The Toronto Raptors keep winning their battles but are doing so at the risk of losing the war.
After a 116-86 walloping win over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, Toronto is now 8-5 in March, tied for the eighth-best record in the NBA during that span.
The only problem is that the Raptors aren’t exactly interested in improving their record at this point — now 26-47 following a second straight victory — given what’s at stake come the draft lottery on May 12.
What’s become abundantly clear through the Raptors’ winning woes, however, despite their best(?) efforts and all the lineup shenanigans, is that the schedule is simply too favourable to help in the reverse standings.
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Wednesday’s victory was the latest example of that as Toronto won despite shooting a modest 42.2 per cent from the field while hitting just 10 of their 33 attempts from beyond the arc. And it wasn’t for a lack of effort either, considering the Raptors rested both Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl, and started a pair of non-lottery rookies and an undrafted centre next to Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett.
But no amount of pre-game or in-game lever-pulling was going to allow the dinos to match the output, or lack thereof, from the skidding Nets who shot 35.6 per cent from the field on the night and nailed only eight of their 41 shots from distance.
And just when Brooklyn did show some signs of life, cutting what was a 14-point deficit headed into the second down to six thanks to an 8-0 run, they almost literally handed the lead back. The Nets turned the ball over six times in the second as part of 20 (plus-seven) on the night. There’s not much else for Toronto to do but to cash in those freebies — finishing with a 30-7 edge on points off turnovers — when extra possessions kept falling in its lap.
Which goes back to the conversation about players simply not being wired to tank. To work their whole lives to reach the highest level of their craft, it breeds a competitiveness that doesn’t just go away because it makes sense from a roster perspective, rebuilding plans be damned. Just look to Jamal Shead, who stepped up and took charge while the Raptors were already up 30 in the fourth quarter.
As things stand, Toronto can’t seem to get out of it’s own way as the stretch run nears — with just nine games to go and only one against a team above .500 (vs. Detroit on April 4) — and it’s become abundantly clear the ship has sailed on collecting more ping pong balls.
With the victory, the Raptors are now three games behind the Nets — and the 76ers, who fell to the Wizards on Wednesday — for sixth-best odds at the No. 1 pick heading into May. And considering Toronto’s propensity to rack up wins against cellar-dwellers (12-6 against bottom-five teams in both conferences) and the easiest remaining strength of schedule, the Raps appear all but mathematically locked into seventh-best odds.
(If you’re rooting for the tank and want some comfort, the last time Toronto entered the lottery with the same odds was in 2021 when it jumped up to fourth and selected Scottie Barnes.)
The Raptors presumably entered the night with hopes of inching closer to Brooklyn and Philadelphia in the reverse standings, but instead, they picked up their biggest win of the season in wire-to-wire fashion and handed the lowly Nets their worst home loss of the year and fifth in a row.
I can’t think of a better way to explain the situation than by citing Nets play-by-play broadcaster Ian Eagle, who said “that was not supposed to happen that way,” when Barrett pinged a pass off the face of Orlando Robinson in the first quarter and the ball ricocheted into the basket. If that doesn’t sum up how the Raptors’ post-All-Star break approach has gone, I’m not sure what does.
Here are a few notes and takeaways from the night:
• It would be a disservice not to mention Robinson’s performance in the victory, one of his best as a Raptor. The undrafted big man put up a game-high 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting while even knocking down his lone attempt from distance as part of a double-double. While the box score says Brooklyn’s Nic Claxton played the matchup close, Robinson’s impact was far greater. His game-best 12 rebounds led a monster effort on the glass by Toronto, who grabbed 71 boards (plus-21) on the night.
• Jonathan Mogbo had his best game since returning from a six-game absence due to a nasal fracture. The rookie swingman finished with 16 points (one shy of his NBA career-high) while shooting an efficient five-of-10 from the field to go with seven rebounds, five assists and finishing a game-high plus-25.
The 23-year-old looked noticeably more assertive in the paint, which was a welcomed development considering his struggles in tight to this point (sub-20th percentile scoring at the rim, per cleaning the glass). All his makes on Wednesday came in the paint and he even nailed a pair of hookshots in the non-restricted paint area of which he normally converts at a sub-30 per cent clip. Halfcourt paint touches have almost routinely led to kick-out passes by Mogbo, so to see him hold and create was a positive step. Add the uptick in dunk frequency — for a guy who was second in all of college hoops for total jams last year — and more zip on his ball movement, and it’s the type of game the Raptors hope is a stepping stone for Mogbo.
• One of the few bright spots for the Raptors as they crawl to the end of their campaign is the opportunity they’ve provided a plethora of fringe NBA players along the way. Cole Swider was the latest recipient of a 10-day deal by Toronto, slotting into the roster spot that was occupied by Colin Castleton for most of March. Rather than signing Castleton to a deal for the rest of the year, after exhausting a pair of 10-day contracts, the Raptors opted to give the six-foot-eight stretch big a look.
Although Swider didn’t hit 42.2 per cent of his triples on Wednesday like he had in the G League this year, his first NBA minutes in four months were impressive enough. The 25-year-old finished with seven points in 19 minutes of action, both of which were his most since over a year ago with Miami. He attacked a close out and finished through contact for an and-one on his first look and then nailed an above-the-break three in transition shortly after. He didn’t move mountains by any means, but Swider made the most of his first day with the team.
• An All-Defence nod for Barnes doesn’t appear likely this season, but might be a safe-bet for next year. The Raptors have the league’s No. 2 ranked defence since mid-January, and during that span, Barnes ranks seventh with an individual defence rating of 106.9 (min. 30 games played). The 23-year-old ranks 36th in the NBA for defensive win shares this season and is all the way up to eighth since the middle of January. On Wednesday, despite scoring just 15 points on six-of-17 shooting, he did plenty on the other side to break up Brooklyn’s actions and warrant his plus-23 rating.
• The Raptors 905 played their final home game of the season on Wednesday, falling 127-122 to the Long Island Nets. At 13-20, with just one game left on Saturday, the junior dinos are well out of post-season contention. While the campaign didn’t pan out as many hoped when the 905 were 11-4 at one point, the G League squad still accomplished plenty.
A handful of 905 regulars saw time with the big club, including Canadian Eugene Omoruyi who got a 10-day look in January, Jamison Battle who worked up from an Exhibit 10 contract in the summer, through the 905 system and into a permanent roster spot — along with two-ways A.J. Lawson and Jared Rhoden who got their fair share of time in the NBA throughout March.
The latter of which was especially complimentary of the organization, fan base and city when addressing reporters following the 905’s home finale. Rhoden’s praise for playing north of the border, knowingly or not, was timely as it bucked a recent trend of ex-Raptors lamenting their time in Canada.
“I really love it here, to be honest with you. I think it just fits my background and culture,” the 25-year-old said while referencing his Jamaican and Ecuadorian roots. “The vibe here is kind of more my speed. It’s easy, it feels like home when you’re interacting with the community … getting cultural food. It goes such a long way, and it really feels like it’s becoming home.”
Rhoden will hopefully have more opportunities this season to enjoy the sights and sounds of Toronto, as he still has seven games remaining on his two-way slot with the Raptors. He put up 32 points, six rebounds and six assists in his final home game of the G League season and looks primed for a return to an NBA rotation.
