The Toronto Raptors defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 118-105 on Wednesday night.
This game had major draft lottery implications on the line. The Raptors entered the night with the 5th worst record in the NBA, with the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets right behind them.
However, after picking up the victory against the 76ers, the Raptors now have the 7th worst record in the league, falling two spots in the reverse standings.
The Raptors tried their best to “tank” as they sat out their core three of Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. Also, Jakob Poeltl, the lone Raptors regular starter for this one only logged 17 minutes.
Rookie Jamal Shead who has seen consistent playing time all season only logged 12 minutes. The Raptors got key contributions from its two-way players and 10-day contract players.
According to TSN’s Keerthika Uthayakumar, 104 of the Raptors’ 118 points were scored by undrafted players. That’s the most points undrafted players have scored in a game since at least 1951.
The Raptors did all they could to put themselves in a position to lose, but they still found a way to win. As a whole, the Raptors have been trending up. They have won 5 of their last 6 games and they are closer to the final play-in spot in the East than they are to a bottom-4 record.
There’s not much more the organization can do at this point if they continue to rest key starters.
Unfortunately for the Raptors what hurts them is they have the easiest remaining schedule in the league. At the beginning of the season the Raptors went through a rough patch and now their schedule has lightened up significantly, where their G League players are enough to win games.
Toronto finds itself in a tough spot, where they’re clearing trying to position themselves for the bottom, but they keep winning.
Raptors fans might have to accept the reality that this team might not get into the top-5 unless the lottery Gods are on their side.
Scottie Barnes joins elite company
Scottie Barnes is putting together a stellar season for the Toronto Raptors.
Despite the team’s lack of success this season, Barnes has been consistent, particularly on the defensive end.
Barnes is only one of two players this season who has reached 300+ assists, 70+ steals and 55+ blocks. The other player is MVP frontrunner and Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
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