A pattern emerges in Raptors losses, as do bright spots in LA

Sometimes, a loss is a miserable situation that gets called a learning experience to save face. But watching this game against the Lakers, I was, at times, genuinely heartened by the product that I saw on the floor. The result? Less heartening, that is for sure, but there’s a lot to learn from this November 1st 131-125 game.

For one: the Raptors seemed willing to shoot threes, and make up for any inaccuracy with their rebounding and interior presence. And while they weren’t always making them, it was nice to see, and helped them get back into the game, especially with Luka Dončić on the bench.

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Poetry in motion

With the Magic-man out, the Raptors looked not only in control, but confident, even without Jakob Poeltl on the floor. Poeltl’s absence meant a start from Trayce Jackson-Davis, who, despite sharing the job with Collin Murray-Boyles, looked good on the floor there in some limited minutes. The Bench Mob 2.0 came in during garbage time that didn’t feel quite like garbage time: the Lakers put their starters back in during a two possession game, giving the reserves some valuable experience, punctuated by a Jamison Battle three, and an Allen Graves steal.

Both Darko Rajaković and Scottie Barnes got technical fouls tonight, a reality that showcases a Raptors team willing to fight for its position. While less than ideal in a big matchup, getting some of this energy out early helps to set the tone for the season. Speaking of that-

Scottie Barnes still looks fantastic, and had a great offensive game, posting stats of 29-6-5 along with two steals. He got 13 free throw attempts, drawing a lot of contact and getting the foul calls that his driving would warrant, even though he only made seven of those shots: less than ideal. Still, the player he is developing into is absolutely fantastic, capable of carrying the responsibility of a number-one offensive option, even though he’s perhaps better suited to the place of a secondary or tertiary scorer.

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RJ Barrett looked great, as usual, with a hyper-efficient 22 point night, that was marred only by the complete lack of free throws attempted. Adding…

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Publish date : 2026-11-02 05:44:00

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