Toronto Raptors suffer humiliating loss to end the year with their 11th straight loss

Coach Darko Rajakovic and his Toronto Raptors no-showed the 2nd half as they watched the Celtics shift gears.

Two teams went into this game unhappy with their recent play. Both teams discussed playing better defensively, with the coaches and players providing great sound bites by taking accountability. One team showed up and made a statement. The other team? The Raptors came out with a half-baked effort that resulted in another embarrassment, ending the calendar year with a 71-125, the team’s record losing margin in franchise history.

Scottie Barnes was the lone Raptor to hit double figures with 16 points. The last time this happened? Kevin O’Neal was still coaching the Raptors 20+ years ago, and the Raptors scored 56 points in that game. The Raptors were offensively challenged without RJ Barrett’s ability to score and put pressure on the opposing team’s defense, along with Gradey Dick’s perimeter shooting.

Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 23 points and eight boards, while Jaylen Brown had an off-night, putting up 12 points and nine boards. Derrick White stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, including 3-for-3 from behind the arc, four boards, three dimes, and four blocks.

The Raptors’ 25% perimeter shooting on 40 attempts feels rich, given how the game played out, while the Celtics were scorching hot with 51.2% on 43 attempts. That stat by itself is already a -36 discrepancy. What makes it worse is the Raptors’ inability to take care of the ball, coughing the ball up 21 times versus the Celtics’ 13 miscues.

The Raptors came into Bean Town with a promise of a sense of urgency and playing a much more committed defense, and they showed that for the first six minutes of the game. They tried to sustain the effort for the next 18 minutes, but some slippage reared its ugly head now and then.

The first half should have been a much closer game if not for the Raptors’ offense abandoning them to start the game, leading to 12 first-quarter points, and starting the game 0-for-14 from the perimeter. The Raptors found the net at a better rate in the second period, but defensive slippage and carelessness with the ball allowed the Celtics to start seeing the bottom of the net from the perimeter.

The Raptors held the “Jays” (Tatum and Brown) to 6-for-17 shooting, leading to 13 points, while also forcing five turnovers from them. Overall, they held the Celtics to 45 points in the first half, perhaps with the best defensive effort they have shown in ages, making it an excellent 1st half shift given how these past few games have played out. The 1st half inspired me with this Haiku:

Effort fills the air,

Defensive walls hold their ground,

Still, the scoreboard frowns.

Unfortunately, the 2nd half was a totally different story. The Celtics stepped on the gas, and we did not see the same sense of urgency, defensive commitment, and physicality they displayed in the 1st half. The 10-point deficit quickly hemorrhaged to 17, forcing coach Rajakovic to call for a timeout. The Raptors did not respond to coach Rajakovic’s timeout, and the Celtics made the three-point line their new layup line, pushing the lead to 26 points and forcing coach Rajakovic to call for time again just three minutes after his last timeout.

It got uglier and uglier, and the 26-point deficit became a 90-53 Celtics lead after three quarters, outscoring the Raptors 45-18 in the third frame. The fourth quarter was not any different, as the Raptors allowed the Celtics to build a 56-point lead. 56! There’s no fight in this team, even against the Celtics’ third stringers, leading to an embarrassing 71-125 loss to ring in the New Year with a thud.

The Raptors’ losing streak extends to 11 games, but hey, at least we are seeing a positive trend: the Raptors’ defensive presence.

Coach Rajakovic’s team has been on an 11-game losing streak, and the team’s “ethical tanking losses” have been non-existent over the past few games. They have turned in one forgettable performance after another, setting dubious records after another, with the only silver lining they make out of this embarrassing stretch being that they have allowed the fanbase to spend more time with their family and friends, as the games are typically over by the third period, if not earlier.

Coach Rajakovic talked about games like this as: “should be motivation for us to come out tomorrow and be extremely competitive.” but that line should have been applicable 5-7 losses ago. It’s easy to give the Raptors a pass for not having enough talent and scoring aptitude due to injuries; after all, coach Rajakovic ain’t the one putting the ball to the basket (that’s a conversation for another day), but the effort, sense of urgency, and discipline? We are nearly halfway through the season, and it’s hard to use injuries as an excuse when a team is constantly underperforming and still does not appear capable of showing those intangibles on a regular basis.

Instead of more rant, let’s finish the recap with another Haiku:

No hustle, no fight,

Court echoes their quiet fall,

Heartless games are lost.