Week 15 of the 2019-20 NBA season is in the books, and the Toronto Raptors finished with another perfect record, this time going 4-0. Which performances made this week’s top-five list?
The last time the Toronto Raptors were dealt a loss was Jan. 12, courtesy the San Antonio Spurs. The champs haven’t lost in close to a month. Five more wins would have the Raptors perfect through Feb. 12. Right now, the team’s record is identical to what it was a year ago through 50 games. Not bad for a team that’s yet to replace Kawhi Leonard…
Following that loss to the Spurs, Toronto won 11 straight games and finds itself in second place in the Eastern Conference. This last week saw Toronto face easier competition and it made sure to capitalize. Now 6.5 games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the top spot in the conference, the Raptors can ill-afford to give away games.
This past week, Toronto began with the Atlanta Hawks and sophomore star, Trae Young. The Hawks have consistently been one of the worst teams in the NBA, and the Raptors took full advantage of an up-and-coming but mistake-prone squad. In the end, it was a straightforward victory to get the week off on the right foot, though, Marc Gasol‘s hamstring tightened up (again).
Their second matchup of the week came against the Cleveland Cavaliers, on the first night of a back to back. Up against another rebuilding squad, the Raptors, led by Serge Ibaka who started in place of Marc Gasol, cruised to another win. Cleveland made a late push, but really, the game was never in question.
The next night, Toronto was asked to face off against the Detroit Pistons, led by Derrick Rose and Andre Drummond. The Raptors, once again, feasted on an inferior opponent and came out with the easy victory. Drummond, the much-talked-about trade target, had one of the less impactful 20-20 games you’ll ever see.
The final game of the week was against the Chicago Bulls, and the Raptors, no stranger to the injury bug this season, were without the services of Norman Powell who fractured a finger in the win over Detroit and is out indefinitely. While this was a tough blow for Toronto, Terence Davis and the rest of the second unit sparked the Raptors’ offence, capping off a third consecutive perfect week for the defending champs.
Riding an 11-game win streak, Nick Nurse’s team needs just more win to set a new franchise record for the longest win streak in Toronto Raptors’ history. Nurse, himself, will coach Team Giannis at the 2020 All-Star Game. Again, all this without Leonard.
Who knew the 2019-20 Toronto Raptors were this good?
Now its time to reveal the top five performances from Week 15?