The last time I wrote one of these game previews, the Toronto Raptors were coming off their second win in a row, and their fifth victory in their previous eight games. The team was on the verge of their first pizza party of the season and, to be transparent, I thought they were turning a corner.
Instead, they lost their next game by 37 at home to the Oklahoma City Thunder. And they lost the four games that followed. To make matters worse, Scottie Barnes sustained a sprained ankle and was stuck in a walking boot for about a week.