The Toronto Raptors are a good team. If the second and (especially) fourth quarters didn't exist, they'd be a great team. If you haven't noticed, the Raptors don't often head into halftime on a run, and even less often finish games strong. They have the No. 18 net rating in the second quarter, and the No. 20 net rating in the fourth quarter.
Strangely, the reason for struggling in the second and fourth quarters are drastically different. They have the 10th-worst defensive rating in the second quarter. In the fourth quarter, they have the seventh-best defense, but their offense falls off a complete cliff (fourth-worst) so the solid defense doesn't mean much.
Being bad in the second quarter isn't necessarily a detriment. Being bad in the fourth quarter often is. Raps fans have seen that all season, and as we close in on the postseason, the problem is getting worse. Over the past 15 games, the Raptors have the worst fourth quarter offense in the entire league. They're 8 points per 100 possessions worse on offense than the Utah Jazz, who I'm pretty sure are taking their players into dark alleys and whacking them with steel rods to make sure their tank isn't ruined.
Raptors' fourth quarter woes is painful for fans to watch
If you were to make a list of an NBA team's potential problems and rank them from least infuriating to watch to most, "not being able to score in the fourth quarter" would be very close to the top. It must be exhausting for Raptors fans to watch this team stay in games in the third quarter, only to completely crumble.
Things slow down in the fourth quarter of NBA games. Theoretically, the Raptors have a roster that should thrive in halfcourt, grind-it-out out offensive situations. Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and Scottie Barnes should all be able to create their own shots even when defenses get set.
The problem isn't clear and obvious, but none of those guys being able to shoot 3-pointers in the fourth quarter surely doesn't help. None of them are over 32 percent from deep in the fourth quarter, and that's very simply not good enough.
As the playoffs approach, the lack of fourth quarter scoring appears to be the biggest roadblock between the Raptors and a deep playoff run. They still, theoretically, have the tools to fix this problem — but we're 60 games into the season, and it's somehow getting worse. Is there a solution hiding somewhere? For the mental health of Raps fans, I hope so.