Week 11 saw the Toronto Raptors finish with a 2-1 record against a fairly easy slate of opponents. With the injuries still hurting, what performance’s made the top five this week?
This week was special for the Toronto Raptors. They were closing out the 2010’s and ushering in a new year and new decade. With the 2010s being the greatest decade in Raptors history, the team was looking to start the 2020s on a strong note.
Their first matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers allowed them to do just that. The Cavaliers have been struggling for a couple of years now and this season was no different as they are still at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. The Raptors were never really pressured in this one as they comfortably won this game by 20 points on New Year’s Eve.
Their second matchup and first of 2020 was against a tough opponent in the Miami Heat. Even though the Raptors were short-handed, this was still a big game against a potential playoff opponent. The game in general, however, was sloppy on offense. Neither team got it going from the field and the result was a slugfest on defense to decide the winner. In the end, the Heat was able to hold on and give the Raptors an eight-point loss.
Their final matchup was another easy one against a team that was losers of four straight games heading into this one in the Brooklyn Nets. Even though the team was welcoming back Caris LeVert from injury and did start hot it wasn’t enough as the Raptors gained momentum late in the game and came up with a comfortable 19 point win to end the week.
In order for the Raptors to have any sort of success in the playoffs, they have to get it done against tough opponents, regardless of injuries. Still, games against weaker opponents still count the same in the record books and the Raptors have been taking advantage of those matchups the whole season.
Even with fewer games this week, there were still some noteworthy performances from multiple players, so which Raptor performance made the top five this week?