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Toronto – With the Toronto Raptors turning to playoff spots at the end of the season, the team’s focus has shifted toward development.
But the Raptors beat the Charlotte Hornets 108-97 in a third straight win, suggesting that development is not only for rookies and sophomores.
The trio of Jakob Poeltl, Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley made up the Raptors’ latest win and offered a level of optimism that the team might be playing more meaningful games a year from now on.
“It’s great to see how hard they work … and how they connect, how they communicate with each other and how they support each other,” said head coach Darko Rajakovic. “It’s a big deal for me. For me, it all starts with playing hard, it’s all about having a good team chemistry, and it’s something I’m very proud of in this team.”
Austrian ninth-year center Poeltl led the Raptors with 24 points and added 12 rebounds to complete the doubles.
Barnes is a fourth-year forward and an All-Star, contributing 18 points, six rebounds and six assists. Last season, OG Anunoby traded 19 points and nine assistants from fifth-year guard Immanuel Quickley, acquired by the New York Knicks.
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Poeltl said with all three players next season contracts that their recent games, including the current three-game winning streak, and two more wins in early March, are crucial to future success.
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“It’s a big deal for building chemistry,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll get more representation in the last few games of the season. I think it shows that we’re doing this all year round and we can test more and more now.”
With NBA No. 7, the forward-looking Raptors have a 32% chance to win the best option in the NBA draft on May 12.
But Toronto is almost locked in this position, 3.5 games better than the Philadelphia 76ers, but four games away from the 22nd-ranked San Antonio Spurs, with only nine games left in the planned game.
The Raptors faced the Sixers on Sunday as they tried to win four straight wins. This will mark a scan of the bottom feed, with the addition of the Brooklyn Nets (23-50) and the Washington Wizards (16-57), now winning.
So at this point, with the lottery ball seemingly already solved, the best thing many of Ronto can do is aimed at building the foundation for victory next season.
Take a step? Prior to Friday’s action, the Raptors’ defensive efficiency (scoring per 100 games allowed) ranked the highest in the NBA.
Rajakovic once again attributed the team’s defense in his victory over Charlotte, with particular reference to Barnes, who beat Hornets forward Miles Bridges to 20 shots.
“We have a lot of stretches there,” Rajakovic said. “Overall, the team has performed well in defense.”
Poeltl said Rajakovic’s defensive system is unique in the NBA and therefore takes more time to be perfect.
“The idea is that you did it long enough that we were really comfortable,” he said. “Then we could put the team in a uncomfortable situation and I think that has started to show.
“We were able to put a lot of pressure on men and force them to make mistakes, which was great for us. It brought us forward, and it made us run offensively.”
The Raptors recorded nine steals against the Hornets while making only six turnovers.
In the fourth quarter, Jamal Shead forced the Hornets to break the eight-second backcourt to win the celebration from the bench in Toronto.
Ideally, these types of drama happen more frequently for the Raptors and make more sense next season.
“We’re not done yet, but I think we’re really pretty good about putting in these stretches,” Poeltl said.
“Now is taking it to the next step against better opponents, what’s going on throughout the season, and hopefully the outcome will follow.”
This report by Canadian media was first released on March 28, 2025.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
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