Raptors Roundup: The power of Barrett, midrange wizardry, and the Comeback Kids
Welcome to Raptors Roundup! A weekly recap of everything going on in the world of the Toronto Raptors.
New year, new Raptors? If Saturday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks is a representation of the 2026 Raptors, then this is going to be an excellent year. Then again, that’s exactly what we said when the two teams matched up on opening night. It’s been the story of the Raptors this year, a different outlook after every game. The truth of the matter is the Raptors are a coin flip team. They can beat any team on a given night, but they can just as easily lose to any team on a given night too. Sometimes, they flip the coin in the middle of the game, like they did in the first game of the week.
Shead’s career night leads Raptors past Magic 107-106
Coming off an electric game against Golden State, the Raptors were DOA against the Magic. Desmond Bane had a picnic in the first half, literally. There was a possession where Bane slowly drifted out of the corner, caught the ball and not a single Raptor was within 10 feet of him. Paolo Banchero followed that by attacking the rim with no resistance. The common denominator? Brandon Ingram defended both possessions. His defense was really awful in this one, and his offense not much better.
By the halfway point of the second quarter the deficit had grown to 21. RJ Barrett was out on the second night of a back-to-back and yet he put up as much of a fight as any other player. Well… except for Gradey Dick, who was one of the few Raptors able to hit a shot. He ran the break, got to the free-throw line and nailed a couple of threes before inexplicably being benched the entire second half.
Jamal Shead seems to be one of the few Raptors who can change the tide of game on his own. He sparked the comeback in the second, and finished it in the fourth. His career night led the Raptors comeback effort alongside Collin Murray-Boyles, whose offensive rebounding gained valuable possessions in a low-scoring match. Ultimately, it was Scottie Barnes who clinched the win with free throws, but it was the comeback kids who got it started.
Top Performers:
- Jamal Shead – 19 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 1 BLK 8-15 FG, 3-6 3FG, 0-2 FT, +13 +/-
- Ja’Kobe Walter – 10 PTS, 7 REB, 0 AST, 2 STL, 2-6 FG, 1-4 3FG, 5-6 FT, -3 +/-
- Collin Murray-Boyles – 4 PTS, 12 REB, 2 AST, 2 BLK, 1-6 FG, 1-2 3FG, +18 +/-
The comeback that never was, Raptors lose to Nuggets 103-106
Just because you can make a comeback, it doesn’t mean you should. This was a game the Raptors never should have trailed in. In last week’s edition, I predicted that Jokić may drop 60 points against the Raptors and they would lose. I was right on one of those things, the Raptors did in fact lose. Jokić however did not even play, nor did three other starters. All the Nuggets needed was a kid from Kitchener and three quarters of a Jonas Valančiūnas revenge game to squeak out a win in Toronto.
It’s rare that the quartet of Immanuel Quickley, Barrett, Barnes, and Ingram play well (89 points combined) and the Raptors still lose. But when every other player combines to provide nearly nothing (14 points combined) then that’ll happen from time to time.
Even still, the Raptors had a real chance to win at the end. First, with about five seconds remaining it was Barrett who created space with a step back at the top of the arc, missing his three by mere millimetres. Then, Bruce Brown showed that he actually did love Toronto by missing both of his free throws. The second one landing in the hands of Barnes, who rocketed a pass to Ingram at the opposite three-point line. An absurd pass to make with only 2.7 seconds on the clock. It was nearly perfect, Ingram caught it with a bounce, turned, fired away. The ball hung in the air for what seemed like an eternity. It looked off, surely it was off. There was more anticipation for this ball to drop than any other that night. And then, it did, bouncing off the glass straight through the net. The crowd erupted, overtime was coming. Or was it? The refs reviewed the shot, Ingram hadn’t cut his fingernails in days, the ball was still touching when time expired. No basket. Happy New Year Toronto.
Top Performers:
- Brandon Ingram – 30 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST, 11-21 FG, 5-7 3FG, 3-4 FT, -4 +/-
- Scottie Barnes – 20 PTS, 14 REB, 10 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 7-14 FG, 2-4 3FG, 4-4 FT, +6 +/-
- RJ Barrett – 17 PTS, 6 REB, 3 AST, 7-13 FG, 1-4 3FG, 2-3 FT, +9 +/-
Raptors outlast Hawks in offensive frenzy, win 134-117
You know you’re playing a Trae Young-led team when you can put up 134 points without breaking a sweat. Wait? He didn’t play? Then how did the Raptors score 134 points? Well it was a couple things. Ingram had one of his most efficient games of the year, tallying 29 points on only 15 shots. Barrett also put out one of his season best performances, and then the role players actually came to play in this one too. Increasing their output from 14 points last game to 41 in this one.
This game was like watching a high level tennis match, nonstop back and forth action. Both teams running in transition, trading haymakers. Little defense was played. Toronto remembered that you can actually stop the opposing team from scoring. And so they did.
Toronto finally — finally! — ended the dizzying back and forth in the fourth quarter. And it managed the accomplishment despite facing some offensive struggles. The Hawks turned to a zone consistently to open the fourth quarter, and Toronto’s struggles with zones continued, despite their blistering first three quarters. Mamukelashvili and Quickley missed open triples. Yet the all-offence lineup that also included Gradey Dick, Barnes, and Barrett actually locked in on defence. The Raptors forced turnover after turnover, a 24-second violation, and even enjoyed Ingram swatting a late-clock attempt after multiple closeouts dissuaded 3-point attempts. And despite the half-court struggles, a Quickley layup here and a Barnes dunk there actually built the Raptors a double-digit lead.
Sandro Mamukelashvili deserves a ton of credit in this one as well, he posted a career-high 8 assists and nearly had a triple double. Mamukelashvili has shown incredible prowess as a playmaker, both initiating and connecting play. In transition he’s catching boards and pushing the ball, finding openings to score or pass. In the halfcourt he is quick to swing, and always finds the next pass in the short roll.
This was one of the few games where it felt like the entire team was on, and it shows that Toronto can be really dangerous when that happens. It’s something that seems to happen more with Barrett in the lineup. For more on Barrett and what he brings to this Raptors team, read this tremendous piece from Louis: RJ Barrett is the opposite of what you thought
Top Performers:
- Brandon Ingram – 29 PTS, 9 REB, 1 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK, 11-15 FG, 1-2 3FG, 6-6 FT, +8 +/-
- RJ Barrett – 29 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 11-19 FG, 4-8 3FG, 3-4 FT, +13 +/-
- Sandro Mamukelashvili – 13 PTS, 12 REB, 8 AST, 1 STL, 3 BLK 5-10 FG, 1-5 3FG, 2-2 FT, +27 +/-
Raptor of the Week: Brandon Ingram
The midrange artistry. The efficiency. The late game shot against Orlando. The shot that should have been against Denver. The Dirk Nowitzkiesque shot making against Atlanta. How could this award go to anyone but the Notorious B.I.3?
Ingram plays basketball like most people play basketball videogames. But he does it with the poise and polish that is rarely seen. This week Ingram averaged 25.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 stocks while shooting 50% from the field, 40% from three, and 86% from the free throw line.
Stat: Brandon Ingram’s game against Atlanta was his most efficient shooting night (82.2% true shooting) since becoming a Toronto Raptor, and his most efficient since 2024 when he dropped 41 points against the Raptors in less than 30 minutes played (95.6% true shooting).
Ingram had two of his best games of the season after a poor outing in Orlando which was more than enough to earn him the first unanimous Raptor of the Week award.
Current Raptor of the Week standings:
- Scottie Barnes – 4 times
- Brandon Ingram – 2 times
- Ja’Kobe Walter – 1 time
Looking Ahead
Monday, January 5th – Hawks @ Raptors | 7:30pm on TSN
Wednesday, January 7th – Raptors @ Hornets | 7:30pm on TSN
Friday, January 9th – Raptors @ Celtics | 7:30pm on Sportsnet
Sunday January 11th – 76ers @ Raptors | 6:00pm on Sportsnet
Record Prediction: 3-1 (Raptors seem to handle Hawks with relative ease, the Hornets have proven to be more of a challenge but I think Raps take that one as well. As much as I want to I don’t believe they beat Boston but then I think they bounce back against Philly on Sunday)
That’s it for another week of Raptors Roundup, thank you for reading! Have a wonderful week and new year!
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