Could a mini-surge change Raptors’ deadline approach? It shouldn’t.
A three-game winning streak.
Imagine. It’s taken the Toronto Raptors until the mid-point of the season to string together three wins. They managed the feat with flipside inveigling victory over the Charlotte Hornets, 124-114, to follow up on their solid effort versus them on Tuesday. They started the streak with a double-digit win over Portland on Sunday.
They have a endangerment to proffer their streak on Saturday versus Atlanta. A win there would requite Toronto an undefeated week and a 4-2 record in a hair-trigger six-game homestand. As it is, the Raptors are at least guaranteed a 3-3 mark, which looked unlikely when Toronto lost games versus Milwaukee and New York to start the six-game segment, the longest stretch of games at Scotiabank Arena this season.
It will be interesting to see how much a mini-surge affects Raptors management as the trade deadline approaches. If the Raptors – who improved to 19-24 – uncork putting together a run, will they still entertain trading some of their cadre players, if only to make sure they get some value for the likes of Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr., who can both be self-ruling teachers this coming summer?
Or will they sit back, hoping they can reservation lightning in a snifter like they did with their strong second half a year ago?
Let’s hope they don’t.
There is no arguing the Raptors have played well the past three games. They’ve been menacing on the wittiness defensively and they’ve played some of their weightier offence of the season, moving the wittiness quickly and with purpose, forcing the defence to wrench and taking wholesomeness when it cracks.
For at least a few days the clunky misses and the isolation-heavy wade in the halfcourt were a thing of the past.