Toronto Raptors: Whose stock is rising, and Serge Ibaka gets a little heated

The Toronto Raptors put together a strong week despite an embarrassing loss to an old rival. How did everyone fare individually this week?

It seems like it was just yesterday that the Cleveland Cavaliers were raining down threes against the Toronto Raptors in the playoffs and causing emotional trauma to our already damaged psyches.

Fast forward to almost eleven months later and you think history was bound to repeat itself. And it did, with just with a different feeling to it all.

Even if the feeling was different, the end outcome on the night was the same, disappointment. A subpar performance from the Toronto Raptors provided the setting for defeat in Cleveland. This time against one of the worst teams in the league, without their former star: LeBron James.

This week was just more than one bizarre performance against poor opposition, the Raptors also took on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, following their road trip down south, where they took on the Miami Heat and New Orleans Pelicans.

Both teams were defeated pretty handily, with the Raptors pulling away with slick second-half performances in both games, outscoring their opponents 120-93 in the combined second halves.

The wheels fell off the wagon against the Cavaliers, in a performance where no one, except Serge Ibaka, put up a fight. Sorry.

Serge has been suspended for three games, serving one of those games against the Los Angeles Lakers in a game where his presence wasn’t missed. Either way, he’s in the down section of the column.

The ups? Keep reading and find out.