The Raptors are supposed to beat teams with worse records. That’s what they did consistently all season long. So, when they lost to the struggling Pelicans, fans were shocked, upset, and disappointed—especially considering that the loss sent the Raptors into the play-in tournament and catapulted the Magic and Heat into the final two outright playoff spots. The loss also brought up brutal questions about the team’s toughness, grit, and potential. It was a real low point for the team and its fans.
Two games later, the loss doesn’t seem nearly as bad. It may actually have been a blessing in disguise. It was the wake-up call the Raptors needed to turn things around and finally beat good teams.
Toronto beat Phoenix and Detroit
One of the Raptors’ many issues this season was that they simply couldn’t beat good teams except for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Raptors are 3-0 against the Cavs. Matchups with other top teams in the league regularly led to losses.
That didn’t inspire much confidence for the playoffs when beating good teams is the one thing you need to do to advance.
Confidence in the Raptors’ ability to find postseason success collapsed even more after the loss to the Pelicans. But that loss now seems to be just what the Raptors needed to string together two wins against good opponents.
First, the Raptors beat the Phoenix Suns behind a 36-point performance from Brandon Ingram and a strong fourth quarter. The Suns came into the game with a four-game win streak and a 39-27 record. Beating them was a statement win for the Raptors. It was a chance to prove that they could bounce back from a bad loss and compete with teams that have a better record.
The Raptors carried the momentum from the win over the Suns into their next game and got their most impressive win of the season. They beat the Pistons, the top team in the Eastern Conference, despite an efficient 33-point game from Cade Cunningham. The Raptors struggled from the 3-point line, but they dominated the boards, especially offensively, got to the line, and scored 16 points off forced turnovers.
Ingram recorded another 30-point game to lead the charge for the Raptors. RJ Barrett added 27 points on 11-17 shooting, and Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl both recorded double-doubles. Poeltl, who finished with 21 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block, played his best game in a while.
The playoff race is still wide open for the Raptors
The top-ten teams in the Eastern Conference are pretty much set in stone. So are the top four. The Pistons have a four-game lead over the Celtics in second place. The Knicks are creeping up on the Celtics and are 2.5 games ahead of the Cavs. Cleveland, in turn, has a two-game lead over the Magic.
Seeds five through seven promise a lot of movement until the end of the season. The Magic, Raptors, and Heat are all within 0.5 games of each other.
For the Raptors, the important thing is that they are back in sixth place and still have opportunities to secure the tiebreakers against the Magic and the Heat. Moreover, they finally proved that they could beat one of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference.