The year was 2022, and the Toronto Raptors were playing the Los Angeles Lakers on a cold, December night. After prevailing 126-113, the Raptors’ record was 13-12. That would be the last time that Toronto was above .500 and tonight marks their first opportunity to climb back into the black during their tumultuous season. For those counting, that’s 114 days of sub-optimal play in almost every way you could imagine.
And yet, here we are! Going 6-2 in their last eight games, Toronto is finally finding consistent ways to put the ball in the basket as they've scored over 110 points in all but their previous game against the Miami Heat.