The Toronto Raptors return to the Scotiabank Arena for the start of a five-game homestand with a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST on TSN.
A combination of poor shooting and defensive mishaps resulted in the Raptors dropping their last two games against the New York Knicks and the Charlotte Hornets. It’s the first time Toronto has dropped consecutive games since Oct. 24-29.
Outside of this contest being the first meeting between the Raptors and the Trail Blazers this season, here are three more storylines to consider:
With the Raptors hosting an NBA Cup game against the Knicks on Dec. 9, the upcoming stretch will be the first of three five-game homestands this season. The Raptors are 7-2 at home this year. Only four teams (three in the Eastern Conference) have played fewer home games than Toronto this season.
At 7-2, the Raptors have the sixth-best home record in the NBA and the third-best in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors haven’t finished with a winning home record since the 2022-23 season, during which they went 27-14 on home soil.
The Raptors’ home and away splits are fairly comparable despite the difference in the home-win loss columns. If there’s one noticeable thing the Raptors do better in front of their fans, it’s shooting the three-ball. On their home court, the Raptors are shooting 39.7 per cent on 31.9 attempts per game. On the road, the efficiency drops to 33.9 per cent on 32.3 attempts.
For the second straight year, Portland is 8-12 through the first 20 games of the season. While the Trail Blazers are 3-7 in their last ten games, this stretch included opponents in the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and two games against the Oklahoma City Thunder. There’s enough competitive grit on the roster to suggest their identity lies somewhere in between the slump they’re in now and the team that started 4-2.
Their resurgence begins with Deni Avdija. In his second full season with the Blazers since being traded by the Washington Wizards, Avdija is an early candidate for the Most Improved Player award. Avdija finished with 31 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Thunder’s elite defence in their last game on Nov. 30. It was his second triple-double of the year, which already matches his total from last season. Avdija is putting up career-highs in points (25.8), assists (5.8), rebounds (7.1), field goal percentage (47.6), and three-point percentage (37.8).
After only playing 67 games in his rookie season last year, centre Donovan Clingan had his perfect season snapped when he missed his first game against the Thunder. Now that he’s starting every night, the seven-foot-two big sophomore is figuring out the league. Clingan is one of nine players currently averaging a double-double.
Clingan is dealing with an illness that appears to be spreading through the NBA, but if he is available, the Raptors will need to check their own injury report. Jakob Poeltl missed the previous game against the Knicks due to load management for his back injury. Anything back or knee-related isn’t ideal for centres, especially for a Raptors team that doesn’t have true big man depth behind Poeltl.
The Raptors are 3-3 without Poeltl and look considerably outmatched against teams with serviceable bigs. Poeltl’s absence takes Scottie Barnes away from what he does best schematically on the defensive end. It also forces Barnes to exert energy and foul capital on the opposing big man.
The Raptors are also 7-0 when Poeltl scores at least 10 points.
