Welcome to the Weekly Rap, a resource for getting you caught up on what went down and what’s on the docket in Raptorland.
After awful losses to the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets last week, the Toronto Raptors responded with consecutive victories over the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs.
The two wins would be big under any circumstance—both the Clippers and Spurs are title contenders—but the way the Raptors won, and the little bit of tension that had built up around Toronto in those games against the Bucks and Nets, imbued the Ws with an extra dose of meaning.
These were signature wins.
The Raptors have talked a lot about adversity—and faced their fair share of it this season—but they haven’t been able to tackle it head on and come away looking better because of it.
Coming back from a 20-point deficit against a very talented Clippers and ultimately blowing them out of the water took a level of mental toughness that hadn’t been seen from this team. That impression was only compounded by the way Toronto was able to stem the tide of a late Spurs’ rally on Sunday to pull one out against the defending champs.
Just one week before, Toronto didn’t seem capable of that strength of will, after letting giant leads slip away against the Nets and Washington Wizards.
Now, however, it feels as if the Raptors are a completely different team. With the all-star break just around the corner, a couple of big wins are exactly what they needed to recharge and get ready for a difficult stretch run.
Record
35-17 (1st in Atlantic Division, 2nd in Eastern Conference)
What happened?
This Terrence Ross Dunk
What was learned?
James Johnson was sorely missed: A major contributing factor in those excellent last two games was James Johnson’s return from a hamstring injury.
Coming off the bench to score 16 points on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting against the Clippers and then 20 points on 8-for-10 in a starting role in the Spurs’ game, Johnson’s offensive punch was crucial. And his defensive versatility was probably the one aspect the Raptors needed the most while he was out. Welcome back, James.
No rest for the weary: First-time all-star Kyle Lowry’s weekend in the Big Apple became busier. It was announced that the Raptors’ point man will participate in the skills challenge event on Saturday night. This is pretty cool stuff and a great way for the franchise to further promote itself, but Lowry’s carried a huge load for the Raptors and has seemed fatigued over the last few weeks. You’d think getting as much rest as possible would be top priority. I Guess not.
Upcoming slate
- Wednesday 7:30 p.m., TOR vs WAS
Storylines to follow
Trade Deadline: The Feb. 19 trade deadline is fast approaching, and although it seems as if there’s no need to make a splash, Raptors GM Masai Ujiri hinted on Tim and Sid that a shakeup is possible. Don’t be surprised if Ujiri pulls the trigger on something unexpected—it’s kind of become his signature as a general manager.
Lowry’s all-star response: With the All-Star Game in New York, there should be a large Brooklyn following in Madison Square Garden. It will be interesting to see how the fans react to Kyle Lowry.
A combination of the perceived rivalry between the Raptors and Nets and the fact that Lowry’s all-star campaign was criticized by some U.S. outlets could lead to a few boos.