into trade season is depth at the centre position. Even with Poeltl, they need a bit of backup, another 7-footer, especially with Poeltl injured. There is also the option to include Poeltl in a deal, allowing the Raptors to make a bigger swing at a big target. In recent reports from Jask Fischer, he has determined players like Davis, Sabonis, and Gafford as potential targets for Toronto. Poeltl may need to be a factor/piece in these talks.

Yet, if the back injury really is as bad as it seems, the question shifts from ‘do we trade Poeltl?’ to ‘does Poeltl even pass the physical needed for the trade to go through?’ or ‘do teams risk taking on his contract with this injury problem?’

This ends up posing a bigger problem for Toronto. If Poeltl is 100% healthy, then you can easily swing for a lower-costing backup option for him without having to give up too much. If he isn’t healthy, then the focus needs to switch to replacing him — but how can you deal with his contract if he’s that hurt? Do you have to give up other assets in order to make it work and then just live with his current deal?

Regardless, it’s becoming more of a problem with each passing day. The Raptors were lucky to edge out wins against Miami and Milwaukee — the latter being helped along by Giannis’s absence from the lineup — mostly due to Scottie Barnes’s efforts. Their guard play is suffering with Poeltl out, especially since the difference in Immanuel Quickley’s efforts is noticeable with and without Poeltl on the floor.

The good news for the Raptors is that Barnes and Brandon Ingram are both playing at an All-Star level. Barnes is almost guaranteed a spot on the team, with Ingram being a little less certain but still deserving. This is helping the Raptors maintain their positioning in the standings, but it isn’t what they should 100% be relying on.

The Raptors usually like to wait until closer to the deadline to make moves, letting the marbles fall from other teams first, unless they have a big move to make. In the 2023-24 season, the Raptors were big movers, dealing both Pascal Siakam and O.G. Anunoby pretty early by deadline standards. Unless the Raptors are going to be a part of any blockbuster early trades, I wouldn’t expect much to go on until after the New Year.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/raptors-r...e-options-poeltl-injury-davis-sabonis-updates