The Toronto Raptors Are ROLLING…

The Toronto Raptors Are ROLLING…

The Toronto Raptors are starting to get it just right. I mean, this is a team that got off to a horrendous one and four start. It’s funny, in my last Raptors video, it was a reaction to their opening game win against the Hawks. And then from there, they dropped four games in a row and it looked like this team was truly headed downhill. But then they completely turned things around. The Raptors have locked in to win three games in a row. And yeah, they beat the Cavaliers who are missing some key players. Yeah, they beat the Grizzlies on Sunday who were missing John Moran. So, this game against the Bucks was going to be a pretty big deal and a pretty interesting measuring stick for the Raptors. I know the Bucks were on the second ever backtoback. They’re coming off a gamewinning shot by Giannis against the Pacers. But nonetheless, the Bucks have been a solid team this season. And guess what the Raptors did on their home floor? They took care of business convincingly. Yes, this was total domination. They absolutely destroyed the Bucks. It was a start to finish type of performance by the Raptors who blow out the Bucks 128 to 100 as this team is starting to build momentum. This team continues to roll and it was big that they got these three wins in a row because the Raptors are about to head on the road for a fivegame road trip. So, we’re going to talk about the latest from the Raptors over this little mini win streak. Do me a solid guys. Drop a like on the video. Subscribe to the channel if you are new for more Raptors and NBA content just like this. It was truly an impressive performance. I mean the Bucks, they were healthy even though they were on the second night of a backtoback. Again, a really good team and Giannis was playing like the MVP. And the Raptors, they held Giannis to his lowest point total of the season of 22 points. And this team has just been very good offensively as they’re now sixth in offensive rating. And even defensively, they’re starting to get better, right? After giving up so many points to begin the season, the Raptors have kind of, you know, held their own a bit, if you will, with their defense. They give up 100 to the Bucks here, a team that is no stranger to putting up a ton of points. 101 going back to that Cavs game and 104 to the Grizzlies. And you look at the story in this one. Scotty Barnes continues to be very, very good on both ends. I mean, he’s playing like an all-star right now. We got to give him his credit, right? This is a guy who has really turned up his game a notch. And he is playing phenomenally well to begin this season. He had 23 points, six assists, four steals, two blocks. First Raptor with those numbers in a game since Vince Carter. And Barnes over his last two games, guys. Five steals and seven blocks. So, he is just dominating on both ends, like I said, and over his last four games averaging 21.8 points, 7 1/2 rebounds, 5 1/2 assists, 2.3 blocks, two steals per game on 50.7% shooting from the field, 45.8% shooting from threes. So, again, that three ball is starting to, you know, trend up for Barnes. And if that happens, that is just going to add another dynamic element to his game. So, that’s definitely great to see. How about RJ Barrett consistently putting up 20 point performances and he’s doing it very efficiently. I mean, he had 23 points on 12 shots and 20 plus points in six of his eight games and he shot at at least 50% in seven of eight of them. So, that is the type of efficiency that cannot be dismissed. Like, he is truly hit another gear right now with the Raptors. And this was a Raptors team in this one that were led by RJ Barrett and Scotty Barnes and Brandon Ingram. He had a bit of a quiet game in this one. But you look at the Raptors big three and this really stands out to me and I actually posted this on X. They’re thriving right now. And remember, there was a huge debate going into the season. I had my doubts on whether or not this Raptors trio was going to be able to coexist just because of, you know, they play in similar areas and would their skill sets be able to complement each other or would there have been an overlap in that regard? But so far, it’s been so good. The Raptors got to be pleased with what they’ve seen from their big three because check this out. This is actually unbelievable. Right now, guys, the Raptors are the only NBA team with three players averaging 20 plus points per game. Yes, you heard that right. The only NBA team with three players averaging 20 plus points per game. Ingram’s at 21.1. Barnes at 20.9. Barrett is at 20.8. And the wins are following after the 1 and4 start. They’ve won three games in a row. So, this is really nice to see. And the Raptors offense has been very good. I mean, they just absolutely put a number on the Bucks. And again, the defense, which was atrocious to begin the season, is starting to get a little bit better. So, obviously still a long way to go, but it is nice to see this team progress over this last three game stretch. And if they can keep playing like this with their offense chugging at a high level, an efficient clip, and their defense makes it tough for their opponent, I mean, this is going to be a team that’s going to win a lot of ball games this season. As you look at the individual numbers from RJ Scotty and Brandon Ingram, they’re good. And again, what stands out is they’re putting up their numbers on efficiency. 55% from Bear from the field, 51% from Barnes from the field, and 54% from Ingram from the field. Not going to get too high just yet. Obviously, they got to show us more. But really nice turnaround. You got to feel good about how this team has been able to bounce back after that devastating one and four start and even in this one, right? Like it was the first time this season they took on the same opponent twice and you saw the adjustments that were made by Darko and it worked and the Raptors came prepared. They knew they had to beat a Bucks team that again was going to be tired back to back and instead of making this a game that they could have potentially lost, they made it a no doubt about them type of win. And that’s what they need to do. Good teams take advantage of situations like this when you’re going up against a good team that is going to be tired playing in two straight games. And you know, Yaka Purle returned to action after missing the past couple of games. He played 20 minutes, scored eight points, grabbing nine rebounds. Can him and Emanuel Quickley just be better? That’s what it comes down to. Like right now, the Raptor’s top players are playing like their top players. Clearly, these are the three best players on their team when talking about Ingram, Barnes, Barrett. Can Purle now find his footing from a season ago when he had that dominant stretch? And Emanuel Quickley continues to be the big issue, if you will. Like, he’s got to play a lot better, especially to justify the type of contract that the Raptors gave him. I know John Morant’s name has been floating up in a lot of rumors. I’m not interested in Morant. like let’s let’s let’s give this team the benefit of the doubt and you know see if they you know Emanuel Quickley can wake up and such before contemplating you know should this team go all in on a another star type player but right now it’s great to see a big three forming the Raptors defense playing a bit better and the offense being tough to stop and we’re seeing how good this team can be when they’re in sync and Barnes if he’s going to play like this. He’s going to be on the all defensive team and you could even make a case. He he could potentially be an allNBA guy if he keeps this type of pace off. Again, it’s still early. You don’t want to overreact too much, but it’s been nice to see the Raptors completely turn things around when it looked like they were headed the other way. So, we’ll see how they fare on this road trip. It’s going to be another big test for them. Five straight games on the road. They’re going to be taking on a couple of teams that are, you know, supposed to be in that playin playoff mix. So, we’ll see how they fare. But what have been some of your takeaways over this three-game stretch? Let me know your thoughts when it comes to the Raptors. Top three players playing really well to begin the season. Drop a like, subscribe to the channel if you aren’t new. That is it for me, Luke signing off. Thanks for watching. I will catch you all again in the next

The Toronto Raptors are figuring things out.

Follow Me:
X: https://twitter.com/lucarosano3
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucarosano
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@luca.rosano