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[Toronto Raptors]

Canadian Freshmen Make Impact on NCAAW Power 4 Conference Awards

Canada Basketball

Syla Swords, Toby Fournier and Delaney Gibb were all over Conference Awards lists as NCAAW heads into the postseason.

It’s the most exciting month in college sports — March Madness is here.

In recent years, Canadians have been making an impact south of the border on NCAA teams, and the women are making their names known. There are 135 Canadians playing in NCAA women’s basketball programs across the country this year, and many will head into the NCAA Tournament later this month.

This week though, conference tournaments are kicking off. There will be a ton of exciting basketball to watch as the Power Four Conferences — The Big 12, the ACC, the SEC and the Big 10 — head into their tournaments.

Before the tournaments started, each conference released their winners of conference awards. Similar to professional basketball leagues, each conference had a Player of the Year, First Team, Second Team, Freshman of the Year, All-Freshman Team, and Defensive Player of the Year.

Three of Canada’s most exciting future prospects were honoured in three of the four conferences. Syla Swords of Michigan, Toby Fournier of Duke and Delaney Gibb of BYU.

Syla Swords — Michigan (Big 10): Second Team, All-Freshman Team​

If you followed the Canadian Women’s team at the Paris Olympics, you may be familiar with Swords. She became the youngest player to ever represent Canada in Olympic basketball in Paris. Shortly after, she headed to Ann Arbor, Michigan to join their women ‘s basketball team as a freshman.

Swords joined an excellent Freshman class at Michigan, including her partner-in-crime on the court, Olivia Olson. Olson ended up winning the Big-10 Co-Freshman of the Year award (voted by coaches).

An instant impact.

Syla Swords was named to the All-Big Ten second team and the all-freshman team by both the coaches and media.#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/0OzoXoNgh3

— Michigan Women’s Basketball (@umichwbball) March 4, 2025​

Syla on the other hand was named to the conference’s Second Team, as well as the All-Freshman Team. She is one of five NCAA players this season to achieve multiple 20-point double-doubles, and scored 27 points and 12 rebounds in her very first NCAA game against South Carolina.

In her freshman season, Swords averaged 15.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1 steal, shooting 42.6% from the field and 35.1% form three. Her best performance of the year was against no.1 UCLA on January 1, where she scored 30 points and made 4 three pointers.

Michigan heads into the Big-10 tournament as the 5-seed, earning a first round bye and awaiting their opponent. They will kick off their tournament on Thursday.

Toby Fournier — Duke (ACC): Freshman of the Year, First Team, All-Freshman Team​

Toby Fournier was dunking in high school games, and has been a household name in Canadian basketball for years. Fans were excited to see her finally enter the NCAA, and she headed to Duke last fall.

Despite not starting in a single game for the Blue Devils in her Freshman season, Fournier averaged 14.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and shot 55% from the field. Her best game was Duke’s final regular season game of the year, where she scored 28 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal and shot 73.3% from the field off the bench.

Can’t spell Toby Fournier without ROTY. pic.twitter.com/6NUPaJXLfc

— Duke Women’s Basketball (@DukeWBB) March 4, 2025​

She was named the ACC’s Freshman of the year, but also made the conference’s All-Freshman team AND First Team.

Duke heads into the ACC tournament as the three-seed, earning a double bye. They will play their first game in the quarterfinal on Friday.

Delaney Gibb — BYU (Big 12): Freshman of the Year, Second Team, All-Freshman Team​

Delaney Gibb headed to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah last fall to start her college career with the Cougars in the Big-12. In her first season, she started every game she played for BYU, averaging 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals.

Similar to Fournier, Gibb’s best game was the team’s last regular season game. She scored 36 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, shootin 71.4% from three-point range and 72.2% from the field. She made 5-7 shots form distance and 13-18 from the field.

Delaney Gibb has been named Big 12 Freshman of the Year and selected to both the All-Big 12 Freshman Team and All-Big 12 Second Team. pic.twitter.com/Urzx9TeHE8

— BYU Women's Hoops (@byuwbb) March 4, 2025​

Gibb was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, also making the conference Second Team and All-Freshman Team.

BYU headed into the Big-12 Tournament Wednesday as the 12-seed, playing no.13 UCF with hopes to advance to play Kansas State in the second round.

---

Conference tournaments start Wednesday and go until Sunday March 9.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/5/24378514/march-madness-conference-awards-swords-gibb-fournier

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Syla Swords and Avery Howell face-off in Big-10 Tournament Semi-Final

Canada Basketball

It will be the first time the two Canadian freshmen play each other in college basketball — winner goes to the Big-10 Final.

After taking home some hardware in Conference awards, there is more Canadian action going down in the Big-10 Women’s Basketball Tournament this weekend. Syla Swords and Avery Howell will play each other for the first time in their college careers, as USC and Michigan meet each other in the semi-final of the Big-10 Tournament Saturday.

Southern California have the benefit of rest, given they were awarded the double-bye that comes with their no.1 seed in the conference. Their first game was that quarterfinal Friday against Indiana. The Hoosiers had the benefit of the “home court advantage” since the tournament is in Indiana — which lead them to a gritty performance that kept the no.2 ranked team in the country on their toes.

Canada’s Avery Howell — who is from Boise, Idaho but plays for Canada with her dual citizenship — got her first career start. USC’s senior center Rayah Marshall was out of the game with an illness, leading to Howell replacing her in the lineup. She scored 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, shooting 50% from distance.

BIG SHOT AVES!!

@BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/lVagPxpbHn

— USC Women's Basketball (@USCWBB) March 7, 2025​

Her teammate Juju Watkins scored 31 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 (massive) block. It was her 21st 20-point performance, which raised her to 2nd in Trojan history for most 30-point career games behind Cheryl Miller (25). Watkins could surpass Miller before her sophomore season is over, with only four 30-point games separating her.

Yet, despite this, USC still had a close call in their quarterfinal, winning 84-79. They certainly missed Marshall in the front court, and Indiana shot 42.1% from three.

Later in the afternoon, Michigan had their own different but still dramatic game. As the no.5 seed in the tournament, they faced no.4 Maryland. After winning the first quarter 27-6, Michigan had a scoring drought in the second that led Maryland to bring the game back within one possession. Going into the half, Michigan was only up four points.

Despite letting Maryland make their way back into the game, the second half was all Michigan. They were able to get that 20+ point lead back thanks to numerous turnovers from Maryland and an offensive blitz from the Wolverines. In the end, Michigan won 98-71 to book their ticket to the semi-final.

Syla Swords, corner pocket#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/mFhpDDcVtz

— Michigan Women’s Basketball (@umichwbball) March 7, 2025​

Syla Swords had 22 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals, shooting 50% from distance. The other half of Michigan’s freshman duo, Olivia Olson, scored 20 points while Michigan’s senior leader Jordan Hobbs scored 23 points.

USC and Michigan have only played each other one other time this season, back on December 29. USC won 78-58, though Syla Swords did not play in that game — sitting out with a leg injury. This makes Saturday’s game the first time Swords and Howell will play each other in their college careers.

The two players share a close friendship and bond, having been teammates on Team Canada’s Senior Women’s Team during Olympic training camp last summer. Howell recalls Swords showing her the ropes, as she had played with the Senior team longer, saying “she is super easy to talk to and really good friend — but we’re able to take things super serious.”

“At that high of a level, you have to kind of be able to know when it’s time to get to work and practice hard and get better. I think that that’s why both of us worked well at that high of a level over the summer,” Howell says. “Just having [Swords] help me and be there to talk as someone in similar positions and age, I think that that was pretty cool as well.”

Michigan also has another Canadian on their team, just not on the court. Canada Basketball veteran Natalie Achonwa is coaching at Michigan this season, taking a job as the Assistant Coach of Player Development after announcing her retirement after the Paris Olympics.

On an episode of Locked on Women’s Basketball last week, Swords recalled when her coach — then teammate, Achonwa — told her she would be joining her in Ann Arbour.

“I was getting on the bus, and she just said ‘I’m gonna be your coach next year,’” Syla says, “I was like ‘what?’”

This USC vs Michigan game will not only be a testament to the growth of the sport and these two programs in particular — but also of the growth of Canadian talent in women’s college basketball. There are 135 Canadian women playing on teams across the NCAA this season, with many playing on ranked teams and winning conference awards. Swords made the Big-10 Second Team and All-Freshman team, Toby Fournier of Duke won the ACC Freshman of the Year as well as making the ACC First Team and All-Freshman team. Delaney Gibb was the Big-12 Freshman of the Year, Jasmin Bascoe made the Big-East All-Freshman team, and Yvonne Ejim won West Coast Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

The growth of women’s basketball in Canada is a big part of the growth of the sport as a whole — especially as the WNBA prepares to welcome the Toronto Tempo into the league in 2026. The Canadian Women’s Senior team has been ranked top-5 in the World FIBA rankings for the past few years, and came 4th at the Women’s World Cup in 2022. These young players duelling it out in the NCAA will be among those chosen to represent Canada as the next cycle of international competitions approaches. Both Swords and Howell have similar goals when it comes to their Canadian Team: getting onto the podium.

That seriousness they share will come into play as they head into a single elimination tournament game. They both know the stakes — winner makes it to the Big-10 Tournament Finals. As close as their friendship is, they will be able to turn on their game faces when the game tips-off.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/7/...-usc-michigan-swords-howell-canada-basketball

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Hope and intention make the Toronto Raptors rebuild enjoyable amid losses

Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors may not be making a playoff push (on purpose, anyway) but there is so much depth to this team that makes them easy to root for.

March is one of the best months to be a basketball fan. Of course there is March Madness, college conference tournaments, brackets and all of that. It’s also the final push to the playoffs for NBA teams and the regular season starts to wind down. If your team is set to make a playoff run, the fun is just beginning as you start to get an idea of who they’ll be playing in the first round.

Yet, if your team is not exactly in the playoff picture, like the Toronto Raptors at the moment, March may not be the pinnacle of basketball enjoyment for you. In this case, there are two things you can do. First, tap into Canadians playing in the NCAA, for fun. They are really showing out and making a bracket is super fun. Second, take a deeper look into the current state of the Toronto Raptors. You may just find some basketball joy where you least expect it.

Saturday night for example — the Raptors welcomed the Washington Wizards for night two of a back to back. From a surface level... maybe not the most encapsulating game of all time. The Raptors are 13th in the East, the Wizards 15th (aka last), and both teams are what experts would call “looking ahead to the NBA Draft.”

It was a close game, ending in a heroic play from rookie Jamal Shead that was overturned — meaning the Wizards won the game 118-117. Washington had not won a game yet this month, until tonight.

“I was hyped. I thought we won the game. After the review, I was kind of sad, but we played them again Monday. Next game, mindset.” — Jamal Shead

Two teams seemingly in similar positions outlook wise this season, but while the Wizards feel like they are lost in the stormy seas of tanking... the Raptors have built themselves a private island and are throwing their own party. Darko Rajakovic is holding the limbo pole while this young team has a blast exceeding people’s expectations of how low they can go. In this case, low means high... okay enough metaphors.

Sure, as someone whose work focuses on one specific team, I can’t speak to the culture of every non-playoff team. Yet, while other teams are out there looking helpless even as the lottery balls are leaning in their favour, something about the Raptors team just feels different.

My theory is that the team is rebuilding with intentional culture AND promising basketball talent. That’s what is really making a difference.

At this point in March, there isn’t much of a point of analyzing wins and losses for the Raptors, unless you’re trying to correlate them into draft odds. Looking a little deeper in-between the lines, you’ll find a lot of really enjoyable and heartwarming things about this team. The kind of things that make you want to root for a group that seems to be on the rise.

There’s the things a fan can see — the celebrations when rookie Ja’Kobe Walter hits an unexpected buzzer beater to win the Raptors a game, or even when Shead does despite it not counting in the end. When Scottie Barnes throws him over his shoulder and runs across the court. The social media clips of them painting dinosaurs in adorable berets for charity. The way that fans are still screaming with delight when this Raptors team comes close in a game, like they were Saturday night against Washington.

“We’re in the rebuild. We’re playing a lot of young guys. To see sold out in the arena every night and to see so much love and support from those guys, it’s unique. There’s no other place in the NBA that’s going to be like that. For everybody to show up and cheer and to be with the team, we have the best fans in the NBA. I’m really proud of that.” — Darko Rajakovic

If you look just a little closer, you’ll find the things that are only visible if you pay attention. Like how the bench players do a conga line to their seats at the beginning of every game. The specific handshakes they have with each other, or the nicknames they call each other. The way they enthusiastically cheer for every member of the team from the bench.

Finally caught the conga line pic.twitter.com/vGX8xzRnme

— chelsea leite (@chelsealeite) March 9, 2025​

Then there are things that you get to see when you cover the team. Like when players are doing media scrums and coach comes behind the reporters to make faces and give heart hands to the guys. The relationships the players build with the staff inside the arena. The way that, despite this team being made up of really young men who could just keep to themselves, they treat everyone they come into contact with on game day with kindness.

Those things are bigger than basketball, they are culture. Yet, in order to do well on the court at a high level, you need strong culture. You need buy in from every single player, every single staff member, and every fan. That’s what made 2019 so special, and that’s what this franchise is trying to recreate in a new way.

Something else essential to a rebuilding basketball team? Hope.

For example, whether or not the Raptors end up getting the no.1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft, getting Cooper Flagg, and all that good stuff — they’ll still get better next year. At least in theory. There’s hope that as soon as next year Toronto will be better.

There are a few other teams headed into the lottery that would need 2-5 Cooper Flaggs in order to have that same hope.

Toronto will add Brandon Ingram to the mix next year, along with of course Barnes, Barrett and Quickley. The rookies in Shead, Walter, and Mogbo have looked promising on different occasions. Gradey Dick’s development this year has been great, and Jakob Poeltl has been the glue all season long. Put that together with a lottery pick, and that has the makings of a playoff team.

Darko Rajakovic went into extreme detail before Saturday’s game about the ways the team is intentionally developing their talent. Among many things, something that stood out was when he said “I think for a player, the moment they stop developing and working on their game, they stop not just growing, but reverses their performance.” Every player from 1 to 15 needs to be working to get better every single day, in the Rajakovic system.

He has specific visions for each player, as well as for the entire team, specifically on “how [the] team needs to play, how we want to play on both ends of the floor, but also the vision of how that player can look, not necessarily now, but a couple of weeks down the road and in two, three, four years.”

Part of a longer answer about player development from Darko Rajakovic:

“The most talented player I ever coached is Desmond Bane… he’s not the best athlete out there, he’s not the the most explosive, but his mindset and approach to details, I was really impressed with.” pic.twitter.com/Fl5jFv4tsO

— Adam Laskaris (@adam_la2karis) March 8, 2025​

Rajakovic also talked about intentionally hiring coaches who specialize in player development. He called himself “sometimes hard to work with” because he expects his coaches to have a documented plan for every workout session they go into, every single day. Another way for the team to document the progression of players from the beginning of a season to the end and create achievable goals specific to each one individually.

“[Darko] is very consistent in what he wants. He preaches consistency. He’s very consistent in his day-in and day-out routines. Even with him and Jama jogging every day around the court, getting their exercises. They do that every day. That speaks volumes. Also, he’s a very good encourager. Just playing for a coach like that, you want to be better for him. — Jamal Shead

He spoke on standing behind his team as well — something fans have seen multiple times from Darko. Whether he’s giving a passionate speech after a Lakers game, or getting ejected defending his player, or just hyping them up court side — Darko stands ten toes down for his players. They do the same for him.

So to recap — the Toronto Raptors have a team that is promising talent wise, are intentional with their player development, they genuinely like being around each other, have a strong sense of culture, and are extremely likeable. It truly could be so much worse. Not saying Saturday night’s game in particular was proof but.......

If there are bad teams and rebuilding teams, Toronto is definitely rebuilding. There is a ton beneath the surface level to enjoy, if you look up from hate-tweeting long enough to search for it.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/8/...-lottery-playoff-rajakovic-development-system

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Toronto Raptors vs. Washington Wizards: The rematch

Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images

Who can out-tank the other?

The Toronto Raptors will host the Washington Wizards again tonight, after a Saturday night contest that yielded plenty of late-stage intrigue. With the bench trying to rather heroically lead the Raptors to victory (which at this point, we’d rather they not), what appeared to be a buzzer beater by Jamal Shead was overturned, giving the Wizards the win. Of course, it’s nearing the middle of March, and we’re watching the 13th team in the East battle the 15th. Both teams have lengthy injury reports including “injury recovery” and “rest”. Unlike most professional sports, it feels like neither team actually wants to win this game. Of course, no one can fault either team for wanting higher lottery odds, with a draft that appears to be full of potential.

Washington is currently 13-49, four games behind the Pelicans, two games behind Utah and a game and a half back of Charlotte. While the bottom four teams all share the best odds, they certainly don’t want to be any higher than that. They’ve won two in a row now, so that margin for error for them gets smaller as the other teams all appear to be out-tanking them at the moment.

Toronto is now only a half game behind Brooklyn for fifth-worst in the league, and a game and a half back of Philly. The odds drop off pretty quickly beyond that, so they’d likely rather stay where they are as well. With one of the easiest schedules to end the season, that might be a challenge.

The benefit to the “tanking” (ethical or not) is the ability to watch the younger guys really get some run. Jamal Shead, Jared Rhoden, Jamison Battle, and Orlando Robinson have all been able to get good minutes in a variety of different situations. Starting a game and playing in the final minutes of a close game are great experiences for those guys, especially as they look towards next season and try to figure out how to adjust the roster.

The biggest part of watching these games is to continue to be excited about the young talent on the roster and seeing what they can do when they get the opportunity. Hopefully we’ll see more of it tonight, with the expectation that all of Shead, Robinson, Lawson, Battle, and Rhoden will continue to get lots of time on the floor.

Where to Watch

Tune in at 7:30pm ET on SportsNet

Probable Starters

Toronto: Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, AJ Lawson, Orlando Robinson

Washington: Jordan Poole, Bilal Coulibaly, Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Richaun Holmes

Injury Report

Toronto: Ochai Agbaji (Out: Left ankle sprain), Ulrich Chomche (Out: Partial MCL tear), Gradey Dick (Out: Bone bruise), Brandon Ingram (Out: Left ankle sprain), Jonathan Mogbo (Out: Nasal fracture), Jakob Poeltl (Out: Rest), Ja’Kobe Walter (Out: Right hip flexor)

Washington: Saddiq Bey (Out: Surgery recovery) Malcolm Brogdon (Out: Left ankle sprain), Richaun Holmes (Out: Knee contusion), Colby Jones (Out: Achilles tendinopathy), Khris Middleton (Out: Injury management), Marcus Smart (Out: Injury management)

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/10/24382117/toronto-raptors-vs-washington-wizards-the-rematch

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Losing seasons may be the best time to lock in as a Toronto Raptors fan

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

What other time could you see Jamal Shead fly for a bargain? Scotiabank Arena has been loud this week...

The Toronto Raptors played the Washington Wizards for the second time in a row Monday night, a mini-series between two teams out of the playoff race. With Toronto’s injury list ever-growing with injuries like Mogbo’s broken nose, Dick’s bruised knee, or Jakob Poeltl’s rest — the Raptors aren’t exactly deploying their best lineups this week.

Raptors games are still worth the watch though, and honestly, now may be the best time to get tickets to watch the team. Don’t worry, this isn’t a paid advertisement for Ticketmaster, I have morals — but the Raptors may have the best game atmosphere for a tanking team in the entire league.

On Saturday, Darko Rajakovic called the Toronto Raptors fans “the best in the league” — I won’t be so biased as to outright agree with him. Yet, he has a point. In the big scheme of business and capitalism, NBA teams often fail to prioritize the everyday die-hard fan. Two scenarios bring out the best in fans — Championship contending teams and tanking teams.

Championship teams are an obvious one — winning is fun. Winning Championships is the most fun, as the Raptors proved in 2019. Fans are in the building no matter what the price is in order to witness history. If they can’t get into the building, they are right outside on the street. The city comes alive around a team and everyone is on the same page.

So how could a tanking team then also provide the most authentic fan moments? As inflation rises, so does the price of game tickets. Last spring, Raptors President Masai Ujiri called it “the way business works” — yet it doesn’t always sit right with fans how much it costs to sit even in the cheapest seats. This creates a crowd filled with what the average Toronto folk will call “suits” — aka the people who can afford the tickets. The “suits” aren’t gonna scream “ref you suck!” or participate in the wave or elbow each other during the t-shirt toss.

When the team plays the Washington Wizards — a team with 13 total wins on the season so far — it’s hard to justify an increased price point for tickets. Naturally, tickets get cheaper, which means more fans can come to the game, and they can sit in better seats. No matter the Raptors record, Scotiabank Arena is usually full (and loud) these days — especially so during this mini Wizards series.

Authentic fans, a lot of kids and a packed crowd means NOISE. When the Raptors and Wizards were in a late-game tussle for the win on Saturday, the arena felt alive and the noise was deafening. When Jamal Shead FLEW into a putback dunk on Monday night, the fans were loving it. It’s, dare I say, fun?

JAMAL SHEAD EXPLODES FOR THE PUTBACK pic.twitter.com/o5z2DJ5g7w

— NBA (@NBA) March 11, 2025​

That atmosphere is good for culture building as well, something we talked about after Saturday’s one-point loss to the Wizards. The players feed off of the energy of the crowd — it’s a live relationship and conversation between player and the group of fans surrounding them.

Getting these real, die-hard fans in seats while this team is rebuilding is essential. The goal of course is for this group to become a playoff bound basketball team, with players like Barnes, Barrett and Quickley of course — but also with the Sheads, Walters, Ingrams, and so on of the team. It’s great for fans to be building that essential relationship with these players now, so that when it’s a playoff team, the players are even more so motivated to play better for this city, these fans. So that they want to stay here in free agency to play for these fans.

If you don’t want me at my losing by one point to the Wizards, then you can’t have me at my Kawhi buzzer-beater series winning shot — or whatever the exact saying is.

People who can bear to show up and scream for a team winning a quarter of their games in a season, will be the most supportive when the team is winning. Hey, maybe you’ll get to see the team win a near 20-point blowout against the Wizards, maybe you’ll see them lose a 1-point game to the Wizards. Either way the tickets won’t bankrupt you.

Plus for kids, in 20+ years when you say “wow I remember my first Raptors game,” you probably won’t remember that it was in a losing season and most of the adults around you wanted the team to lose in order to draft Cooper Flagg. Unless we end up actually drafting Cooper Flagg.

So yeah, we joke about the team being bad, and about tanking — but ultimately this is the time to rally around the team. Once they get good again, you probably won’t be able to afford to go.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/10...best-time-to-lock-in-as-a-toronto-raptors-fan

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Canadian Women’s Basketball Players are Dominating Worldwide

Muad Issa | Canada Basketball

Between the WNBA, NCAA, Unrivaled, Euro League, Athletes Unlimited, WNBL and 3x3, Canadian Women are making a statement Worldwide in basketball.

March is International Women’s Month, and brands won’t let you forget it. Commercials, activations, celebratory nights and so on. Instead of a performative campaign to remind you to celebrate women, let’s talk about the phenomenon no one seems to be talking about. Canadian women are taking over the basketball world.

This is an unprecedented time for women’s basketball players in general, but Canadians have absolutely shot into the top tier of basketball. On every level, they are not only represented, but showing out. Let us introduce you to the past, present and future of Canadian basketball — women.

WNBA​

Obviously first is the WNBA, and the Toronto Tempo arriving in Canada is only the latest chapter in a mosaic of rich history between Canadian women and the sport.

The WNBA currently has four Canadian players: Kia Nurse (Chicago Sky), Bridget Carleton (Minnesota Lynx), Laeticia Amihere (Golden State Valkyries) and Aaliyah Edwards (Washington Mystics). We’ll touch on three of these four as we go on, so let’s focus on Bridget Carleton for now.

From small town Chatham, Ontario to the biggest stage in Women’s Basketball — the WNBA Finals. The Lynx may have lost in a controversial series-deciding Game 5 against the New York Liberty last fall, but their run and dominance cannot be denied. Carleton was a crucial part of that run — before it even started.

She was the one to make a clutch late-game three-pointer to secure the Lynx’s playoff position ahead of the Connecticut Sun in the regular season. Anytime the Lynx needed a big shot in the playoffs, Carleton was there.

She’ll return to the Lynx this summer to try and get back to the Finals for the second year in a row.

Unrivaled 1-on-1 Dominance​

Unrivaled launched this winter as an off-season WNBA development league, hosting 36 of the WNBA’s best in Miami. Aaliyah Edwards was the sole Canadian representation, and she made the country proud.

One exciting feature of Unrivaled was the league’s 1-on-1 tournament. The players were seeded and placed in a bracket with $200,000 of prize money for the winner on the line. Edwards was assigned the eighth seed in her quad of the bracket — the bottom.

That did not stop her — she opened up her tournament by winning 11-0 against WNBA legend Breanna Stewart in 1 minute and 58 seconds. She then went on a run to make it to the tournament finals, ultimately losing two games to one against Napheesa Collier.

Edwards still took $50,000 home for her effort as the tournament’s runner up.

NCAA​

The kids are more than alright. This freshman class of Canadians in the NCAA may be the best group of players in one single class in our country’s history.

Conference Awards were announced last week, and they were full of Canadian talent. Toby Fournier won Freshman of the Year for the ACC, also taking home a First Team All-Conference nod. Syla Swords was named to the Big Ten’s All-Freshman Team and Second Team All-Conference. Delaney Gibb won Freshman of the Year in the Big-12. Jasmine Bascoe was named to the4 Big-East’s All-Freshman Team.

Yvonne Ejim, the senior Canadian at Gonzaga, won the West Coast Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year award for 2025. It was her second consecutive time winning both awards.

This was all before Conference Tournaments even started.

Toby Fournier and her Duke Blue Devils went on to win the ACC Tournament, upsetting both Notre Dame (and Canadian Cass Prosper) and NC State along the way. Syla Swords and the Michigan Wolverines upset Maryland to make to the Big-10 semi-final, ultimately losing to Avery Howell’s USC in a Canadian vs Canadian battle. Howell and USC went on to the Championship game, but fell to UCLA for the prize.

Swords was named to the Big-10 All-Tournament team after averaging 21 points per game in Michigan’s three tournament games. She was the first freshman in program history to make the team, and only the 4th Wolverine to ever do it.

March Madness has not even begun, and Canadians already have their fingerprints all over the NCAA.

Athletes Unlimited​

Kia Nurse made her Athletes Unlimited debut in Nashville this winter, escaping the Toronto cold for some hot hoops down in Tennessee. AU is another WNBA offseason option for players to participate in, a six week tournament that is player-run.

Every week, the players draft each other onto different teams. Ultimately they are playing for individual points, with one winner being crowned at the end of the season. Players are also playing for charities of their choice.

Nurse decided to play for the Play Like a Girl Foundation, which helps girls translate the skills they learn in sports to other fields in STEM.

In her first AU season, Nurse averaged 15.8 points per game, along with 5.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists — ultimately ranking 9th in AU standings. More than that though, Nurse found joy playing in Nashville after a few harder seasons in the WNBA. Nurse suffered an ACL injury in 2021, and despite returning to play in the 2023 WNBA season, has never fully returned to her former strength — until AU. Hopefully this is only the start of a great WNBA season for Nurse.

3x3 Basketball​

FIBA 3x3 is growing in popularity, and Canadians have been at the forefront of this growth. At the 2024 Olympics, Team Canada made it to the semi-finals, losing to Team USA — but had a great tournament. The team then went on to win the Women’s 3x3 AmeriCup tournament. Canadians Paige Crozon and Katherine Plouffe currently rank 2nd and 3rd respectively in FIBA 3x3 Women’s Player rankings. Both have been playing on the team since its inception in 2019.

This week, Team Canada is back as Crozon, Plouffe, Kacie Bosch and Saicha Grant-Allen take on the 3x3 Champions Cup in Thailand. In power rankings released by FIBA this week, Canada ranks first overall headed into the tournament.

“We just have to start with the reigning AmeriCup champs, who bring back the same players from that amazing triumph not long ago. They are again led by superstar Katherine Plouffe, who is out to dominate the paint while Paige Crozon ran hot at the backend of 2024.

Canada have been a force for a long time, they are women 3x3 pioneers, so we just have to put respect on their name and have them No.1.” — FIBA

WNBL​

Canadians are even repping red and white down under — Laeticia Amihere headed to Perth this offseason to play for the Perth Lynx of the WNBL.

The Lynx lost in the semi-final of the WNBL playoffs, but Amihere ranked among the top players on the roster all season. She averaged 15.5 points per game for the season, shooting 49.8% from the field. She ranked second in team overall points in the season with 356 total, and second on the roster for rebounds per game with 6.3 per game.

This experience will help launch her into the WNBA season, where she will join the Golden State Valkyries for their first season.

Euro-League​

With such limited roster spots in the WNBA, European basketball is a huge landing spot for North American Basketball talent. Many of Team Canada’s 5x5 players are showing out in Europe.

Kayla Alexander and Shay Colley won a Coupe de France (French Championship) together with Tango Bourges Basket, and Alexander won the tournament’s MVP award. This year, Alexander is playing for Valencia in Spain, while Colley is still in Bourges.

Sami Hill also plays in Spain for Araski, while Bridget Carleton is currently in Turkey playing for CBK Mersin.

---

Safe to say Canadian Women are at the forefront of the Women’s Basketball Boom. They represent at every level, and the talent pool coming up now is the best the country has ever seen.

From high school (in both Canada and the US), to the NCAA, and then professional leagues all over the world — Canadian women are hooping.

Let’s continue to give these incredible women the recognition they deserve — not just during March but all year.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/11...s-basketball-players-are-dominating-worldwide

 

[Toronto Raptors]

The Rap-Up: The (T)ides of March

Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images

The Raptors continue the NBA’s easiest schedule with four more winnable games.

If you read the headline and came here for references to Shakespeare or Julius Caesar, I apologize for misleading you.

Certainly the Ides of March, namely the negative connotation of a bad omen, could be an appropriate term to describe this portion of the Toronto Raptors’ schedule.

But the Raptors have spat in the face of destiny lately.

In Orlando, a tie game in the clutch? Sure, let’s trot out a lineup of two rookies, two G-League players, and a journeyman Center.

Against Utah, the Jazz are making a comeback in the 4th? Sure, let’s abandon the tank strategy and keep Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley on the floor.

In Chicago, a 4-point lead with six seconds left? Sure, let’s close out aggressively at the three-point shooter.

Up is down. Down is up. From game-to-game and quarter-to-quarter, the Raptors continue flowing with the tides of the NBA’s turbulent draft lottery waters.

It’s incredible how close this is. It’s on his finger tips pic.twitter.com/QDaZ2N4s8F

— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) March 9, 2025​

March 10 vs Washington Wizards

The healthy lead the Washington Wizards built themselves has dwindled down to a one game difference in the loss column between themselves, the Charlotte Hornets, and the New Orleans Pelicans.

It’s not like the Wizards have reeled off a flurry of victories. Since February 1st, they doubled their win total (wow) from 6 to 12 (oh). Despite having, not one, but TWO 16-game losing streaks this season, the Wizards may have to join their fellow bottom-dwellers and start benching their starters.

The notion of benching starters in Toronto means the young players will get more playing time. In Washington, the starters and the young players are one in the same!

Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington, Alex Sarr, and Kyshawn George are 4 of the top 5 in average minutes played in Washington. None of them were born when LeBron James was drafted in 2003.

Best to worst on/off net rating swing for the Wizards since the All-Star break:

21.2 - Khris Middleton
8.0 - Alex Sarr
2.1 - Richaun Holmes
2.0 - Bilal Coulibaly
1.8 - Kyshawn George
-0.8 - Bub Carrington
-4.9 - Jordan Poole
-6.5 - Champagnie
-12.1 - Smart
-12.8 - Kispert pic.twitter.com/xCUOXsorTr

— The Lead (@TheLeadSM) March 7, 2025​

Fun fact that may only interest me

The Wizards might have been onto something when they used the 24th pick in last year’s draft on Kyshawn George.

George became the 5th Swiss-born player in the NBA. Each of the other 4 NBA players born in Switzerland — Clint Capela, Enes Kanter Freedom, Thabo Sefolosha, and Nikola Vucevic — all played at least 11 seasons in the NBA.

Prediction

Toronto’s cupcake schedule continues as they complete the doubleheader with the visiting Wizards. If you haven’t noticed by now, I’ve toned down the analysis in predictions against other lottery teams because you never know who’s playing or being benched. In any case, I think the teams split the doubleheader and Toronto covers the -3.5 spread.

March 12 vs Philadelphia 76ers

In preparation for this game, I suggest re-watching the 30-point comeback win against Dallas on December 22, 2019. Whether it’s marveling at Nick Nurse’s rotation choices in the fourth quarter or soaking in the brilliance of the Kyle Lowry + bench lineup, it will put you in the mood to cheer for those two again!

The Philadelphia 76ers have fallen on hard times this season. Joel Embiid is out for the season. Paul George is a shell (of a shell) of the player Daryl Morey signed to a 4-year/$212 million extension last Summer. Early Rookie of the Year favourite, Jared McCain, is out for the season.

The Sixers are now racing to the bottom of the standings. If they finish outside of the top 6 in the draft lottery, their draft pick will go to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The outcomes fall on both ends of the spectrum. If the Sixers lose their pick, it’ll be salt on the wound of a disastrous season. If the Sixers win the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, it might be the end of NBA Twitter!

This is the most important research that I have ever done.

Paul George was playing better this season after dropping podcasts. Save Podcast P! pic.twitter.com/UG4YfIORZh

— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) February 27, 2025​

Fun fact that may only interest me

Quentin Grimes has played 227 games in his NBA career, including stops in New York, Detroit, Dallas, and now Philadelphia.

According to Basketball Reference’s Game Score, which measures a player’s productivity in a game, Grimes has already had three of his best five Game Scores since joining the Sixers.

He’s only played 12 games so far with Philadelphia.

Prediction

The same way I feel about Toronto when they play Boston (and Joel Embiid, although it’s different now), I’d like to think Nick Nurse feels the same way about playing the Raptors. In other words, tank or no tank, I cheer for Toronto to beat Boston every single time. I think Nurse throws the tank out of the window for one night, has Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry suit up, and proceeds with beating his former team. Philadelphia covers the +1.5 spread.

March 14 @ Utah Jazz

Analyzing and previewing games has been so weird this season. Typically, seeing an opponent for the second time in a week would allow Toronto to fix what did not work or continue doing what did work. With lottery balls on the line, it’s quite the opposite.

The Raptors will look to improve reduce their efforts after defeating the Jazz on Friday!

• Bench Immanuel Quickley. Toronto’s Point Guard of the present and future needs to consider the Raptors’ future and sit this one out. IQ torched Utah on Friday, scoring 34 points and hitting six triples. The only Utah guard who missed the game was Jordan Clarkson — not a defensive stopper anyway — so a repeat performance by Quickley would definitely be possible if he played.
• Start Orlando Robinson (again). Keeping Jakob Poeltl glued to the bench — Toronto’s 2nd-most important player on the court — is always recommended during this tank. Starting 10-day signee, Colin Castleton, could also be an option. However, during Friday’s clash, Castleton did a slightly better job of corralling defensive rebounds than Robinson. Assuming Walker Kessler plays (a huge assumption), the Raptors decrease their chances of winning if Utah’s bigs continue dominating on the offensive glass.

float like a butterfly https://t.co/bHVewifU7l pic.twitter.com/5IzyOLq90l

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 8, 2025​

Fun fact that may only interest me

On Friday, Walker Kessler set a Raptors opponent record by hauling in 13 offensive rebounds.

Toronto has played 38 games this season where they have not allowed 13 offensive rebounds total!

Prediction

Toronto only has seven road wins. Utah only has eight home wins. Rock meet hard place.

The Raptors’ tanking strategy is easier to execute on the road as they don’t have to worry about disappointing fans at Scotiabank Arena. With that in mind, I’d expect more blatant efforts to lose, like benching Scottie Barnes in the fourth quarter or sitting him out with a phantom injury. Utah covers the -3.5 spread.

March 16 @ Portland Trailblazers

I like Portland.

I like that they’re spitting in the face of the lottery and capitalizing on the misfortunes of others. While the injury bug has decimated Dallas’ and San Antonio’s play-in hopes, Portland has turned up the intensity and is knocking on the door for the 10th-seed.

I like that Robert Williams has overcome injuries that limited him to 41 games over the previous two seasons and is back to Timelord-ing.

I like that Shaedon Sharpe is blossoming as a scorer and providing hope to Portland AND Team Canada basketball fans.

I like that DeAndre Ayton was not shut down for the season and could return just in time......for my fantasy basketball playoffs!

Fun fact that may only interest me

Scoot Henderson has started to show promise this season in hopes of fulfilling the expectations thrust upon a third-overall pick. He currently ranks 2nd in the NBA in total assists off the bench. What’s even more interesting is the player in 4th.

Most assists off the bench this season:
TJ McConnell - 265
Scoot Henderson - 231
Payton Pritchard - 217
Jamal Shead - 203
Ty Jerome - 187 https://t.co/GqcNVg3VKl

— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) March 8, 2025​

Prediction

The Portland Trailblazers, like their opponents from the north, have been performing better than their record would indicate. While the Raptors have played .500 ball over the last eight games and fielded the 9th best defense, the Blazers have won five of eight and sport the 3rd best defense (and 10th best offense) over the last two weeks.

The Blazers enter with two extra days of rest and are a surprising 16-14 at home. Portland covers the -5.5 spread.

********

Last Week’s Record: 2-1​

Season Record: 26-38​

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/10...-week-march-10-16-wizards-sixers-jazz-blazers

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers: Battle of the Benches

Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images

Extensive injury reports on both sides will require everyone who’s healthy to step up if the Raptors are going to come away with a win

The Toronto Raptors will play host to the Philadelphia 76ers tonight for their third matchup of the season. After beating them in the first two contests, this game will determine whether or not Toronto will hold the head-to-head advantage should the teams finish the season with the same record. Currently, they’ve both accumulated 22 wins, but there’s still plenty of time for that to change.

Both teams have already submitted an extensive injury report, so this won’t look like previous matchups in terms of starters, or the lineup in general. It might be a bit of a who’s who for casuals, with many of the starters sitting. This could ultimately be anyone’s game. If you’re anything like me though, you will get personal satisfaction handing the Sixers a loss.

For the Sixers, injuries to the majority of the roster and performing well below what anyone’s expectations for the season have led to a reliance on their bench. Quentin Grimes has done well since his arrival in Philly, especially over the last few games, most recently logging 35 points in an outing against Atlanta. Lonnie Walker IV has also been a big contributor, with Justin Edwards, and whatever starters were able to check in trying to pull their weight. Jeff Dowtin Jr., who Raptors fans should know, has also logged double-digits on the stat sheet on multiple occasions. Without health on their side, they’ve struggled though, dropping 13 of their last 15 games.

During their rematch against the Wizards on Monday, A.J. Lawson had a breakout 32-point performance, adding 12 rebounds and a steal. Jared Rhoden also logged solid minutes, along with Jamal Shead and Orlando Robinson. This has been the pattern over the last few games for Toronto, as we start to see more of the younger guys step out and get in rhythm as they have an opportunity. We can expect more of that tonight from them. With the injury report looking the way that it is, Jamal Shead will likely have to facilitate the majority of the offence. Now the question becomes: Will we get another phenomenal performance from Lawson or will it be someone else who takes on the scoring load?

The key to this game for the Raptors will likely be to stop Grimes, and force the other players to score. The other challenge will be scoring, which will require Shead to help get someone going.

Where to Watch:

Tune in at 7:30 pm ET on SportsNet.

Probable Starters:

Toronto: Orlando Robinson, Jared Rhoden, A.J. Lawson, Jamal Shead, Jakob Poeltl

Philadelphia: Guerschon Yabusele, Justin Edwards, Jared Butler, Quentin Grimes, Lonnie Walker IV

Injury Report:

Toronto: Ochai Agbaji (Doubtful: Ankle sprain), Scottie Barnes (Questionable: Hand sprain), RJ Barrett (Out: Personal reasons), Jamison Battle (Questionable: Nasal fracture), Ulrich Chomche (Out: MCL tear), Gradey Dick (Out: Bone bruise), Brandon Ingram (Out: Ankle sprain), Jonathan Mogbo (Out: Nasal fracture), Immanuel Quickley (Out: Rest), Ja’Kobe Walter (Out: Hip flexor)

Philadelphia: Andre Drummond (Questionable: Illness), Joel Embiid (Out; Injury management), Paul George (Out: Groin soreness), Eric Gordon (Out: Surgery), Jalen Hood-Schifino (Out: G-League), Kyle Lowry (Out: Injury management), Tyrese Maxey (Out: Finger sprain), Jared McCain (Out: Surgery), Kelly Oubre Jr. (Questionable: Ankle sprain)

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/12...s-vs-philadelphia-76ers-battle-of-the-benches

 

[Toronto Raptors]

The Toronto Raptors pull off the most unsuccessful tank game of all time

Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

“Tanking” apparently isn’t in the vocabulary of fringe roster guys trying to carve a place out in the NBA, as the Raptors’ youth proved tonight.

Let’s just start this with a visual of who was available for the Toronto Raptors vs Philadelphia 76ers game today:

Drummond is available.

Here are the available players for each team, with their total career NBA games played pic.twitter.com/xXYLPlNdaK

— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) March 12, 2025​

Okay, now that we have some context — you many understand why I was perplexed sitting here at good ol Scotiabank Arena wondering what to write tonight. Is this real basketball? Hard to say.

To (likely) avoid scrutiny from the league, Jakob Poeltl started — which was the last separation between this being an all-college aged guys game.

Seriously, apart from Poeltl, Garrett Temple and Jared Rhoden, every player who got minutes from Toronto was either the same age or younger than UConn Star Paige Bueckers.

Like sure, this is the most tank-y Raptors lineup maybe of all time, but honestly so is Philly’s. Not to mention this was essentially a MUST lose for the Raptors if they want to safely avoid the play-in tournament.

I know you’re thinking “Chelsea, get to the point” and honestly I DON’T KNOW IF I HAVE ONE GUYS. Even with all of this the Raptors STILL held the lead for a majority of the game. They were up TWENTY points in the second quarter. T-W-E-N-T-Y.

Garrett Temple already had the most assists he has made in a game since 2013... by halftime. The Raptors had 12 three-pointers... by halftime. Jared Rhoden had 17 points... at halftime. Like they could not even go further into the bench to try and tank more if they tried... these are the youngest most inexperienced players they have!

The next option would be to pull in guys from the Media Game... which didn’t go well for many of us. ROLL THE FILM:

Now of course, players don’t tank. If you’re a fringe 10-13th spot rotation guy or a two-way and you are given the full green light to play — you’re playing the hardest you’ve ever played in your life. This is your shot. This is your chance to get noticed.

Maybe the team messed up by signing a bunch of good-hearted, hard working, underdog mentality kind of players — because they were motivated. They wanted it so bad, and you can’t even blame them. You almost (and kind of did) want them to succeed.

In the end, despite a valiant comeback effort from Nick Nurse’s 76ers, the Raptors still won this game 118-105. AJ Lawson had another great game scoring 28 points on 50% shooting from the field and 4-9 from three. Orlando Robinson 24 points, 12 rebounds to get the double-double, while Jared Rhoden scored 25 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals to lead the starters. To think, none of these guys were even on the roster to start the season...

Look, if anything, this is somewhat a good sign. Even if the Raptors don’t get a top draft pick this summer — these guys seem alright? Can the Lawson, Rhoden, Shead etc dominance last or is it just twisted luck that it’s happening right now, only to fizzle when the Raptors need some bench rotation guys next season?

Is Darko’s development system just THAT good that even when they try their hardest, they can’t lose? Masai and Bobby have to be laughing at this, because how can you not? They are trying SO HARD to fail and just cannot manage to. It’s hilarious.

Maybe they will make the play-in, maybe they won’t get a top-four pick, maybe maybe maybe — but if these guys are actually this good, maybe that’s not a bad thing after all?

Former Raptors head coach, now 76ers head coach (until mid-April anyway, probably not much longer), Nick Nurse said prior to the game that he is trying to be positive. The 76ers entered the season as championship potential and are now a lottery team. He’s low-key losing his job in a very drawn-out, painful kinda way. The only thing we can do on the Raptors side right now is take a lesson from our old friend Nick and be positive.

So yeah, the Raptors can’t seem to lose. Hilariously, we are annoyed that they can’t seem to lose. Yes, the schedule isn’t doing them any favours as well as they play against some of the worst teams in the NBA. Yet, maybe we are seeing the sparks of what could become a legitimately good basketball team, and people are too focused on the lottery balls to realize it. Let’s go with that.

Omg wow, I found the point!

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/12...f-the-most-unsuccessful-tank-game-of-all-time

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Toronto falls to Portland in a “game of runs”

Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images

Despite both teams managing impressive scoring runs, Portland held on to win as the Raptors continue on the road

The Toronto Raptors completed the second leg of their road trip tonight in Portland, facing a Trail Blazers team they haven’t seen yet this season. In a game that showcased athleticism and pace from both teams, it was the perfect example of the commonly heard phrase “a game of runs”. With both teams taking turns with double-digit, unanswered scoring runs, it was difficult for either fan base to develop any sense of security in a lead as they were so quickly diminished. Ultimately, Portland was able to hold out for the final run, besting Toronto 105-102.

For the Raptors, this is a unique season, with a combination of opportunities for the bench to contribute, but also a sense of freeness and opportunities for whatever starters are on the floor. Watching Poeltl pull a 3-pointer, go coast-to-coast for a slam, and dribble in from the wing for a push shot from the elbow isn’t something we’re used to seeing on a nightly basis. Scottie is also showing a lot less hesitation and more aggression to take shots with zero consequence. It’s a secondary but equally as satisfying benefit to watching them this year.

Hold up...who saw that pic.twitter.com/ncOjUVvHFB

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 17, 2025​

With the return of Ochai to the lineup, Toronto’s energy on defence was even more evident. The combination of him and Shead seemed nightmarish at times, drawing fouls and generating steals while helping contribute offensively. Ochai finished with 19-3-2 while Shead had 10-2-6. Scottie’s aggression and ability to play with force in this game helped set the tone as well, finishing with 16-6-6 with 6 steals.

OCHAI SLAM pic.twitter.com/8p7bn046fF

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 16, 2025​

In the midst of their own rebuild, the Blazers have a unique mix of athleticism and talent but are simultaneously plagued with limited experience that becomes evident in their turnovers and shot selection. Their defence was aggressive throughout the matchup, making shots difficult and creating opportunities to make their way back into the game. Shaeden Sharpe continues to impress for the Blazers, a welcome sight for Basketball Canada as well. He finished the game with 17 points and 4 rebounds. Rookie Donovan Clingan’s presence was significant as well, with his large frame acting as a deterrent more than anything else, although he was able to pull in 14 rebounds and register 3 blocks as well. Simons, Avdija, and Camara all came up big for Portland as well, with 22, 19, and 21, respectively.

In the first quarter, Poeltl opened up scoring for Toronto with a corner 3-pointer. I don’t think any betting person would have put money on that, but the bench was on their feet to celebrate. It seemed to set the tone for the first quarter, with Toronto going 5 for 5 on shots to open the frame. In transition, Shead had a textbook lob to Ochai for a slam, and after taking a 22-6 lead, it felt like this was Toronto’s game. Portland seemed to take that personally, and slowly came into their own. It started to feel like we were watching a completely different team from the opening minutes of this game. They battled back, and Toronto’s lead was cut to 9.

CASTLETON GOING TO WORK pic.twitter.com/Td5F7GbYIW

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 16, 2025​

Dalano Banton made a brief appearance to start the second, but despite how Raptors’ fans probably would have liked to see him more, he checked out after only 4 minutes with an empty stat sheet. Toronto gradually dialed up their defensive intensity and aggression to match the Blazers’, but an offensive spurt of 3-pointers from Simons, Camara, and Avdija allowed them to pull even with the Raps, tied 52-52 on the way into the locker room.

During the third quarter, Toronto took back the game. Scottie, Poeltl, Shead, and Agbaji returned to the floor, sparking a 13-0 run that recovered their lead. Shead and Ochai helped set the tone for defensive intensity, and as soon as they left the floor, bad habits crept in, allowing Portland a run of their own.

—> pic.twitter.com/RoIk9m7b54

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 17, 2025​

The final frame ended the precarious back-and-forth feeling of the first three quarters of the game, as the home crowd helped the Blazers build confidence, intensity, and a lead. Toronto continued to ride with their bench in the final minutes, with Lawson, Robinson, Battle, Castleton, and Agbaji running out the clock. A phenomenal 3-pointer by Battle made it a single point game, but Avdija converted his free throws and 5 seconds were not enough for the Raps to recover the lead. Robinson tried to cash a three in the final moments, but Thybulle was able to block the attempt, sending everyone home for the night.

Next, Toronto will travel to Phoenix tomorrow to face the Suns. Despite heading to the Valley with a loss, this is a win for the tank crowd.

Tune in tomorrow at 10pm ET on TSN to catch the action.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/16/24387434/toronto-falls-to-portland-in-a-game-of-runs

 

[Toronto Raptors]

The Rap-Up: The dreaded ‘P’ word

Photo by Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images

Maybe this is the week where the Raptors have a losing streak?

There’s a new series on Netflix called Running Point, Mindy Kaling’s latest project that stars Kate Hudson as a newly minted President of the family-owned business — the Los Angeles Waves, a professional basketball team. The comedy follows the ups and downs of running a team with, surprisingly, minimal basketball scenes.

Sorry. This is not meant to be a review of the show. I haven’t even watched it! My wife did and mentioned a scene that applies to the Raptors’ current situation.

“Do not say the ‘P’ word!” Hudson’s character reveals her superstition and refuses to say the word ‘Playoffs’ as her team makes a late playoff push.

Have we reached the point in Toronto’s season where “Play-In” should be stricken from everyone’s mouths? It will get more complicated to avoid the term as the season draws to a close. The Chicago Bulls have a 4.5 game lead on the Raptors for the final play-in spot. They still have games against Denver, Cleveland, Oklahoma City, Sacramento, and the Lakers (twice) remaining in their schedule. Meanwhile, the Raptors have ONE game remaining (in Golden State on Thursday) against a team above .500.

That 4-point play by Coby White which forced overtime and eventually clinched the season series for Chicago looms large. Immanuel Quickley earned his salary with that foul!

March 17 @ Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns spent all their draft capital and filled their cap space to field a Big 3 of Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Kevin Durant. Not to pin everything on one player, but Beal has been less-than-ideal as a third banana. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but a Big 3 without a Point Guard or a Center has struggled to win games.

While Beal is the logical trade chip in the inevitable rebuild, he’s also the most difficult to trade. It’s unfathomably bad asset management that the Suns would need to trade Durant, who is still one of the best scorers in the league, even at 36 years of age, or Booker, the team’s franchise leader in points, to get out of this mess.

Phoenix’s roster construction is dire, they’re currently in 11th place in the West, and they do not have first-round picks for the foreseeable future. Yet, the Suns could still back their way into the play-in because the team they’re chasing is in danger of forfeiting games!

Available Mavs:

Max Christie
Spencer Dinwiddie
Kessler Edwards (two-way - 3 NBA games left)
Naji Marshall
Caleb Martin
Dwight Powell
Klay Thompson
Brandon Williams (two-way - 6 NBA games left)

Injured Mavs:

Anthony Davis
Dante Exum
Daniel Gafford
Jaden Hardy
Kyrie Irving
Kai…

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) March 15, 2025​

Dallas does not have enough room under the first apron to sign anyone until April 10 (with only two games remaining). Teams must dress a minimum of 8 players and the Mavericks have 3 two-way players nearing their eligibility limits. They could play Kai Jones (11 games left) after Kessler Edwards’ (3 games left) season wraps up to maximize the team’s 14 remaining games. There would still be a 6-game stretch between Brandon Williams’ expiration and when the team can sign someone else where the team would only have 7 healthy bodies. During that stretch, the hope would be for one of the injured players to return — Jaden Hardy, Daniel Gafford, and Dereck Lively are the only injured players who have not been ruled out for the season.

Fun fact that may only interest me

The Suns are 1.5 games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the final play-in spot and have the hardest remaining schedule in the NBA.

The Raptors are 4.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the final play-in spot and have the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA.

According to Basketball Reference, both teams have an identical 1.7% chance of making the playoffs.

Prediction

Suffice it to say, the Suns desperately need to win this game, especially since it’s one of the three games remaining against a lottery-bound team. Phoenix needs this victory as much as Toronto needs to lose. It’s a match-made in tanking heaven! Phoenix covers the -6.5 spread.

March 20 @ Golden State Warriors

Jimmy Butler continues finding ways to come out on top.

After getting drafted last in the first round of the 2011 Draft, he led the Chicago Bulls to the playoffs in five of his six seasons, winning a Most Improved Player award along the way.

In his one full season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Butler finished 10th in MVP voting and landed on the All-NBA third team for a second year in a row.

He spent less than one season with the Philadelphia 76ers who, Raptors fans will attest, could have won the title with Butler at the helm.

In five-and-a-half seasons with the Miami Heat, Butler led the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances and the Eastern Conference’s best record in another season.

With Golden State, Butler has won 14 of his first 15 games with the club, vaulting them from play-in mainstay to title contender.

JIMMY BUTLER AT THE BUZZER.

pic.twitter.com/0Qa89h6gMk

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 16, 2025​

Fun fact that may only interest me

Steph Curry surpassed 4,000 three-pointers made last week, extending his NBA record for career threes.

The top-4 in Toronto Raptors history — Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Morris Peterson, and OG Anunoby — have combined for 3,980 threes made!

Prediction

The Warriors are one of four teams in the top 10 in both offense and defense over the last two weeks, joining the Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Milwaukee Bucks. Jamal Shead has shown flashes of Fred VanVleet in his game. It should be interesting to watch how he does against Steph Curry. How about some box-and-one, Darko? Warriors cover the -10.5 spread.

March 23 vs San Antonio Spurs

Being a San Antonio Spurs fan is an endless supply of good fortune.

1989: Draft David Robinson, win 56 games in his first season, then proceed to make the playoffs for seven straight seasons.

1997: After losing Robinson to a season-ending injury, the Spurs bottom out for one season, then land Tim Duncan in the draft. San Antonio wins 5 championships over the next two decades.

2023: In the most anticipated draft lottery since the LeBron James draft, the Spurs win the first overall pick and land Victor Wembanyama.

2025: After losing Wembanyama to a season-ending injury, the Spurs are primed to re-tool quickly (again) with two lottery picks (three if Bulls land in the top-10) in a stacked draft!

San Antonio landing Cooper Flagg would alter more than the Spurs’ future — the NBA would surely make drastic changes to the lottery system.

Spurs took the wheels off Stephon Castle's car

(via devin_vassell/IG) pic.twitter.com/VT2HT2QFP6

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 13, 2025​

Fun fact that may only interest me

Gregg Popovich owns the all-time record for coaching wins with 1,416. Since he took over as Head Coach of the Spurs in 1996, San Antonio owns a winning record against every single NBA team! Popovich is tied with Don Nelson and Pat Riley with the most Coach of the Year awards (3 each).

None of these facts mean anything as Pop recovers from a mild stroke he suffered in November. Get well soon, Coach!

Prediction

Despite losing Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox to season-ending injuries, the Spurs have not thrown in the towel (intentionally) yet, as they continue playing everyone else on the roster. Stephon Castle has a shot at the Rookie of the Year award. For the first time in 10 years, Chris Paul might play the full 82-game schedule. San Antonio is also only four games behind Dallas and have an easier remaining schedule than the aforementioned Suns. The Spurs cover the +1.5 spread.

********

Last Week’s Record: 1-3​

Season Record: 27-41​

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/17...s-of-the-week-march-17-23-suns-warriors-spurs

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Canadians playing in Men’s and Women’s March Madness Tournaments

Canada Basketball

43 Canadians are heading to The Big Dance as March Madness begins!

It’s yet again time for the Big Dance! March Madness begins today, and as Canada continues to develop world-class basketball talent, 43 Canadians are getting ready to play in the tournament.

They aren’t just suiting up either, they are making an impact. Here are the lists of Canadian players on both the men’s and women’s tournament teams:

Men’s:​

• Aden Holloway (Alabama)
• Kevin Alabi (Alabama State)
• Jalen Celestine (Baylor)
• Olivier Rioux (Florida)
• Ryan Nembhard (Gonzaga)
• Simon Hildebrant (High Point)
• Liam McChesney (High Point)
• Emanuel Sharp (Houston)
• Will Riley (Illinois)
• Bryant Selebangue (McNeese State)
• Baraka Okojie (Memphis)
• Michael Nwoko (Mississippi State)
• Jeremy Founema (Mississippi State)
• Jovan Milicevic (New Mexico)
• Kobe Elvis (Oklahoma)
• Keeshawn Barthelemy (Oregon)
• Josh Omojafo (Robert Morris)
• Oliver Faubert (Saint Mary’s)
• Justin Rochelle (UC San Diego)
• Kyler Filewich (Wofford)

Women’s​

• Shaunae Brown (Arkansas State)
• Emma Koabel (Duke)
• Toby Fournier (Duke)
• Cyanne Coe (Fairfield)
• Keyarah Gregory (Fairfield)
• Cearah Parchment (Illinois)
• Tanah Becker (Kentucky)
• Emily Howard (Liberty)
• Ify Nwaobi (Liberty)
• Merissah Russell (Louisville)
• Shayeann Day-Wilson (LSU)
• Sarah Te-Biasu (Maryland)
• Mila Holloway (Michigan)
• Syla Swords (Michigan)
• Isaline Alexander (Michigan State)
• Marah Dykstra (Montana State)
• Natalie Picton (Montana State)
• Bella Tehrani (Notre Dame)
• Cassandre Prosper (Notre Dame)
• Phillipina Kyei (Oregon)
• Izzy Forsyth (UC San Diego)
• Avery Howell (USC)
• Malia Lenz (Vermont)

Teams that could go far​

Olivier Rioux’s Florida and Emanuel Sharp’s Houston are both listed as no.1 seeds in their region, and could both very well make a trip to the Final Four. Rioux stands at 7-foot-9 (like for real), and has been a name in Canadian basketball circles for years, though he decided to redshirt his freshman season (not play and stay with the team but keep that year of eligibility). This was in order to further develop his skills. Once Rioux begins to play for Florida, he will become the World’s tallest college basketball player.

Aden Holloway’s Alabama is a no.2 seed, but would have to face Duke in order to make it out of their region. With more parity on the Men’s side of the Tournament, middle-of-the-pack teams like Illinois and Oklahoma could go on a Cinderella run as well.

On the women’s side, Avery Howell’s USC is the only no.1 seed with Canadian talent. Cassandre Prosper and Bella Tehrani’s Notre Dame were seeded no.3 in their region, but could out-perform that ranking. Shayeann Day-Wilson and LSU have the talent to go far, but injuries have stopped them from being ranked among true contenders. Michigan’s young core including Syla Swords and Mila Holloway showed extremely powerful play in the Big-10 Tournament, upsetting Sarah Te-Biasu’s Maryland before losing a close game to Howell’s USC. Lot’s of Canadian on Canadian action could happen in the women’s bracket.

How to Watch March Madness in Canada​

In Canada, TSN has the exclusive broadcast rights to March Madness on both the men’s and women’s sides. Games will be on regular TSN channels as well as TSN+ for the early rounds. Schedules can be found on TSN’s site as well as ESPN or the NCAA website itself.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/20...-in-mens-and-womens-march-madness-tournaments

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Toronto Raptors lottery draft prospects playing in March Madness

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors will have a lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft, and will pick from a great crop of young talent.

It should not be a surprise to anyone that the Toronto Raptors are heading for the NBA Draft Lottery. Based on their current record, the Raptors currently have the 7th best odds for the draft, meaning they are likely to receive the 7th pick. Yet, they still have a chance to drop into the top-4 range.

With March Madness starting today on the Men’s side, many of the NBA Draft’s future picks are currently getting ready to compete for a National Championship. Of course, Cooper Flagg and his Duke Blue Devils are among favourites to win it all. Let’s go through a few players the Raptors could pick up, and where they are playing as The Dance begins.

Kon Knueppel (no. 1 Duke) — No.10 NBA, No.7 Tankathon, No.8 ESPN​

No shock that we will see a few of Flagg’s teammates on this list. Knueppel is listed as a SG/SF and is 6-foot-6, with a true shooting percentage of 63.3% per ESPN. He ranges in the mid-late lottery in most drafts, meaning he would probably be available if the Raptors got the 7th pick but maybe even if they fell to the 10th.

He is currently Duke’s second leading scorer behind Cooper Flagg, and every mock lists him as a very versatile player who would adapt to any system. For now, he is hoping to help Duke win a championship.

Khaman Maluach (no. 1 Duke) — No.7 NBA, No.9 Tankathon, No. 7 ESPN​

Standing at an impressive 7-foot-2, Khaman Maluach is a centre with a 71.9% true shooting percentage per ESPN. He comes from South Sudan. According to the mocks, he anchors Duke’s defence (I’d hope so at that height), and is a rebounding machine. He doesn’t contribute much on Duke’s offence, but that’s mostly by the design on their Flagg/Knueppel etc. offensive lineup.

He seems to be a good big-man to build around, a position the Raptors very much need. He could play back-up behind Poeltl while he works on his offensive game and turn into a great back of centre of this current team.

Jeremiah Fears (no.9 Oklahoma) — No.9 NBA, No.8 Tankathon, No.11 ESPN​

Jeremiah Fears is hopping all over the mock drafts, meaning he could very well be available no matter where in the lottery the Raptors end up. A 6-foot-4 point guard, Fears has stepped up his game heading into March Madness, the timing on his ascension quite perfect.

His young age makes him a little unpredictable, but he shows flashes of confident shotmaking, creation, and playmaking. According to some of this analysis on the NBA mock and ESPN, his defence needs a little work and he will need some bulking.

With the Raptors in on Immanuel Quickley and Jamal Shead, it seems a little unlikely they’d draft Fears, but it’s not impossible.

No.9 Oklahoma has a tough draw as they face back-to-back champions UConn in the first round of the tournament.

Kasparas Jakucionis (no. 6 Illinois) — No.11 NBA, No.6 Tankathon, No.6 ESPN​

Another interesting prospect lingering at various spots in the mock drafts, Jakucionis out of Lithuania is a 6-foot-6 guard with a 60.8% true shooting percentage per ESPN. The mocks describe him as “streaky” which isn’t surprising for a lot of these 18-year old players.

He seems to be scouted as a “project” player. Buy early, train up, and hope to reap the rewards. Unfortunately once you exit the top 4-5 prospects in this draft, that seems to be the consensus — which is why the Raptors continuing to push themselves further from that possibility has been frustrating to those tapped into the draft.

He also seems to struggle with turning over the ball, and there isn’t much here on his defensive ability. It will be interesting to see how he performs in the tournament as Illinois will face no.11 Xavier and then most likely no.3 Kentucky.

Tre Johnson (no.11 Texas) — No. 6 NBA, No. 5 Tankathon, No.5 ESPN​

Surprisingly, Tre Johnson won’t be a player you’ll get to see in March Madness, because his Texas Longhorns were eliminated in the First Four. Still, he is quite agreeably a top 6 pick according to our three mocks of choice here. At 6-foot-6, Johnson is compared to Tyler Herro, and said to have incredible shot-making and footwork.

Apparently, his “faults” lay in free throw ability (fixable), and a lack of rim pressure (fixable). He is touted to be a good passer, with some flashes of playmaking ability in there. He has a true shooting percentage of 56.7% per ESPN, and is said to have had a “demanding role” on his middle of the pack Texas team.

The Raptors lack depth at shooting guard, as Gradey Dick has been in and out with injury this season. Grabbing another guy to develop at that position could be a good idea for Toronto. If they fall to 5th or 6th pick, Johnson could still be available for them.

VJ Edgecombe (no.9 Baylor) - No. 3 NBA, No. 4 Tankathon, No.4 ESPN​

Edgecombe is another player that could be in the realm of possibility — if they either fall to a 3/4/5 pick, or if Edgecombe himself falls to 5/6/7th. Another shooting guard, his 6-foot-5 stature and 56.5% shooting percentage helped him become the Big-12 Freshman of the Year. ESPN calls him “the most explosive athlete in this class.”

His improvement over his freshman season at Baylor, as well as an impressive ability to shoot the three-ball, are all factors in favour of Edgecombe. He has potential as a ball handler, and his athleticism alone is a huge reason he is mocked so high.

Another young guy the Raptors could mould into the player they want him to be. He’d be a steal at 7th, but if the Raptors miraculously fall, he’d be a good pick in the 4-6 range as well. It will be interesting to see how far he can lead his Baylor Bears in March Madness.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/20...tery-draft-prospects-playing-in-march-madness

 

[Toronto Raptors]

The Rap-Up: Time to start taunting

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

When trying to lose isn’t enough, why not try motivating the opponent to win?

The Toronto Raptors have been creative in their tanking efforts. Instead of filling the injury report (only), Darko Rajakovic has also tried playing his third-stringers in clutch moments, benching his starters in the 4th quarter, and making questionable play calls. All of these efforts were supposed to help the Raptors lose. How about motivating the opponent to win?

That’s right, folks. It’s time for the Raptors to light a fire in their opponents by taunting them!

There’s no denying the competitiveness of NBA players. Whether they’re a perennial All-Star or a G-Leaguer trying to make the league, players will always give that extra oomph when they have something to prove. When they stepped on the court, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Kobe Bryant all used the slightest criticisms as extra fuel.

Why wouldn’t it also motivate the Alex Sarrs, Jeff Dowtins, and Josh Greens of the league?

For this week’s Rap-Up, let’s replace the Fun Fact with a Fun Taunt the Raptors should employ on their opponent.

March 24 @ Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards may have the worst record in the NBA but they’re not playing like the worst team. Brian Keefe’s squad (I bet you didn’t know that was the Head Coach’s name) won 4 of 6 before losing their last four games.

Washington is also catching the Raptors at an opportune time. Toronto is 2-11 in the second game of back-to-backs and lost the last six. If you remove the failed buzzer-beating loss to the Wizards on March 8th, the last four results by the Raptors on zero days rest:

• February 5th: 138-107 loss to Memphis
• February 12th: 131-108 loss to Cleveland
• February 26th: 111-91 loss in Indiana
• March 17th: 129-89 loss in Phoenix

Outside of the fact that Wednesdays were unkind to the Raptors in February, that’s an average margin of defeat of 26 points!

This sequence from Rich and Marcus pic.twitter.com/XPHVar3Hgg

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) March 23, 2025​

Fun taunt that may only interest me

“During the championship season, lots of people were saying that Milwaukee had a dynamic duo, but we never worried about Khris Middleton. We felt he was overrated and he proved us right!” — Chris Boucher (hopefully)** —

** This is not an actual quote, but you thought it was, didn’t you?

Prediction

In the last meeting, the Wizards won despite Toronto dressing Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl, and RJ Barrett. This matchup could see any combination of those three and/or Immanuel Quickley in — or out — of the lineup. Unlike the last meeting, Bilal Coulibaly and Corey Kispert will be missing as they’re both out for the season.

We’ll be scraping the barrel trying to find reasons why the Raptors will lose any of its remaining games, but their record with zero days rest — in addition to a thinned-out roster — should be enough to get the (tank) job done. Washington covers the +3.5 spread.

March 26 @ Brooklyn Nets

Don’t be fooled by the Brooklyn Nets and their 3-14 record since the All-Star break. Only seven of those games were at home, where the Nets have won two of their last three. Brooklyn has been competitive in the friendly confines of the Barclays Center, losing by two to Boston and Golden State, and by eight to Oklahoma City.

Cam Thomas and De’Anthony Melton are out for the season but, for the most part, the Nets have not been dealing with many injuries nor are they benching their starters.

The Nets have lost eight of their last ten games, but none of the losses were more than eight points.

Fun taunt that may only interest me

“I respect Jordi Fernandez and think he’s an amazing coach. What he’s done with Brooklyn is truly remarkable. I mean, sure, he wasn’t good enough for the Toronto Raptors, but good for Sean Marks to pick up our scraps.” — Darko Rajakovic (hopefully)** —

** This is not an actual quote, but if you wish to aggregate it, you will look foolish and I will get traffic.....wait, what was my point?

Prediction

NBA star D’Angelo Russell @Dloading came to U of T Summer League this week and got BUCKETS

WE ALL #BLEEDBLUE | #WeAreTO pic.twitter.com/SzdginWmNX

— Varsity Blues Basketball (@UofTMBasketball) June 24, 2023​

D’Angelo Russell gives a little extra when facing Toronto. He has been spotted at U of T summer runs over the last two summers. His girlfriend, the mother of their two kids, is from Oakville. I expect nothing less than 30 points from the 9-year veteran. Brooklyn covers the -4.5 spread.

March 28 vs Charlotte Hornets

If you squint hard enough, you can see the Charlotte Hornets as a playoff team next season. LaMelo Ball is an All-Star (regardless of how the coaches felt in February), Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges are 20-point scorers. Josh Green continues to show signs of potential. Grant Williams continues to show signs of....grit? Perseverance? Ability to be a rotational player?

The diamond in the rough, though, is Mark Williams. With another year remaining on his rookie deal, the former Blue Devil is averaging 15.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. Only 10 other players average at least 15 points and 10 rebounds. Six were All-Stars this season. The other four were snubs/fringe All-Stars (Domantas Sabonis, Ivica Zubac, Nikola Vucevic, and Jalen Johnson).

MARK WILLIAMS BLOCK & SLAM

The Hornets center making plays on both ends! pic.twitter.com/UNAF7kOEp8

— NBA (@NBA) March 21, 2025​

Fun taunt that may only interest me

“I respect Charles Lee and think he’s an amazing coach. What he’s done with Charlotte is truly remarkable. I mean, sure, he wasn’t good enough for the Toronto Raptors, but good for Jeff Peterson to pick up our scraps.” — Darko Rajakovic (hopefully)** —

** This is not an actual quote, but oh boy do I wish it was!

Prediction

In their last four losses, Charlotte has combined to lose by 119 points(!) after falling to the Clippers (by 35), Hawks (by 32), Thunder (by 35), and Heat (by 17). As bad as that sounds, it’s actually better than the 3-game stretch in late February when the Hornets lost three games by a combined 131 points!! Charlotte lost to the Blazers by 53 points, Kings by 42 points, and Warriors by 36 points....all in a span of 4 days. Toronto covers the -2.5 spread.

March 30 @ Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers have already lost the season series, having fallen to Toronto in each of the first three matchups. With the Sixers’ top-6 protected pick possibly headed to the Thunder, Philly has been in full-tank mode for a month and quite content with “losing” the season series to a fellow bottom-7 team.

Nick Nurse’s squad still has work to do as they have the 3rd-easiest remaining schedule. Toronto still has the easiest schedule but a Raptors loss here would be monumental in the inverse standings.

The Sixers will be wrapping up a 3-game homestand that might as well have been a 3-pack of cupcakes from Dufflet! Philly will have played the Miami Heat, losers of 10 straight before defeating the Hornets on Sunday, the Washington Wizards, and the Toronto Raptors.

"If Joel [Embiid] was here, your ass would be in the corner. Joel here, you're in the corner. Tyrese [Maxey] here, you're in the corner."

Georges Niang to Quentin Grimes pic.twitter.com/i73EAhAgHV

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 24, 2025​

Fun taunt that may only interest me

“I don’t really care for Nick Nurse and think he’s an overrated coach. What he’s done with Philadelphia is truly unremarkable. I mean, sure, he wasn’t good enough for the Toronto Raptors, so he bailed. How you liking him now, Daryl Morey?” — Darko Rajakovic (hopefully)** —

** This is not an actual quote.....April Fools is not for another two days.

Prediction

When the NBA schedule was released, you’d figure the March 12th matchup between Philly and Toronto would produce five 20-point scorers. What would cause a double-take of epic proportions would be the names of those scorers: Quentin Grimes (29 points), Jeff Dowtin Jr. (20), Jared Rhoden (25), AJ Lawson (28), and Orlando Robinson (25)! You wouldn’t even be able to guess who was a Sixer or a Raptor because none of them were on their respective teams when the season started! Philadelphia has lost its last five games when playing on zero days rest. Toronto completes the season series sweep and covers the +1.5 spread.

********

Last Week’s Record: 2-1​

Season Record: 29-42​

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/24...-week-march-24-30-wizards-nets-hornets-sixers

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Opinion: How can we be better allies in sports?

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

It’s more than just theme game nights and social media statements to be a true ally.

Sports are inherently political. You can say “shut up and dribble” all you want, but at the end of the day, sports are one of the most politically entrenched sectors of society. I’ve been thinking a lot about that over recent weeks. Everything from the still constant booing of the American national anthem at Toronto Raptors games, how International Women’s Month is celebrated, to the differences between Men’s and Women’s March Madness coverage and discourse this month, to even the Raptors’ Pride Night celebrations Sunday evening and more.

Without most people even noticing a lot of the time, sports are political. The singing of national anthems at sporting events began during the second World War as a way to show solidarity to the troops, but also to solidify patriotism and loyalty to the country in which the event was being held. In recent years, there have been instances of using the signing of a national anthem at sports events to include small acts of protest, like changing lyrics to highlight the dark history of colonialism in North America. Opposite sides of the political spectrum, each important ways of proving the way politics have been ingrained into sports.

There’s also a reason sports continue to be played during turbulent eras in human history. The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was created during World War II to provide people with sports entertainment even as a lot of the men who would usually be athletes were away at war. The women were the ones left behind at home, and so they were the ones playing in games to entertain. Sports is one of the most widely enjoyed and accessible forms of entertainment — there is no question that sending messaging through sports is an extremely effective way to get a message across.

You’d think we would have come a long way in many aspects of society since World War II, but unfortunately many of the same themes in humanity that were problems then are still problems now. Prejudice, discrimination, racism, sexism, homophobia and the list continues are still every day aspects of life. While they don’t seem to affect the most privileged, as we can see more than ever thanks to the access media allows us, the average sports fan still feels these things in their every day lives.

I mean, it’s only been in the past few years that professional women’s sports leagues either a) existed and b) were accessible to watch/attend.

Sports teams inherently try to include all sects of their fanbase, but ultimately thanks to the capitalistic nature of sports these days, that is not really possible. It then falls to the media, and then to the players themselves, to do that work to make sports more inclusive for all. Unfortunately, basic inclusion is political in the year 2025. Also unfortunate — the level of toxic masculinity and stigma around being different that still exists in the NBA and other men’s leagues.

So, how can those of us in the higher levels of the privilege scale be better allies? It’s something I talked with Garrett Temple of the Raptors about back in December. Temple is an active member of the NBA’s player union, and his family also has deep roots in the Civil Rights movement in the USA. When I asked how NBA players can be better allies, Temple’s response focused on representation. Basically “if you can see it, you can be it,” — that players need to be intentional in making real connections with their WNBA peers, with kids in the communities, and with people that are different than them.

A story also came out of Connecticut this week about the UConn Huskies women’s team, and their support of teammate Jana El Alfy during Ramadan. El Alfy’s teammates wake up early to join her for her meals before she begins to fast, and often join her at sunset to break her fast. Her roommate, predicted no.1 draft pick Paige Bueckers, has taken on the task of waking up before sunrise to make sure El Alfy eats before her fasting begins, making her avocado toast and scrambled eggs. Bueckers also makes sure her teammate doesn’t sleep in past her alarm so she has time to eat. All things we can do to make our teammates and friends celebrating Ramadan feel supported.

From early morning wake ups w/ Paige Bueckers to dinner surrounded by teammates, how UConn women’s basketball is supporting Jana El Alfy as she observes Ramadan during March Madness

"I feel like I'm blessed and grateful to be surrounded with this group” https://t.co/3w78DvtIHj

— Maggie Vanoni (@maggie_vanoni) March 24, 2025​

While it’s often the exclusion in sports that is highlighted in media — players refusing to wear Pride jerseys, players saying anti-semitic remarks, players being sexist etc — it’s important to highlight all the athletes that ARE doing the work to be better allies.

When it comes to the media side of sports, I’ve seen the gaping holes in diversity when it comes to covering an NBA team. Just last night, as I sat in the corner of the Raptors’ press room waiting for Darko Rajakovic to come speak, I realized I was the only woman in the room. TSN sideline reporter Kayla Alexander (an absolute gem btw) later joined, but that doesn’t change the fact that I was still the only woman writer in the room — as I often am. While the guys of the Raptors’ beat are all genuinely kind and inclusive to me, it still doesn’t change the fact that having more women in the space would end up creating a lot more diversity in the writing that comes out about this team. It’s why SB Nation/Locked On’s Katie Heindl is one of my favourite writers in all sports — her commitment to nuanced crossroads topics in sports stories is something I strive to model in my own work.

More inclusivity in men’s sports spaces would also mean maybe I wouldn’t have to hear the homophobic remarks being made court side during warmups about Pride Night, but I digress.

Going back to teams themselves, there needs to be less importance put on looking like allies and more importance on the actual work. Again, it’s hard at a corporate level to do so, but not impossible. Women’s sports leagues have been at the forefront of inclusivity, activism, and putting money where their mouth is when it comes to ally-ship. The WNBA’s in-season tournament is built on a system of charitable donations. Each team picks a local charity to support at the beginning of the season, and everything from wins to assists/rebounds and more means money is donated to the teams’ charity. Since the WNBA’s players are incredibly diverse, that means the charities hit on many communities as well. Everything from mental health, healthcare advocacy for queer people, fighting homelessness, pro-choice rights for women and more have been included in these charitable efforts.

The WNBPA is also heavily involved in politics and activism — think back to when a right-wing politician owned the Atlanta Dream and the WNBA campaigned for their opponent (Raphael Warnock) during the WNBA bubble season to ensure the owner was not re-elected. The players also used their bubble season in 2020 to bring attention to the Black Lives Matter movement, protesting games and highlighting stories during the season.

More than that, women’s sports leagues go further in their theme nights than just slapping a rainbow onto things at Pride Night or mentioning Women’s Month — they actually tap into the culture of these communities to make sure their celebrations are authentic. One thing that stood out recently was the PWHL’s Pride Logo, that was well received by their fanbase for including many aspects of LGBTQ+ culture that fans related to. It’s the small effort of a logo that goes a long way in authentic inclusion and representation.

Celebrating Pride ️‍ ️‍️

We are proud to celebrate Pride beginning in March and throughout April! Our Pride Unity Games, presented by e.l.f., celebrate the LGBTQ+ community with special guests, activations, in-game tributes and partnerships with local and national LGBTQ+… pic.twitter.com/7HPuqzaSlP

— PWHL (@thepwhlofficial) March 19, 2025​

You can sit there and say “exclusion is so engrained in men’s sports culture” — and it is — but what are we doing about it? How can we make the NBA (and other men’s sports leagues) more diverse, so that it’s not exhausting just to exist in these spaces when you’re not a straight while male? Because it is just that — exhausting — to see places preaching women’s empowerment when there are barely any women there to empower, to hear these prejudiced remarks when you’re there to cover a game on Pride Night, to be doing your job at a game and getting relentlessly berated with anonymous dick-pic Air Drops onto your phone (true story, it’s happened).

Being politically involved is unfortunately sometimes exhausting. I have a lot of pride when it comes to being a woman on a male sports team’s beat — that representation does matter — so despite the exhaustion it’s important to keep showing up. To keep writing about these men’s teams, to keep making your voice heard in media scrums, interviewing players even when it feels intimidating. Most important, it’s important to keep trying to figure out how to be a better ally to those who don’t have as much privilege as I do, to keep trying to use the platform I have to highlight voices that aren’t usually listened to.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/24/24392435/opinion-how-can-we-be-better-allies-in-sports

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Devastating Juju Watkins injury sheds light on women’s sport crisis

Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Juju Watkins suffered an ACL tear in USC’s Round of 32 game Monday night — shedding a light on the growing number of ACL injuries in women’s sports.

Juju Watkins transcends sports - men’s or women’s. The presumed National Player of the Year was on her way to a National Championship run when she went down in the first quarter of USC’s game against Mississippi State Monday Night. Hours later, it was announced she suffered an ACL tear in her right leg and will undergo surgery.

It is a devastating thing to come to terms with for the women’s basketball community. Watkins averaged 23.9 points per game in her sophomore season at Southern California. She helped her team beat UConn once and UCLA twice, winning a Big-10 regular season championship and making it to the Big-10 championship game. The Trojans were on track to make a deep run in March Madness with Juju at the helm.

She’s a giant in the sport even as a sophomore — she is signed on NIL deals with Nike, Gatorade, State Farm and more, and even invested in Unrivaled basketball. She is on track to be drafted into the WNBA in 2027 — with many hoping the Toronto Tempo are able to secure the no.1 pick needed to pick her up.

This injury will sit her out for about a year, depending on if she decides to redshirt her entire junior season or not. If she does redshirt, she will retain a year of eligibility in the NCAA but also won’t be able to come back to the court until the start of the 2026-2027 NCAA season.

Watkins joins a long list of women’s basketball players who have suffered a tear to their Anterior Cruciate Ligament in recent years. Cameron Brink, Kia Nurse, Sue Bird, Olivia Miles, Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and more are among the club no one wants to be a part of.

The ACL is a small ligament that connects the lower leg to the thigh in the knee. There are two ligaments that criss-cross each other right in the middle of the knee — the ACL and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) — that create motion in your knee. They are essential in movement and stability of the leg.

The ACL in particular prevents the tibia bone (lower leg) from sliding in front of the femur bone (thigh) and provides rotational stability. The PCL is much stronger than the ACL, which means it is injured less.

ACL injuries are common in sports because they happen when a person changes direction rapidly, stops suddenly, slows down when running, lands from a jump wrong, or collides the knee. Luckily the prognosis is usually good with surgery and recovery time, and professional athletes (especially the younger they are at the time of injury), have a high rate of returning to sport after these injuries.

In recent years, there has been a large surge of women’s athletes who have suffered ACL tears. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, women are more likely to suffer this injury due to differences in physical conditioning, muscular strength, and neuromuscular control, according to studies. Other studies have shown that the female pelvic and lower extremity alignment can cause higher rates in ACL injuries in women. There is also evidence to connect the increased looseness of ligaments due to hormonal differences in the female body can make ACL tears more frequent in women.

Yet, despite these findings, there has been little research on how these injuries can be avoided for women specifically. Only 35% of all sports science research is done on women, per the Polytechnique de Paris. That means that the training programs, diets, and recovery that professional women’s athletes do were designed for men, with their physiological make up in mind.

In a study published in the Journal of Knee Surgery, it was determined that most ACL injuries in the WNBA happen to guards and forwards. This is because of their increased need to run, jump, and drive to the basket. These injuries also happen more often in games than practice due to the intensity of the game environment.

So there is evidence that these injuries are more likely to happen to women, but what are we doing about it? There have only recently been studies done to see how aligning training with a player’s menstrual cycle can have affect on their long term health and sustainability in sports. There is also a call to study the effects endometriosis has on training in women’s sports. There ultimately needs to be more research done to figure out how women’s sports training team and athletic staff can create training programs that align more with female physiology and endocrinology.

With women’s basketball growing, the ever growing list of players missing time with ACL injuries is only going to have negative impacts on the sport and its growth. More than that, the long-term health of these athletes needs to be at the top of the priorities list. Creating training programs that aren’t designed for the make-up of their bodies will only lead to more injuries and shorter careers.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/25...ins-injury-sheds-light-on-womens-sport-crisis

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Raptors inch closer to 7th spot in draft lottery with a 108-97 win over the Hornets

Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images

The Toronto Raptors produce their third 3-game win streak in March with an easy victory over the listless Charlotte Hornets.

Toronto’s not going up or down in the standings with eight more games remaining. So, what happens now?

The Raptors further cemented their place in the draft lottery standings with a 108-97 victory over the visiting Charlotte Hornets. Jakob Poeltl led the way with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and an uber-efficient 12-for-14 shooting. Scottie Barnes chipped in with another well-rounded performance, 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists, while Immanuel Quickley had 19 points and 9 assists, draining 5-of-8 from downtown.

The chain, however, would go to Jamal Shead. Maybe it’s a gift for the Cougar alum before his alma mater had an important Sweet 16 game against Purdue. Or maybe it’s because he tied his career-high of 17 points. In any case, “Fred Van Sweet,” as someone on Media Row quipped, deserved the honour.

Yeah rook @Thejshead pic.twitter.com/cBifG3AX34

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 29, 2025​

The Hornets were led by Mark Williams, who had 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists — a good chunk of those points coming in garbage time. DaQuan Jeffries added 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals. Rookie Tidjane Salaun had 12 points and 14 rebounds off the bench.

It was another G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Toronto) night at Scotiabank Arena. Tonight’s honoured: OVO Sound.

Views of our starters

Presented by @TISSOT pic.twitter.com/lYzOfKUyt6

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 28, 2025​

Just before tipoff, the Charlotte Hornets announced that Lamelo Ball would miss the remainder of the season. Losing an All-Star of Ball’s calibre would normally cause the internet to break, but Charlotte hasn’t played a game of any (non-lottery) importance in 4 months this season. Ball joined Brandon Miller, Grant Williams, and Tre Mann on the sidelines until October. Josh Okogie was also on the injury report for Charlotte.

For the Raptors, Ochai Agbaji and RJ Barrett were given the night off. Missing the game due to injuries were Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, Ulrich Chomche, and Jared Rhoden.

The matchup was touted, half-jokingly, as a showdown between tanking teams jostling for position in the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. For a short while, the magnitude of a loss seemed to affect some of the Raptors.

Immanuel Quickley airballed a floater. Jakob Poeltl airballed his patented push shot. Jamal Shead airballed a wide-open three.

However, like a microcosm of the growth he’s shown this season, Shead quickly adapted, driving into the lane for buckets in the paint on back-to-back possessions.

Toronto entered the game with the #1 defense since the All-Star break, and it showed in the first quarter. The Raptors forced the Hornets into six turnovers and 31.8% shooting, barely breaking a sweat and carrying a 32-20 lead into the second.

As much as the Raptors were in control in the first quarter, they ceded all that control to the visitors in the second quarter.

Charlotte locked in on the defensive end, limiting the Raptors to 31.8% shooting (a mirror image of the Hornets’ shooting from the first quarter).

Say what you will about Toronto’s revolving door of players resting from game to game, but Darko will still use the first three quarters to get the most out of his core players (the ones that do play). When the Hornets trimmed the 12-point advantage down to four, Rajakovic called a timeout and re-inserted Barnes, Poeltl, and Quickley back to stem the tide.

The tide was not stemmed as the Hornets kept up the pressure and went into halftime trailing by only two.

1 2 EUROSTEP FOR THE PARISIAN@TidjaneSalaun | @FDSN_Hornets pic.twitter.com/dt22Px9Rtw

— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) March 29, 2025​

The message has been clear since the All-Star break that the Raptors would use the second half of the season to develop the young players. But that shouldn’t discount the opportunity for the vets to gain experience. Tonight’s matchup against the Hornets presented a great chance for Jakob Poeltl to gauge his growth.

Mark Williams entered the game as one of only 11 players in the NBA averaging at least 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Poeltl absolutely owned the head-to-head matchup against one of the bright, young bigs in the league. Remember, most of Williams’ totals came in garbage time, after Poeltl had exited the game.

Jakob Poeltl against the Hornets pic.twitter.com/PB76bCCsuu

— William Lou (@william_lou) March 29, 2025​

While the first quarter showed why the Raptors have more talent than the Hornets (at least the ones playing), the second quarter revealed the lapses in focus that have contributed to Toronto’s current lottery status. The third quarter was about the evolution of this team.

The Raptors came out of halftime with more focus and renewed energy. Poeltl was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. Barnes was in control on both sides of the floor. Toronto got out in transition, outscoring Charlotte 9-3 in fast break points in the quarter. The Raptors took a comfortable 83-72 lead into the final quarter.

Charlotte never threatened in the fourth quarter. Any time they tried to mount a comeback, Toronto had an answer. Halfway through the fourth quarter, Darko turned to his usual rotation of late: anyone but the starters! I’m joking, of course. Ja’Kobe Walter was still in the game.

As has been the case for most of 2025, the Raptors, at less-than-full-strength, continued beating inferior opponents. Toronto is 4 wins ahead (behind?) Philadelphia for the 6th-worst record and 4 wins behind (ahead?) San Antonio for the 8th-worst record. With only eight games remaining, even with the schedule as soft as it gets, the Raptors are essentially locked into the 7th spot in the draft lottery standings.

With losses (and wins) not really mattering the rest of the way, the only thing left to do is enjoy the remaining eight games on the schedule. This is as stress-free as it gets for a very long time (on the court. Off the court, we will all collectively hold our breaths until after the draft lottery).

All that’s left to do is heed Bobby Webster’s plea: pray to the lottery gods!

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/28...at-charlotte-hornets-jakob-poeltl-jamal-shead

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Raptors complete the season sweep against Sixers 127-109

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Toronto easily takes this one, led by RJ who finished with 31

Prior to the start of the season, it’s unlikely that anyone would have predicted this, but the Toronto Raptors have successfully swept the Philadelphia 76ers. In a full pendulum swing from last season when they dropped all four games, this is a welcome sight for any Raps fan. The ongoing rivalry over the last few years has added enough fuel that the lineup is irrelevant. A win is a win.

The Raptors started the 51st new lineup of the season, with Shead, Walter, Barnes, Robinson, and Barrett on the floor. With the exception of Lawson who played mere minutes at the end, every Raptor had a positive +/-.

Undoubtedly, Barrett was the star of the game. He commented before the game to the media that he wanted to show his abilities as a true two-way player and he clearly demonstrated that. Finishing with 31-5-5, his shot selection and dominance around the basket were on full display, and despite his predictability at times, he is still able to overpower defenders. He made excellent choices as well, dumping the ball off repeatedly to find open teammates.

Rookies Ja’Kobe Walter (17-8-4) and Jamison Battle (16-7-1) had big contributions as well, a product of all the minutes they’ve been seeing and the chemistry they’re starting to build. Jamal Shead also deserves some attention for the 9 assists he had on top of 11 points as he continues to be an excellent initiator of their offence.

For Philly, all of their starters made it to double digit scoring, with veteran Lonnie Walker IV leading with 23 points. Ricky Council IV was excellent for them as well, finishing with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double. Hood-Schifino had 18 points and 5 assists, another great pick up for Philly this season on a Two-Way contract.

The first few minutes of the game were somehow both exceptionally quick and slow. Both teams seemed to have lots of energy, getting the ball up and down the court. Despite this, a lack of discipline defensively led to countless fouls, so it took a little while for everyone to get settled in.

RJ stood out immediately, with a shooters’ touch:

That bounce was all part of the plan pic.twitter.com/m0vjZvZKzn

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 30, 2025​

He also had a perfectly timed handoff for Mogbo under the basket:

RJ with the vision, Mogbo with the finish pic.twitter.com/BFUmSuff6R

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 31, 2025​

Philly’s youth was apparent throughout the first, with miscommunications and turnovers costing them countless possessions early. Shead was the instigator in many of those plays, with 3 steals, a block, and 4 assists in his shift in the frame.

Toronto stayed in front, but wasn’t able to build a substantial lead. The defence of Philly was fairly physical, and Scottie continuously reminded the referees he was owed a foul.

In the second quarter, the Raptors were finally able to draw ahead. A 14-2 run, spurned by RJ’s decisiveness gave them a leg up. Ja’Kobe got a hot hand as well, scoring from long range and in the paint. The momentum of the game was clear, but it briefly felt like they took their foot off the gas, their offence stalling. Philly benefited from the veteran presence of Lonnie Walker IV, but despite their best efforts, were unable to close the gap.

As the clock was expiring, Shead’s long range shot rattled out, but Walter was able to pop it up and in:

Ja'Kobe with the clutch bucket at the buzzer pic.twitter.com/i91cDHQg63

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 31, 2025​

In the third, Philly made a few attempts to draw even, but only made it within single digits. Jared Butler started to find momentum, along with Hood-Schifino, but Toronto was able to stifle them. RJ drew a foul, but missed both free throws, the one gap in his game lately. Defensively they remained engaged and managed to muscle through a variety of defensive looks from Philly as they attempted to find a way back into the game.

Any time they got close, a few changes to the lineup seemed to fix the issue. Scottie continues to show his growth, from jumpers at the elbow, to rim-rocking dunks:

Scottie with the two-handed hammer pic.twitter.com/ruB4VusUSX

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 31, 2025​

Jamison Battle showed a couple of fun looks as well with a tough jumper, a strong cut to the rim, and continued success from long range:

Battle from three… you know how that goes pic.twitter.com/DKCR0jou4o

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 31, 2025​

The final minutes of the game ticked away and fans slowly filtered out of the arena, knowing that Toronto would confidently come away with the decisive 127-109 win.

Next, they travel to Chicago where they will face the Bulls on Tuesday at 8:00 pm ET.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/30...plete-the-season-sweep-against-sixers-127-109

 

[Toronto Raptors]

Toronto Raptors pick up option on Darko Rajakovic’s contract

Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Darko Rajakovic is now on contract as the Raptors’ head coach through the 2026-2027 season

On Sunday during the Toronto Raptors’ game against the Philadelphia 76ers, one piece of news sort of outshined the actual game. Michael Grange of Sportsnet broke the news that the Raptors had picked up their option on Darko Rajakovic’s contract. Similar to player contracts in the NBA, coaches contracts can have team options where the franchise can decide whether or not they would like to extend a coach’s contract. With this, Rajakovic is now contracted through the 2026-2027 season.

This is a vote of confidence from the Toronto Raptors of their first time head coach who has lead this team through their rebuild. Though the team has not seen much success in the way of winning in the Darko era, what’s shined through is his relationship building with his players. Even now, as the Raptors barrel toward the draft lottery, Darko has somehow been able to achieve buy-in on his roster, top to bottom.

Now, say what you will about the on-court results of the Toronto Raptors in Darko’s coaching tenure, but that has not been the biggest priority. When Darko was hired, this team was in a state of disconnection, disillusion, and felt like they were flailing in an attempt to build team culture among a roster filled with young kids. There was no clear leader.

"Man, Darko's the GOAT, man"-- I spoke with Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley, and Garrett Temple about Darko Rajakovic, who earned the Raptors trust during dark times, and has earned a chance to help them in the brighter days to come: https://t.co/Wu3FPQPQm8

— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) March 31, 2025​

Enter Rajakovic, and (nearly) two years down the line, he has delivered on that front. Every one of his players (past and present) “gush” about their relationship with Darko, as Grange describes. He travelled to go to Immanuel Quickley’s uncle’s funeral. He was available 24/7 for RJ Barrett after the tragic passing of his younger brother. He spent time in the offseason spending genuine quality time with his players. He asks them about their families — and remembers things about them to check back in on.

Sure, on many other teams this may not be a priority — the on-court result is more important than the relationships. Yet, on a developing team — and one essentially starting from the bottom — you need that off-court buy-in before you see the on-court results.

It’s always been about more than just basketball for Darko, but he’s also a basketball junkie, as he calls himself. Garrett Temple told Grange that he’s never gone into nuance on the defensive end as much as he has with Darko. He is a master of bringing out the best in players who may not have had the chance before.

On the outside looking in, as a media member, I personally have glowing reviews of Darko. He is personable with the media and understands the relationship between media and coach that ends up turning into good and accessible team coverage. He’s the kind of guy who will see you with a cold drip coffee from the media room and go back and make you an espresso from the locker room (he did that for Doug Smith last week). When he comes out during warmups to check on his players and coaches, he says hello to every staff member he passes. Does this matter in the long run when it comes to winning games? No, but it shows the type of leader he is.

Regardless of the results of the Darko era, he’s been the leader of team culture for two seasons, and that will have long term results. In however many years it takes the Raptors to be back to winning ways, they will have this baseline of team camaraderie and culture that will be the boost they need to succeed.

If anyone deserves the benefit of the doubt to continue to develop as a coach, it’s Darko. His two seasons have been turbulent when it comes to injuries, trades, rebuilding, etc. Next season is basically the first “real” season he will be judged when it comes to on court results. Plus, it would have been detrimental to the building this team is trying to do to fire Darko after this season, lose the locker room, and have to rebuild that next season while also trying to have a winning season. These players would run through a wall for Darko, and so you need to make sure they have their coach if you want them to start seeing results.

For now, this means that the Toronto Raptors are bought in on the Rajakovic system. We’ll see how he can impress them next season.

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/3/31/24397884/toronto-raptors-coach-rajakovic-darko-contract

 

[Toronto Raptors]

The Rap-Up: With 7 games left, what’s Toronto’s Flagg-ic number?

Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images

In the penultimate edition of The Rap-Up, let’s check in on what Toronto has to do to solidify their lottery standing.

Suppose a ‘magic number’ is the combination of wins and losses that help a team clinch, and the ‘tragic number’ is the combination of wins and losses that result in a team being eliminated. What is it called when teams are trying to clinch their spot in the Cooper sweepstakes?

The Flagg-ic number!

Okay, not my best work, but you know you’re thinking about it too.

The Toronto Raptors are currently in the 7th spot in the draft lottery standings — 4 games clear of the Brooklyn Nets for 6th spot and 3.5 games clear of the San Antonio Spurs for 8th spot. It’s fair to assume the Raptors will have a 7.5% chance of landing the top overall pick and end the season with the 7th.

Toronto’s Flagg-ic number with the Spurs is 5. Any combination of five Toronto losses and San Antonio wins will ensure the Raptors finish below the Spurs in the overall standings.

Toronto’s Flagg-ic number with Portland (4) is the only other number of note, as Chicago (2), Miami (1), and Phoenix (1) should soon be too far to catch (all three as early as tonight).

San Antonio, Portland, and Toronto all play each other once more, so the Raptors may not need more to clinch 7th, especially with games against playoff (Detroit) and play-in (Chicago and Dallas) teams still to play.

April 1 @ Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls might have the greatest collection of buzzer-beaters in the league. Michael Jordan over Craig Ehlo in the 1989 playoffs. DeMar DeRozan’s buzzer-beaters on back-to-back nights (New Year’s Eve 2021 and New Year’s Day 2022). Derrick Rose’s winner against the Cavaliers during the 2015 playoffs. Jordan over Byron Russell in the 1997 NBA Finals. Jordan....six other times in a Bulls uniform (his ninth was with the Wizards).

Somehow. Some way. Josh Giddey’s 47-foot bomb had the most chaotic ending.

Another look at the UNREAL final sequence that led to the thrilling Bulls victory

Williams 3. White 3. Reaves bucket...

Giddey #TissotBuzzerBeater! pic.twitter.com/hhOzJzRGoI

— NBA (@NBA) March 28, 2025​

Prediction

The Bulls had a 4-game win streak halted on Saturday after falling to the Dallas Mavericks. Chicago almost overcame an 11-point deficit in the final three minutes, but ultimately fell one point shy against their West counterpart also clinging to the final play-in position. Chicago lost again last night (to Oklahoma City, like everyone else in the league). Yet, the Bulls can clinch their spot in the play-in (and officially eliminate Toronto) with a victory tonight. The Bulls cover the -5.5 spread.

April 3 vs Portland Trailblazers

The Portland Trailblazers have lost their last four games in a row, falling four games back of the final play-in spot. Yet, all hope is not lost as they kick off a five-game stretch against sub .500 teams in Atlanta on April 1st.

Deni Avdija has been on an absolute tear of late. The fifth-year pro is averaging 23.4 points and 9.8 rebounds on 51% shooting and 80.7% from the line. Over a full season, Nikola Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns are the only players hitting those thresholds.

Just a quick reminder that the Jalen McDaniels trade to Sacramento last year continues to pay dividends. In addition to landing the 45th pick in last year’s draft (and landing Immanuel Quickley’s backup, Jamal Shead), the Raptors also nabbed Portland’s 2nd-round pick in this year’s draft, which should be around 39th. With a draft this deep, Toronto can continue fortifying the bench with more young talent.

Last year, Scoot Henderson shot 31% on Pull-Up Threes

This year, that number is up to 37%

That’s a huge jump, especially factoring in his slow start from 3 to start the year

And the 3PT shooting jump has helped him make positive strides in all areas too pic.twitter.com/us72u5DS2y

— Point Made Basketball (@pointmadebball) March 28, 2025​

Prediction

With the 9th and 10th spots still in play, and with Kevin Durant out at least one week for Phoenix, the Blazers are very much still in the hunt for the postseason. Portland’s ability to crash the glass and create extra opportunities should help the Blazers against Toronto’s thinned out frontline. Portland covers the -1.5 spread.

April 4 vs Detroit Pistons

JB Bickerstaff deserves to win Coach of the Year. The betting favourite, Kenny Atkinson, replaced Bickerstaff in Cleveland and turned the Cavaliers into title contenders. While Atkinson is deserving of the praise, especially transforming a 48-win team into one that was threatening to win 70, Bickerstaff has done something no other coach/team has ever accomplished.

The Detroit Pistons are the first team in NBA history to TRIPLE their win total from the previous season pic.twitter.com/3XqJWAPASo

— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) March 31, 2025​

The Detroit Pistons didn’t need an injection of superstar talent to fuel their meteoric rise. The superstar was already on the roster! Cade Cunningham has shown everyone why he was the #1 overall pick in a stacked draft with Evan Mobley, Scottie Barnes, Franz Wagner, and Alperen Sengun. Cunningham is the leading candidate for Most Improved Player, averaging 25.7 points, 9.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds.

Malik Beasley should also be considered for the MIP award, but ranks 2nd to Payton Pritchard in betting odds for Sixth Man of the Year. The nine-year veteran currently leads the NBA in three-point field goals made. Should he end the season on top, he’ll join James Harden (x3) and Klay Thompson (2023) as the only players NOT named Steph Curry to lead the league in made threes since 2013.

Prediction

If Detroit wins, they will sweep the season series against Toronto for the FOURTH time since 2018. The Pistons are two games behind Indiana for 4th place in the East. Think about that for a second. Over the last five seasons, Detroit’s win totals were 14, 17, 23, 20, and 20. Now think about all of the teams that are tanking this season. Philadelphia has 23 wins, and they’ve been tanking since the All-Star break. Detroit was regularly getting those win totals without trying to tank!

Incredible turnaround by the Pistons. Detroit covers the -4.5 spread.

April 6 @ Brooklyn Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have not looked good on the court this season, but that might change as early as next season. Sean Marks has done a good job of recouping draft assets in the wake of Brooklyn’s latest failed Big 3. In addition to their lottery pick, the Nets also own first-round picks this year from Milwaukee, Houston, and New York.

The Bucks pick is especially debilitating to a Milwaukee team that has an aging squad, devastating injury news with Damian Lillard (hope he can recover from the blood clots), and a ticking timeline with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Regardless, it’s the Nets who will profit in this draft, wherever the Bucks finish in the standings.

Brooklyn still has an incentive to lose, despite having 4 first-round picks. With Philadelphia desperately trying to salvage their top-6 protected pick, they have (successfully?) barrelled down to 5th spot in the lottery standings. The Nets can damage their division rival’s lottery odds by re-taking the 5th spot and leaving the door open for only one team needing to leapfrog Philly in the lottery (ahem, Toronto) and forcing them to give the pick to Oklahoma City!

"Davis spins... BLOCKED BY TIMME! HE'S HIMME!"

pic.twitter.com/EyoB73OBNn

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) April 1, 2025​

Prediction

Toronto’s 30-point win over the Nets last Wednesday was a larger margin of victory than 28 of the 29 other teams in the league have mustered against Brooklyn. The Los Angeles Clippers have defeated the Nets by 32 points....and 59 points! Toronto covers the -3.5 spread.

********

Last Week’s Record: 2-2​

Season Record: 31-44​

Source: https://www.raptorshq.com/2025/4/1/...k-march-31-april-6-bulls-blazers-pistons-nets