The Toronto Raptors lost some important ground with their win over the Washington Wizards on March 24.
The Raptors defeated the Wizards 112-104, while the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets both lost.
The Raptors are now 2 full games back of both teams in the reverse standings for the 5th best lottery odds.
With only 10 games left this season, it will be tough for the Raptors to move on up in the tankathon.
The Raptors do have an important matchup coming against up against the Nets on March 26 and then they play the 76ers on March 30. If the Raptors win both of those games they will virtually be locked into the 7th best lottery odds ahead of the draft lottery.
The Raptors’ unwillingness to fully commit to the tank may have cost them a top-5 pick. The team has actually played .500 basketball since the new year, going 17-16 since Jan. 13. Also, the Raptors continue to play their starters in a good amount of minutes and refuse to shut anyone down.
Jakob Poeltl for instance dominated the Wizards putting up 26 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes. Scottie Barnes logged 28 minutes and nearly notched a triple-double of 13 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. While Immanuel Quickley scored 21 points to go along with 7 assists in 26 minutes. That production was enough to beat the lowly Wizards.
If the Raptors were serious about tanking, they would consider not playing their starters game-to-game or even shut them down in the second-half. They often play their starters early in the fourth quarter. However, the biggest setback has been playing Scottie Barnes game-to-game. Of course, the Raptors don’t want to be the ones who eliminate him from All-NBA contention (he needs to play 65 games minimum), but it’s highly unlikely Barnes will get those honors anyway.
The Raptors have had a half in, half out approach with their tanking strategy and as a result they might wind up with the no. 7 pick or worse. A disappointing result, considering where they were positioned not too long ago.
Poeltl and Quickley help Raptors snap skid with 112-104 win over Wizards
Jakob Poeltl posted 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Immanuel Quickley matched him with 21 points and added 7 assists to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 112-104 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday night, halting a four-game losing streak.
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