Raptors continue search for consistency after Jeckyll-and-Hyde win

It was around this time last season that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander not only dropped one of the coldest bars we’ve heard in a post-game interview but also revealed the secret to his ascension.

“My whole life is consistent,” is what the would-be MVP said right after scoring over 30 points for the 47th time last year, when asked how he was able to do it so routinely.

While it’s hardly a complex statement, it’s an important one for players and teams looking to make the same kind of leap Gilgeous-Alexander did. Going from good to great.

Fellow Canadian RJ Barrett echoed that same sentiment on Saturday’s broadcast of the Toronto Raptors‘ 134-125 win over the Washington Wizards, when he said consistency was necessary for his team in their pursuit of that next gear.

Being able to put together quality efforts for full 48-minute games, as many times as possible through 82 games in a season, is what separates the upper-echelon of the league from the teams below that get passed by. Such are the thin margins that filter the contenders from the pretenders.

After the Raptors had lost back-to-back games against Western Conference heavyweights earlier, despite being in a position to win both those games, it seemed more and more difficult to keep them out of the latter group. The markers of a quality team have clearly been there, but the lack of consistency remains a problem that Darko Rajakovic’s young group has yet to solve.

Toronto’s road victory over Washington, while deserving of merit given it required coming back from down 13 points in the first quarter, was exactly the Jekyll-and-Hyde outing that explains why the Raptors hold a 4-15 record against top 10 teams this season — a challenge they won’t be able to hide from should they make the playoffs.

Still, while not ideal to trail double-digits against the 13th-seed in the Eastern Conference, going through those ups-and-downs while winning is undoubtedly a more preferred experience. Especially when it extends the Raptors’ lead over the Philadelphia 76ers in the standings, which is now at 1.5 games as they cling to the fifth seed.

As for Saturday’s game in Washington, after losing the opening frame by eight points, largely due to the Wizards’ unexpected production from beyond the arc (7-of-13 in the first quarter), the Raptors were plus-19 the rest of the way. The Raptors leaned on their sixth-ranked defence to turn things around, forcing 14 turnovers for 20 points to help finish plus-13 on the fastbreak and plus-12 in the paint.

Toronto flipped the script in the second half, specifically, thanks to that defence-into-offence approach, shooting 71.4 per cent from the field to Washington’s 47.9 per cent (and as low as 33.3 per cent in the third), compared to a 48.8 per cent versus 60 per cent through the first and second quarters.

It is worth mentioning, however, that while the Raptors certainly did their part (all five starters finished with at least 18 points), the Wizards undoubtedly did as well thanks to some lineup shenanigans. Washington’s first five each played fewer than 10 minutes in the second half, as the organization clearly has its eyes set on winning the draft lottery in May as opposed to games in February.

Regardless of how it happened, the Raptors are back to 10 games above .500 as they return to Toronto in preparation for another measuring-stick contest against the New York Knicks. If there were ever a time to find the type of consistency they’ve been in search of all season, the same kind that led SGA and his Thunder to a title last year, it’s Tuesday when Jalen Brunson and Co. come to town.

Point guard and centre harmony

It’s no secret that one of the unfortunate byproducts of Jakob Poeltl‘s lingering back issue has been the negative impact on Immanuel Quickley. The shifty off-guard turned floor general has always been at his best — more efficient across the board —next to his bruising big man, taking advantage of the space often created by Poeltl’s screen-setting.

On Saturday, the pair reached a level of synchronicity we’d yet to see much of this season. They first connected on a slick baseline out-of-bounds play when Quickley dumped it in to his big man, chased his pass and shielded himself from the contesting arms of Bilal Coulibaly by curling behind all seven-foot-one of Poeltl to get the shot off. Quickley later found Poeltl in transition to return the favour, faking a pull-up triple and then zipping the ball inside to the big Austrian for an easy basket right at the rim.

The Raptors’ starting point guard finished with 11 assists to go with his team-high 27 points, and while only three of those went to Poeltl, a couple more were generated thanks to his screens, allowing Quickley to get deep into the paint and kick out passes into quality shots. Four of Quickley’s helpers came on made threes, all of which were necessary considering the Raptors were minus-seven from distance.

As for Poeltl, he finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and a block on 7-of-7 shooting, which deservedly earned him the Raptors’ Player of the Game chain awarded by Rajakovic after each win.

How hurt is Scottie Barnes?

One of the subplots coming out of Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs was the health of the Raptors’ star forward, who Rajakovic said had played “on one leg” in that loss. The two-time all-star had taken a knock to his lower-body in the fourth quarter against the Thunder the game before, and while toughing it out against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, Barnes was limited to just 15 points in 31 minutes, both below his season averages.

And on Saturday, Barnes continued to look less spry than his usual self. The 24-year-old did turn things around in the second half, putting up 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting — against the B-team Wizards — after scoring just two points in the first 24 minutes, but it was more about how he looked than how he played.

On the defensive end, Barnes wasn’t flying around like he’d done so often this season, nor was he jumping out to contest shots on the perimeter with the same oomph. He ended up with just one steal and zero blocks, in stark contrast to the 2.0 steals and 2.7 blocks Barnes had been averaging over his last five games entering Saturday. His quiet defensive night also snapped a streak of five consecutive games for him with at least one steal and one block.

As for his offensive game, it was promising to see Barnes run the floor midway in the fourth quarter to flush down a dunk off an outlet pass, but it came moments after he barely got off the floor when reaching out to catch an overhead dime from Quickley. Beyond those two baskets up close, he largely settled for shots outside the restricted area, which accounted for over half his attempts (and makes). Barnes also briefly subbed out in the third quarter, visibly wincing while getting attention from team trainers on the sideline. He ended up with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting to go with four rebounds and four assists to finish plus-three, the lowest of all five starters.

Canadian rookie Will Riley finding his footing

While the Blake Murphys of the world have been fond of Will Riley for some time, the Canadian rookie has steadily been finding his footing in the NBA. It has helped that the Wizards have kicked their efforts to collect ping pong balls into overdrive, bumping his minutes from 16.6 to 23.3 a night, but the 20-year-old has also done his part along the way.

In six games post-all-star break, Riley is averaging 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 52.8 per cent from the field. All of which are noticeable boosts from his 7.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists on 41.2 per cent in 45 games before the break. The Raptors saw Riley’s potential flash up close on Saturday as he finished with a team-high 19 points to go with four rebounds and three assists, while shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line.

He looked especially comfortable navigating in and around the paint, showcasing a variety of crafty finishes, including floaters, up-and-unders and even a baby-hook over Trayce Jackson-Davis in garbage time.

Rowan Barrett and the Canadian men’s senior team have plenty of decisions to make ahead of the 2027 FIBA World Cup and 2028 Olympics, but if Riley can continue his upward trajectory, he could push himself into those considerations.

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