The Toronto Raptors went a perfect 4-0 in week six as they played a good mix of easy and tough teams. What Raptor performances made the top five?
With the Toronto Raptors expecting Serge Ibaka back this week, the role players on the squad were looking to prove themselves in the last remaining days. With two big matchups and two less than stellar opponents, Toronto had tough opponents but also needed to keep focus throughout.
Their first matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers was an important one. It was the first game since the iconic buzzer-beater Kawhi Leonard hit to seal game seven at home.
The Raptors were still missing Ibaka and Kyle Lowry, and Philly had everything to prove. Unfortunately for the City of Brotherly Love, they ran into a defensive masterpiece from Nick Nurse and the squad as they limited Joel Embiid to zero points in 32 minutes while picking up the win.
Their second matchup against the New York Knicks was considered nothing more than a pit stop. The Knicks are one of the worst teams in the league and played like it. It was perfect for the youngsters to gain experience as the game was a blowout by the third quarter.
Their third game against the Orlando Magic was a little tougher as Aaron Gordon made his return from his leg sprain he suffered in his last matchup against Toronto. Ibaka and Lowry were still unavailable, but it didn’t the Raptors were able to overcome their absence thanks to one particular performance (more on that later).
Their final matchup against the Utah Jazz was expected to be a gritty game. Both squads are elite defensively and both have a great young star in Pascal Siakam and Donovan Mitchell. However, it looked like anything but that in the first half as the Toronto Raptors took care of business early. Toronto was up 40 at the break, and although the Jazz tried to make a late surge, it wasn’t enough as the Raptors comfortably took the win at home to close the week.
Now that Ibaka has finally returned from injury, the Raptors are one step closer to being completely healthy. Seeing how dominant this team was without Lowry and Ibaka, one can only wonder how great this team can be at full strength.
Managing to go 4-0 without their two key pieces, what were the top five Raptor performances from week five?