Raptors Pull All the Levers But Can't Loss to 76ers in Crucial Lottery Showdown

The stakes couldn’t have been higher.

Well, maybe that’s a stretch. In the grand history of this rivalry, this one was different. It wasn’t Game 7 against the 76ers. If anything, it was the complete opposite. Call it the anti-Game 7. Two teams battling as hard as they could to lose Wednesday night, each eyeing the fifth-worst record in the NBA and the 42.1% chance at a top-four pick that comes with it.

The problem is someone had to win and on Wednesday it was Toronto Raptors who reluctantly clinched a 118-105 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at Scotiabank Arena.

There have been times recently when Toronto’s tanking effort was questionable. Why, for example, did they bring back Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley against the Utah Jazz? Why hadn’t they rested more players or further limited the minutes of their best talent?

This time, though, there was little room for criticism.

Of the regulars, only Jakob Poeltl started, and even that felt like a stretch as he was limited to just 17 minutes. The Raptors made a genuine effort to roll out their least experienced, least talented players in some of the most unusual lineups in franchise history. At times, rookie Jamison Battle was the longest-tenured player on the floor. They even started Colin Castleton, who was on a 10-day contract and had joined the organization less than a week ago.

And yet, it wasn’t enough.

Philadelphia is just that bad. A combination of injuries and a seeming disinterest in competing at times made the 76ers a perfect foil for Toronto.

The Raptors, by contrast, only suffered from one of those issues. They tried, and all things considered, looked about as competent as a tanking team can.

Toronto jumped ahead by 22 in the second quarter as Jared Rhoden broke out for 12 of his 25 points in what turned into a three-point shootout. A.J. Lawson drilled a pair of threes en route to a 28-point performance, while Philadelphia showed little ability to rotate or close out on shooters. Even Orlando Robinson got in on the action, knocking down a pair of threes off the bench on his way to a career-high 25 points.

The Raptors did their best to pull the plug. Jamal Shead’s minutes were limited to just 12, and he didn’t appear in the second half. Poeltl was pulled five minutes into the third quarter and never returned. That left just enough of an opening for Philadelphia to make a push.

A pair of buckets from former Raptors guard Jeff Dowtin Jr. brought the 76ers within three late in the third. But that was as close as they would get. Rhoden picked off an errant inbounds pass for a scoop-and-score transition bucket, then drilled a three to push Toronto’s lead back to 13. At that point, there was nothing left for the Raptors to do but win.

Putting lottery odds aside for a moment, this whole stretch can be seen in a positive light. There’s been no sign of quitting from the players despite the organization being out of the playoff picture for months. From a scouting and development standpoint, it’s hard to knock the Raptors for at least finding some intriguing two-way players. Both Rhoden and Lawson have shown flashes of being worth keeping through the summer and into training camp next season.

"I think our front office is doing an outstanding job," Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said. "Guys like Jared, AJ, guys that we had with our development program with 905, all the young guys on our team, those guys have complete buy in in our culture and our identity."

The problem is what these wins mean for the organization long term.

Two months ago, Toronto was tied for the second-worst record in the league, giving them a 52.1% chance to land a top-four pick and a 14% shot at Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 pick. Since then, the Raptors have gone 15-13, moving them into the eighth spot in the lottery standings. As a result, their odds of a top-four pick have dropped to 31.9%, while the likelihood of landing somewhere between No. 7 and No. 10 now sits at 68%.

Of course, moving up in the lottery would render this whole conversation moot. The Raptors could still cash in on their 7.5% chance at the No. 1 pick, land Flagg, and completely change the trajectory of the franchise.

But the further they slip in the standings, the less likely that becomes. And given how far they’ve come this season, closing it out with wins has only lowered the chances of adding a truly special prospect to pair with Scottie Barnes moving forward.

Up Next: Utah Jazz

Losing won't get any easier for the Raptors who will hit the road and head to Utah to take on the tanking Jazz on Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET.