Takeaways for Toronto as Raptors Winning Streak Continues vs. Pelicans

Toronto Raptors 113, New Orleans Pelicans 104

Winning Continues

Can we talk about tanking?

Toronto entered Monday night with Jakob Poeltl listed as questionable due to back soreness. It would have been easy for the Raptors to hold him out. No one was going to scrutinize the injury report to see if Poeltl was truly too hurt to play.

But—for better or worse—that’s not how the Raptors are operating.

Toronto has now won four straight and six of its last seven games, climbing to the sixth-worst record in the league. It’s a far cry from where the Raptors lingered earlier this season, stuck in the league’s basement.

So, what does this mean?

For one, it suggests this team might have been in the play-in mix if not for the injuries earlier in the year. Even without Immanuel Quickley, Toronto has strung together wins against competitive opponents. Scottie Barnes has been phenomenal, taking over in the fourth quarter against the Pelicans after a rough start to finish with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. Chris Boucher and Bruce Brown continue to bolster their trade value with strong performances, while Poeltl—though unlikely to be moved—delivered one of his best games of the year, finishing with 21 points and 14 rebounds.

Of course, there’s a cost to these wins when it comes to the Raptors’ lottery odds. While the flattening of the lottery has made it less critical to finish among the league’s worst teams, every spot still matters.

Monday’s win over the Pelicans, who currently sit with the league’s third-worst record, could be particularly costly. A loss to New Orleans would have helped Toronto in the race for better lottery positioning later this year.

For now, though, the Raptors remain focused on winning—and lately, they’ve been doing so at an impressive clip.

Trust the Process

It’s all part of the process.

That’s the message coming out of Toronto as the Raptors begin to turn the page on a brutal, injury-plagued start to the season. No one expected a quick fix. With nearly the entire roster turned over in the past year, growing pains were inevitable.

So why does this team suddenly look better defensively?

“[The] whole world would love to believe that overnight success exists, but it does not,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said pre-game. “It’s part of something that we are building.”

At the heart of it: Scottie Barnes is taking his game to new heights.

“He’s unique because he can guard ball-handlers, pick-and-roll actions, post-ups, he does so much,” Rajaković added. “And now more and more players are rubbing off his habits and what he’s doing defensively, and it’s helping our team in general.”

Barnes set the tone early Monday night, single-handedly shutting down a Pelicans fast break by stripping Trey Murphy in transition. Moments later, RJ Barrett forced Murphy to step out of bounds with tough on-ball defense. Across the board, Toronto played with poise and discipline. The only difficulty came against Zion Williamson who feasted on Toronto’s bigs most of the night, scoring 31 points on 12-for-17 shooting.

"Right now, we have all the guys locked in," Rajaković said post-game. "RJ is taking a lot of pride on defensive end. ... And he's very capable when he puts his mind into it and desire. He's very capable of guarding on a high, high level."

The problem was Toronto’s offense. A quiet third quarter allowed the Pelicans to erase a 17-point Raptors lead, coming all the way back thanks to a pair of threes from Trey Murphy.

But when Toronto needed stops in the fourth quarter, Barnes took on the toughest assignment, sliding over to stop Williamson who had feasted on Toronto’s bigs. His defense in crunch time snuffed out New Orleans' second-half run as the Raptors pulled away in the fourth.

Robinson’s 10-Day Expires

Orlando Robinson’s 10-day contract will come to an end Monday night, and while a four-point, 11-minute performance against the Pelicans wasn’t the ideal conclusion to his stint with Toronto, the 24-year-old showcased flashes of potential during his time with the team.

“I really like what I’m seeing. I think he plays really hard,” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said. “It’s not easy to join a team in the middle of the season, but he was able to pick up on what we’re trying to do on offense and defense. … I give him a lot of credit for what he did over here over the last 10 days.”

Toronto is expected to let Robinson’s contract expire, opting to maintain roster flexibility ahead of the trade deadline. However, he could be a name to watch post-deadline if the Raptors find themselves in need of additional frontcourt depth.

Up Next: Washington Wizards

The Raptors will hit the road for a quick pitstop in Washington to take on the Wizards on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.