#21
TORONTO RAPTORS
Last Week:25↑
Record: 15-21
OffRtg: 115.1 (16) DefRtg: 115.6 (18) NetRtg: -0.5 (19) Pace: 99.4 (17)
The Raptors-Knicks trade remains a win-win transaction, as the two teams are a combined 7-1 since the deal. The Raptors have the one loss, but it went down to the wire (after they trailed by as many as 23 points) in Sacramento on Friday.
The Raptors have scored 123.6 points per 100 possessions over their four games with Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. That’s the league’s third-best mark in January and their best four-game stretch of offense this season.
Pascal Siakam has the highest true shooting percentage (73%) among 55 players with at least 50 field goal attempts this month, but his 23.5 points per game over the four games is actually down a little from his average of 24.8 in December. Five other Raptors (including a nearly as efficient Barrett) have averaged at least 12.3 points over the four games.
Three of the four January games have been within five points in the last five minutes and Quickley’s clutch usage rate over those three games (41.4%) is nearly double that of any other Raptor. He’s shot just 2-for-10 on clutch shots with his new team, missing two 3s for the tie in the closing seconds of their loss in Sacramento. The Raps have scored just 23 points on 27 clutch possessions, but just needed a couple of stops after seeing a 20-point lead cut to five in Memphis two nights earlier.
The Raptors’ six-game trip continues with a Tuesday-Wednesday back-to-back in L.A., and they’ll be at a rest disadvantage against the Clippers. They’re 1-4 in rest-disadvantage games thus far, with losses to the Jazz and Pistons included.
Week 12: @ LAL, @ LAC, @ UTA
https://www.nba.com/news/power-rankings-2023-24-week-12
