#raptors

#raptors

as Brandon Ingram catches a pass and the way he avoids the steal attempt of Mikal Bridges just mesmerized me, even though the bucket is such a routine shot for the snubbed All-Star. A pretty rare play, at least to me. I haven't seen someone avoid a steal like that ever, and it just really stood out to me. Is this a routine play, or was it truly impressive?

Toronto comes into this contest with a win in Indiana against the Pacers, where they were holding a comfortable lead pretty much the whole way until the fourth quarter, where the Pacers made the game uncomfortable for a bit, but Brandon Ingram's threes late in the fourth quarter iced the win for Toronto to secure their 25th win of the season.

It's no secret that Toronto made some questionable choices with their extension offers to Immanuel Quickley and Jakob Poeltl. Quickley was signed to a five-year, $175 million extension as a restricted free agent in the 2024 offseason. In hindsight, this summer revealed that IQ's contract essentially broke the RFA market, as many players in his position tried to justify similar figures, but no other NBA teams were willing to match that price.

It seems as if Toronto has been linked to nearly every big name on the market, not surprising given their trade history. However, Toronto currently sits higher in the Eastern Conference standings than expected, and there's something to be said for roster continuity in a time of impatience and turnover. Nonetheless, the Raptors are rumoured to be interested in Anthony Davis, Domantas Sabonis, and even Lamelo Ball.

The Raptors played really well and did have moments on offence where they were "leaking oil" as Jack Armstrong would say, but they hung in there with one of the best teams in the league all night long, just to lose right at the end. This game will mark the third game at home as Toronto will have two more in a row after this against the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks for the NBA Cup Quarterfinals.

So, how did a 40 percent shooter like Agbaji suddenly fall to an alarming 5.9 percent from three after 15 games in the 2025-26 season? The 25-year-old is just 1-for-17 from three and appears to be stuck in a frustrating slump that shows little sign of improvement. Agbaji is barely attempting any threes now, going from 4.0 attempts a game last year, to just 1.2 attempts.

Basically every rotation player has average to elite scoring efficiency, they pass the ball a ton, they score from a lot of different places with a lot of different players. Brandon Ingram is the NBA's best mid-range scorer. RJ Barrett is one of the best cutters in the league. Quickley is on a stretch of 45% shooting from downtown. Scottie Barnes is filling in wherever available and driving transition offense.

Raptors rookie Collin Murray-Boyles returned to the lineup after missing the first two games for the Raptors. He finished with 0 points, 2 rebounds and 0/4 from the field in 13 minutes. Scottie Barnes put up 33 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal in 33 minutes but it wasn't enough. Sandro Mamukelashvili added 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting in 21 minutes off the bench.

As soon as I walked in, I saw clipboards, iPads, and people meticulously diagramming plays in front of me. We were all trying to soak up hoops knowledge from the Raptors' coaching fountain and apply it to our own teams, clinics, and communities.Darko referred to this open house (it's also free) as the only one of its kind in the NBA.

Even before it landed Kevin Durant, Houston had embraced a surprising strategy for escaping the depths of despair. It paid above market value for NBA champion point guard Fred VanVleet, invested in a veteran wing in Dillon Brooks, and prioritized size and versatility from thereon out-ultimately resulting in 52 wins and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.