The Toronto Raptors know a thing or two about sparking a flame before losing a fire to the winds of inconsistency.
After a nine-game winning streak, they dropped a game in overtime to the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 29. An 8-2 start at home was followed by five consecutive losses at the Scotiabank Arena. Most recently, Toronto’s defence held the Miami Heat to a season-low 91 points before imploding against the Washington Wizards in a 138-117 loss.
The Raptors put together a feel-good comeback victory in overtime against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday and have earned another opportunity to string together encouraging performances.
Next up in their five-game homestand is a matchup against the Orlando Magic on Monday.
The Magic serve as a realistic playoff opponent, should the Eastern Conference’s status quo remain intact.
With tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST on Sportsnet, here are X additional storylines to keep an eye on.
The offence appears ‘almost’ whole again
Without RJ Barrett, the Raptors have looked lost on offence, particularly during stretches featuring Brandon Ingram or Scottie Barnes flanked by bench options. The Canadian wing returned after a 15-game absence and seemingly reinvigorated the team’s offence. Even before the overtime period, Toronto scored 122 points against the Warriors’ third-ranked defence.
Barrett finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, and four assists while shooting 40 per cent from deep. He accomplished this despite playing on a minutes restriction. Barrett played 13 of his 23 minutes by halftime. It’ll be interesting to see if head coach Darko Rajakovic keeps Barrett under 24 minutes against the Magic.
Even with his limited run, Barrett changed the on-court dynamic and the starting lineup’s main weapons thrived because of it.
Scottie Barnes authored a historic night when he finished with 23 points, 25 rebounds and 10 assists. It was the first 20 and 20 triple-double in Raptors history, and the second time in the last 40 years a player recorded a 20, 25, and 10 game. Barnes’ 25 rebounds also tied a Raptors single-game record.
Immanuel Quickley added 27 points, his best offensive output in a win since dropping 25 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Nov. 13. His comfort level as an off-ball shooter next to Barnes’ playmaking and Brandon Ingram’s scoring skillset is key to raising this team’s ceiling.
Does Orlando believe in magic?
Due to injuries to key rotational players, the Magic are having trouble escaping the mud associated with .500 basketball. Jalen Suggs is doubtful with a hip injury and expected to miss his seventh straight game. Tyus Jones has filled in as a spot starter, but he hasn’t produced in the way the Magic coaching staff had hoped. Meanwhile, since Suggs went down with an injury, it’s been Anthony Black whose properly answered the call. Black is experiencing somewhat of a third-year breakout and recently scored 38 points in a 127-126 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Franz Wagner is also out due to a left ankle sprain. Wagner remains a significant part of the rotation and was averaging 22.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 24 games before his injury.
The two most obvious threats on the Magic are Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane. Banchero is experiencing some regression, particularly in his efficiency, but the season is young and he’s still a matchup threat at six-foot-10. In his first season with the Magic, Bane has finally rediscovered his form in December. He’s shooting 46.2 per cent from the field this month, which is up from November (44.7 per cent) and October (42.5 per cent).
Orlando is currently 7-8 on the road and 11-5 at home.
The Raptors announced the signing of Mo Bamba to a non-guaranteed one-year deal. It’s not clear whether that means Jakob Poeltl’s back injury has worsened but Toronto is in dire need of a centre.
Bamba has floundered in the NBA since getting drafted in 2018. The seven-footer’s best season ironically came playing with the Orlando Magic in 2021-22. He finished the season averaging 10.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Bamba is a career 35.6 per cent shooter from three. His prowess as a shooting threat is the ideal skillset beside this team’s best scorers.
