Toronto Raptors: 6ix Takes (Losing is a great teacher)

Despite seeing their eight-game win streak snapped earlier in the week courtesy the Denver Nuggets, the Toronto Raptors remain atop the league standings as we head towards Christmas.

The Toronto Raptors sit atop the NBA world with a record of 21-6, but after losing a few games, it’s natural to panic about the most recent results.

The day after the Toronto’s 106-103 loss to the Nuggets, head coach, Nick Nurse had this to say about the result:

"It’s only a loss to me last night if we don’t learn from it, and I know we’ve already learned from it looking at our film session and our meeting this morning and our practice today. Those guys are learning.” (via Josh Lewenberg)"

Truth be told, the Raptors did not deserve to win Monday’s game. They shot 26 percent from three, going 11-41 from beyond the arc.

Putting aside their league-best record for a moment, this team’s struggles from distance has to be concerning even if everything else about them causes you to feel warm and fuzzy inside. Beyond the threes, Toronto gave up 15 offensive rebounds, leading to 23 second-chance points for the Nuggets. Toronto finished with only two.

It was just their fifth loss of the season, but the Raptors followed it up with an impressive win over the 76ers on Wednesday. The win over Philly came while ESPN was in town doing an all-access feature on Canada’s squad.

As such, the win over Butler and Co. meant a tad more considering the visibility the game had south of the border. Mind you, good thing Friday’s defeat in Brooklyn wasn’t broadcasted to the masses.

Buuuut look, this team still technically has a chance to one-up the Warriors’ 73-9 record from a few seasons ago. While doing so remains highly improbable, why not aim for it while it still remains in the realm of possibility?

Time for 6ix Takes.