The Toronto Raptors are one of the league’s hottest teams as the NBA goes into its second month of play.
The Raptors have won 11 of their last 12 games, but that only gets them to No. 9 in NBA.com writer John Schuhmann’s latest power rankings.
“The Raptors are the only team to have clinched a spot in the Emirates NBA Cup quarterfinals, and they’re now in second place in the Eastern Conference with a seven-game winning streak,” Schuhmann wrote.
“The Raptors are 2-0 against the Cavs, though Cleveland was without three starters (including Donovan Mitchell) in the first meeting and playing the second game of a back-to-back in the second. Both teams will be playing the second game of a back-to-back when they meet in Toronto on Monday.”
Raptors should be higher in power rankings
The teams sitting ahead of the Raptors in the power rankings are the San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets.
The Raptors have better records than the Spurs, Suns and Cavaliers (whom they beat twice). Yet, the Raptors are still No. 9 in the power rankings.
There’s not much more the Raptors can do to move up in the power rankings because they are still viewed as a surprise team at this point in the season. They have to continue winning more if they want to be higher in the power rankings.
The Raptors are moving up in the power rankings thanks to considerable improvements from a year ago.
“The Raptors have won 11 of their last 12 games, and they avenged the one loss in Philadelphia on Wednesday. They have the best record (5-1) in games played between the 10 Eastern Conference teams that currently have winning records, having allowed just 110.2 points per 100 possessions over those six games. Last season, they were 3-19 against the six East teams that finished over .500,” Schuhmann wrote.
“The Raptors remain a relatively low-volume 3-point shooting team, with only 36.6% of their shots (the league’s fourth-lowest rate) having come from beyond the arc. But they’ve shot 44.6% from deep over their last four games and have seen the league’s third biggest jump in 3-point percentage from last season. Scottie Barnes’ 41.4% is up from just 30% over his first four years.”
The Raptors will get another crack at the Cavs before playing the Indiana Pacers, Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks later in the week.
