Raptors Road Trip Pushes Them Higher in Power Rankings

The Toronto Raptors are moving on up in the power rankings after winning four games in a row.

Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram drives to the basket around Oklahoma City Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Toronto Raptors are winners of four straight games after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder to end their road trip.

The Raptors' current win streak has them moving up three spots higher in NBA.com writer John Schuhmann's power rankings.

"The Raptors won the last four games of a five-game trip out West, a streak capped by a fourth-quarter comeback in Oklahoma City on Sunday. They’ve climbed to third place in the East and are one win from matching last season’s total (30-52)," Schuhmann wrote.

"The Raptors lead the fourth-place Knicks by a half game, but they’ve scored just 102.1 points per 100 possessions as they’ve lost the first two (of five) head-to-head meetings. The third is in Toronto on Wednesday, when the Raptors will have a rest advantage, with the Knicks playing at home the night before."

Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram drives around Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dort. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Raptors Get Stride in Power Rankings

The only teams that ranked higher than the Raptors in the power rankings were the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Detroit Pistons.

A big reason behind the team's improvements has been the individual play of point guard Immanuel Quickley, who has been on a tear on offense over the last four games.

"Immanuel Quickley hit the big shots in Oklahoma City: two consecutive catch-and-shoot 3-pointers that put the Raptors up four with a little more than a minute left. Quickley has averaged 25.3 points over the winning streak, shooting 17-for-28 (61%) inside the arc, 16-for-26 (62%) from 3-point range, and 19-for-20 (95%) from the free throw line. Quickley’s true shooting percentage has been remarkably consistent (between 57% and 57.8%) over the last four seasons," Schuhmann wrote.

"One of those two Quickley 3-pointers came off a drive-and-kick feed from Jamal Shead, who’s been on the floor down the stretch of each of the Raptors’ last 11 clutch games (going back to mid-December). He’s had nine clutch assists and zero clutch turnovers in that stretch, and the two-point-guard look has worked pretty well, with Toronto outscoring opponents by 11.0 points per 100 possessions in 297 total minutes with Shead and Quickley on the floor together."

If Quickley can keep up his offensive production for the Raptors, the team could find itself inching closer to the top of the power rankings within the next couple of weeks.