After a November to remember where the Toronto Raptors secured a 12-3 record, including a phenomenal nine-game win streak, December has been far from a continuation of that hot stretch —unless we're talking about the steamrolling Raptors 905, that is. At their highest point in the 2025-26 campaign thus far, the Toronto Raptors held the second seed in the Eastern Conference, but they have since fallen to the fifth seed with a record of 15-11.
Toronto is currently 1-4 in the five-game December sample size to date, with their lone victory in this disappointing stretch coming on December 2, when they pulled out of a tight 121-118 affair against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Raptors need this break after a difficult December sample thus far
The subsequent games included a morale-crushing Lakers buzzer-beater loss on December 4, where they fell 123-120. This was followed by what is arguably Toronto's worst loss of the season to the Hornets on December 5, getting blown out 111-86. They then faced a tough game against Boston on December 7, trying to fight back but ultimately losing 121-113. Most recently, in the NBA Cup quarterfinals against New York, they couldn't find an offensive rhythm in the second half, on top of many other glaring issues, and lost 117-101, falling out of the tournament.
It's been quite a depressing December for the Raptors, but there is a silver lining to all of this — they can finally enjoy some rest after getting the juice sapped out of them in this very long, grueling stretch. Toronto doesn’t play again until December 15 when they face the Miami Heat, giving them a six-day break to review as much tape as they need, reflect on what’s gone wrong, and step back from the limelight to rejuvenate their bodies. Hopefully, this will help them get back to the game speed we’re used to seeing from this Raptors team.
Emerging Raptors leader Jamal Shead talked about this during his post-Knicks loss media scrum, saying the following (YouTube link here):
"Yeah, seventh game in 11 days. We definitely need it. We need to get healthy. RJ [Barrett], Quick [Immanuel Quickley], just our entire team, we just need our bodies to get right ... I think coach just told us we have two days off, told us to take some time off, go spend with family a little bit, just settle down a little bit. Yeah. "Jamal Shead, Nov 9, 2025
People can have different opinions about what Toronto’s impressive November run really was —whether it was because of an easy schedule or other caveats that have been raised. But at the end of the day, this is NBA basketball, and a win is a win. Nine straight wins definitely shows there’s something tangible behind this team’s competitive spirit. They’ve proven in countless games during that streak that they’re willing to fight and go toe-to-toe with opponents. However, I’ve noticed pretty clearly in this recent sample that the Raptors look exhausted and very much disconnected, without trying to make excuses for their struggles.
We’ll just have to see next week if this squad comes back reenergized and ready to go after the long break.