My first comment on that game winning buzzer beater (to my wife) What an unselfish play. Chose a W on a Thursday night in November over the streak

4th Quarter This game has remained hard to watch. SIX offensive rebounds allowed 2, a turnover, and still allowing wide open looks. It is REALLY hard to shoot 51% and 47% from 3, take decent care of the ball, win the boards AND be on the losing end of the score. Raptors are threading that needle

Lakers @ Raptors Dec 4, 2025 Been watching all along tonight, been a tough watch on the defensive end. Not covering the shooters, not cutting off drives, not shutting down rim-runners...so what are they stopping?

Thinking about Giannis, the Hawks are the OBVIOUS destination. * The draft pick compensation they can offer gives MIL some control over their immediate draft future * They have various young players to offer * Their leftover roster would fit well with Giannis * They are motivated to contend NOW

Re: Giannis I mean, this is the white whale the Raptors have saved their trade resources for. However, I've done some trade machine work, it's tough to make anything that will tempt MIL and leave TOR in a good competitive space.

4th Quarter Raptors up 14...POR hits a 3 IQ almost gets an 8 second violation walking up. Raptors walk through sequences, producing nothing, ending with a desperation 30-foot heave. POR hits another 3 to cut it to 8 Good timeout: Raptors have played well after a poor start...but game is NOT over

Halftime Takeaways After a disastrous start on defense, the Raptors have given up 27 points since the 4 minute mark of the 1Q, and only surrendered 3 offensive rebounds tonight. Turnovers are still an issue but that is progress

2nd Quarter I used to tell my daughter that she would have A games sometimes and B games at others, one of a few strategies that helped her become more consistent over time. Definitely an A game from Shead so far, after a couple of B games. ...and definitely more A games this year

Trail Blazers @ Raptors Dec 2, 2025 Minutes played last time these teams met (POR wins 112-103 in TOR Apr 3) Walter 30 Mogbo 28 Barnes, O.Robinson 27 Barrett 26 Shead 25 Battle 24 Agbaji 21 Lawson 18 Swider 14 An embarrassing tank-loss. Hoping the Raptors feel they have something to prove tonight

Final Takeaways Looking ahead to the NBA Cup, some real lessons tonight. ** Hopefully get RJ healthy, duh ** No rebounds, No (NBA Cup) Rings...demolished on the boards tonight, 61-40 ** BI-led lineups need more dynamic options and creativity beyond "get BI the ball and let him cook"

This was probably a scheduled loss anyway, hence the decision to rest Poeltl tonight rather than in the friendlier matchup yesterday. Splitting these 2 would’ve been a good outcome. Letting the Charlotte game (up 12 with 6 minutes left vs an inferior team) slip away really hurts.

4th Quarter Shead is impactful, but his decision-making can come and go. On consecutive possessions at the end of 3Q, he throws an absolute Hail Mary 70-foot pass to Gradey that flies out of bounds, leads to NYK three. Then, he fouls Brunson 50 feet from the rim for two easy BONUS free throws

3rd Quarter Maybe they are trying to get BI going, but this isn't working. That wasn't Battle's fault, but Darko responded by giving him the hook. Kinda crappy that didn't get free throws on a strong drive with tons of contact, while KAT is getting rewarded for his aggression.

Halftime Takeaways Raptors win the 2nd quarter 30-18, hard to draw up a better quarter, end the quarter by cutting an 11 point lead down to 7 The formula is there for them to win. The crowd is on edge, the Knicks lost their shooting rhythm, going 6-23 (2-11 from 3) in the 2Q. Things have changed

2nd Quarter Need some hope for this game? Okay... ** Pressure is now all on a Knick team that has struggled ** TOR 3P 13% NYK 3P 64%, neither can continue, can they? ** Raptors have taken care of the ball and generated good shots. There is room for a dramatic comeback here...

Four 3s for Deuce McBride in the first five minutes. If he keeps this up and scores 114 points on 38 3s it would be a record.

1st Quarter Raptors have had good luck with opponents shooting poorly from three...looks like some regression to the mean in live time

Hmmm, a small lineup. Great opportunity for Battle here. I really hope he shows well That said, his usage is downright confusing. It makes me wonder if there isn't some unknown issue going on behind the scenes. (Maybe just health? He was unavailable a couple times somewhat recently...)

Raptors @ Knicks Nov 20, 2025 Down 2 starters and on the back-end of a road back-to-back, the Raptors need players to step up beyond Scottie, BI and IQ. There are extra minutes to be had, and players who surely want more of a chance; To win tonight, they'll need some of those guys to take advantage

Watching this from @justesbaraheni.bsky.social (get on Bluesky!!!), a thought While BI was excellent through 3 quarters, the real takeaway down the stretch was that CHA had no answer for Scottie. Darko needed to recognize and adjust as BI struggled down the stretch. youtu.be/7PUpNoDdZ2c?...

Excellent piece by @brucearthur.bsky.social reminding us that Masai built this team. He should be a part of this sucess now, and the fact that he isn't is a stain on those who decided to get rid of him. www.thestar.com/sports/rapto...

Final Takeaways Games like this are healthy in the long run, as important lessons/reminders. This kind of embarrassing loss should get them hungry again. To me, it looked like too many things were taken for granted out there, including...

OVERTIME Hard to feel good about the Raptors' chances. They have shot terribly in the second half and have been outscored 20-8 since extending their 4Q lead to 12

Darko should have seen this coming. Ingram hasn't shot well, but CHA went for the double anyway. Take advanrage of that and have him pass out of the it. Scottie is open with a mismatch from 8 feet; that should have been the play.

Everyone in the gym expects the ball to go to BI. With how he's been shooting, it would seem to be a good time to use him as a decoy and have him assist the last attempt

4th Quarter Raptors have cleaned up on the boards tonight, but gave up six offensive rebounds to CHA in 3Q. Unsustainable. Down the stretch, would like to see: ** Lockdown D ** Minimized turnovers (only 2 in 3Q, better!) ** Consistently finish defensive possessions by rebounding misses

3rd Quarter To my eyes, Walter does a great job establishing position early. Whistle has been silly tonight, so I have zero expectations

Halftime Takeaways It hasn't felt like the Hornets have really threatened at all tonight...but the lead is only six at the half. Raptors shooting cooled off somewhat, and five 2Q turnovers is a killer With the way TOR is shooting, if they had five extra possessions, they would probably be up by 15

2nd Quarter Hate to say it, but Agbaji hasn't been an NBA player this year. Before last season, I thought he was on his way out of the NBA. He went out and was one of the true bright spots on the team, a legit 3andD stud Haven't seen any of that this year. Winning plays have vanished on both ends

Does this 14-2 start, to force a timeout, count as taking control early?

1st Quarter I do not care for the uniforms being worn by CHA tonight. The Hornets have cool logos and colour schemes, this is just silly. I'm not a shoe/uniform guy in general but there is just no reason for CHA to be wearing Phoenix Suns colours

Raptors @ Hornets Nov 29, 2025 These teams met in Canada recently: Raptors were sloppy with the ball all game and needed 2 blocks in the last 10 seconds to preserve the W With 3 days prep, I would like to see them limit turnovers much better tonight, and take control against a lesser team early

A couple years ago, I was coaching my daughter's team at a tournament. We watched a player on another team fall and hit her head on the ground much, much harder than Gradey did. Her mother and coach came out on the floor, and they decided for her to continue playing.

Final Takeaways Hard to complain about a W, so I'll try not to. They win a game they were supposed to win in a rock fight, setting up the most significant home game in Toronto since they lost game 6 at home to the 76ers in round 1 of the 2022 playoffs (having pushed the series from 3-0 to 3-2)

4th Quarter What I'm looking for down the stretch: Can TOR limit their turnovers? Will they get Pascal into foul trouble? Who will Darko prioritize in his closing lineup? And most importantly, are we going to see a killer instinct here? Not an encouraging stretch as IND goes on a 13-2 run...

3rd Quarter Obviously a whole different game here. Siakam has been playing with four fouls for some time now; It would be great to see them aggressively target him, especially if this amazing run slows

Re: Carlisle sticking with Pascal at the end of 2Q. As I think about it more, I am really surprised by this choice, particularly considering how crucial he is to their success

this team sure does know how to close the fuck out of a quarter

2nd Quarter It's weird seeing the Raptors play like this. Slooped shoulders, half-efforts, flailing and hoping for calls they don't deserve. IND playing with energy and ferocity. Already in 2Q, layup and1, force Scottie into a prayer of of miss, get offensive rebound into Spicy P spin cycle.

1st Quarter Definitely a flat start for the Raptors here. IND is playing with better energy, which bears out in getting/making open shots, forcing two turnovers in 4+ minutes, and threatening the BONUS quickly. Good timeout from Darko to try to spark some urgency.

It is remarkable that the Pistons are in this game considering the three point discrepancy BOS with a +27 point advantage from three, shooting 47% (DET shooting 31%)

Pascal shot 14 free throws on Monday vs DET. I would guess that CMB is getting the Pascal assignment (he may alternate with Scottie), but I could foresee Pascal taking advantage of that and getting to the charity stripe regularly.

Pacers @ Raptors Nov 26, 2025 Some random thoughts I've been having today as we await tipoff ** Regarding this game, it's another potential trap game for the Raptors. The Pacers are a proud group who played in the Finals just months ago, and Rick Carlisle is a genius of a coach.

Final Takeaways After Donovan Mitchell sank two threes in a row and forced a TOR timeout, the Cavs possessions: TO, miss, miss, TO, miss, miss, miss Raptors milked the shot clock a few times and locked in on both ends. Tidy work finishing the job.

4th Quarter With Spida seeming like he is finding his stroke, they can't afford to bleed points with him on the bench. A turnover, two missed jumpers and a 4-0 Cavs run since Spida hit the pine. This timeout is meant to refocus the guys to go for the jugular urgently.

I'm an avowed believer that Gradey can be much more than he has shown, but one could very reasonably argue that this widespread perception makes him a trade candidate, perhaps as sweetener in a deal for a star. Like, IF they wanted LaMelo, maybe RJ and Gradey gets them most of the way there?

If this is a foul on Gradey, it is wildly generous to call it continuation

At what point does the league stop treating Gradey Dick like a 40% shooter?

Illustrating how backbreaking turnovers can be Raptors are cruising, force a miss wurg a chance to push the lead to double digits. IQ tosses a risky pass, leads to a three the other way. Cavs are energized, strip BI and roll for an easy transition dunk and Raptors timeout Totally different game

First Half Takeaways Great finish on a 13-2 run to shift the first half narrative. Maybe this can boost their play after halftime.