Josh Lewenberg

On a much-needed Raptors win and what a resurgent RJ Barrett can do for the offence going into the stretch run:

At some point they’ll have to beat a good team, but there are a lot of bad/mid teams in the league (especially at this time of year). 13 of their final 19 games come against teams below them; they’re 32-10 vs those teams. Need to continue to win the games they’re supposed to.

The Raptors really needed this win, under the circumstances.

The circumstances: their hold on the 5th seed is becoming tenuous with MIA/ORL/PHI lurking, they had lost 4 of 5 games (all of them vs top-10 teams, who they continue to struggle against), and are @ Houston on Tuesday.

Barrett scored 20+ points 3 times in his first 12 games back from the ankle injury. Overall: 14.8 points on 40% FG, 31% 3P.

He's scored 20+ in each of the last 4 games. Overall: 24.3 points, 64% FG, 44% 3P.

Season-high 31 points (and counting) for RJ. His first 30+ point game since last March.

Raptors in transition tonight: 6-for-16

(Mavs are somehow 0-for-3, so... could be worse)

Remember when the Mavs traded Luka for Marvin Bagley III?

Watching this version of Klay Thompson is making me confront my own mortality and it's bumming me out.

The Raptors have really missed this version of Barrett. Their offence is much more dynamic with his ability to get into the paint/score off the dribble. Takes pressure off Ingram, who's been carrying a big workload on O (and is playing through a stomach flu). This is early-season RJ.

RJ Barrett looking more like RJ Barrett was one of the few positives to come from the losses to New York & Minnesota, and he's picking up where he left off. 16 points on 10 shots in 19 first-half mins, with the Raps up 13 on Dallas.

RJ over the last 2.5 games: 77 pts, 25-37 FG

It's a dislocated finger for Jackson-Davis, Raptors say.

RJ Barrett just became the 8th Canadian to reach 8,000 career points, joining Steve Nash, Andrew Wiggins, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, Rick Fox, Kelly Olynyk and Dillon Brooks.

The winning team in yesterday's Raptors media run scored 39 points in a 40-minute game (which was actually a lot better than I thought we'd do).

The Raptors just dropped 36 points in 12 first-quarter minutes. OK, they might be better at this.

The full Gradey experience, so far. He committed 3 fouls in 46 seconds, including a bad reach-in at the rim that led to an And-1. But he's hit all 3 of his shots, including a couple of tough layups through contact, and has 7 points in 4 minutes.

After being limited to garbage time over the last 4 games (which included 2 DNP-CDs), Gradey Dick gets in early today and immediately converts a tough layup in transition.

Trayce Jackson-Davis injured his right middle finger during pre-game warmups, so he's a late scratch. Not available today.

Flagg will make his Toronto debut but he'll be on a minutes restriction.

Cooper Flagg is still working his way back from the foot injury and remains questionable for what could be his first career game in Toronto. The Mavs will see how he feels after his pre-game warmup and make a call.

Brandon Ingram (listed as questionable with an illness) will play vs Dallas today.

An extra (honorary) media member in Scottie’s post-practice scrum

Raptors are 1.0 game up on Philly for 5th, with 7th-place Orlando & 8th-place Miami both 1.5 games back. The red-hot Hornets & Hawks are within 3.5 games. Raps should be able to avoid play-in, assuming they continue to take care of biz vs bad/mid teams, but East is getting tight.

The Raptors’ starting lineup was +14 in 2 games that the team lost by a combined 24 points.

The bench vs New York and Minnesota (pre-garbage time): 7-29 FG, 1-11 3P, 8 assists/8 turnovers, outscored 58-21

Shead: -38
Walter: -18
Mamu: -10

The Raptors are about to fall to 4-17 vs top-10 teams (1-17 if you subtract the games against the pre-Harden Cavs). They've lost 15 of their last 16.

They have 6 more games vs those teams.

Also one of Ingram's roughest games as a Raptor, btw.

This might be the worst game I've seen Jamal Shead play. -26 in a scoreless 13 minutes with 3 bad turnovers. Rough stuff for the generally steady soph.

Second straight game where the Raptors (and Brandon Ingram specifically) have been hit with an eight-second violation. Little room for error against teams like this and that was another unforced one.

Nice half for Barrett. Decisive off the dribble. Perfect from 3 (2-for-2) and from the line. Even more engaged defensively.

Strong defensive effort leading to O for the Raps. 19 points off turnovers. 9 points off the break. A half of runs. Wolves on top by 1 at the break.

That's the third time (by my count) that Poeltl has dove for a loose ball since his return, a sign that he's got that back injury under control.

The bench has been such a strength for the Raptors this season but, man, they've been bad lately.

Raptors with the starters on the floor over the last 5 quarters: +19 in 21 minutes

With all other lineups: -39 in 39 minutes

Scottie Barnes has hit his first couple 3-point attempts. This is the first time he's made multiple 3s in a game since Dec. 31 - a span of 24 games in which he shot 8-for-56 (14%) from distance.