The Toronto Raptors cruised to victories against the Grizzlies and Kings before falling to the Indiana Pacers. How did each player fare individually, though?
The Toronto Raptors season keeps chugging along, the team now sits with an overall record of 36-14, second in the NBA and second in the Eastern Conference. Only the Milwaukee Bucks stand in the way of the number one seed.
Wins over basement-dwelling Phoenix, freefalling Memphis and a surprisingly boisterous Sacramento team were followed up by a loss against a Pacers team smarting from the loss of their star player, Victor Oladipo. The former Oklahoma and Orlando shooting guard suffered a ruptured tendon in his right knee and will be forced to miss the rest of the season, a huge blow for the Pacers and for Oladipo himself. The road to recovery starts today and we’re wishing him a speedy recovery.
The past week saw Kawhi Leonard sit out for four consecutive games, you can decide what side of the fence you sit on when it comes to the situation but this writer is in favor of playing it safe with Leonard. The team is still winning when Leonard is off the court, they’re now 11-3 when Kawhi is resting and are still functioning as one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
It also means that Kawhi is getting the necessary rest after only playing nine games for the San Antonio Spurs, if Leonard plays up to 60 games in the regular season it could well be a shock to the system, especially with the playoffs around the corner too. The Raptors won’t want to risk their star man’s health at any point this season, not if they want to stand a chance at resigning him in the offseason. Leonard’s trust with San Antonio staff was broken after the misdiagnosis of the quad injury that kept him sidelined for the majority of last season, let’s not have a repeat of that scenario.
The Raptors week featured some good, some bad, and a little bit of really ugly. Plus, and no spoilers but also definitely spoilers, C.J. MILES IS BACK BABY!
Let’s get to it!