Toronto Raptors' Schedule Breakdown and Record Predictions for December
Riding the high of their most successful start to a season in franchise history, the Toronto Raptors can only hope that the month of December brings as much good fortune as November has.
During the 2013-14 season, this team won as many as 11 games only in January (11-6). With 11 victories (12-2 overall) and three games to go before December rolls through, they should top that mark with ease.
No other team in the league has had a seven-game home stand like Toronto, which capped off its time at the Air Canada Centre with a 41-point win (124-83) over the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 21.
As the only team in the Eastern Conference ranking in the top 10 in both offensive (second at 110.0) and defensive efficiency (sixth at 99.1), it's hard to chalk up their success as merely a result of favorable scheduling. Their strength of schedule (-1.99) is 26th in the NBA, per Basketball-Reference.com.
Lou Williams was recently named NBA Player of the Week for games played Nov. 17-23, per NBA.com. In an interview with Tim Micallef of Sportsnet Fan 590 in Toronto, he discussed how he believes they've grown into a legitimate threat that more proven squads need to be fearful of.
"I think we're at that point," Williams said. "We had a conversation in the locker room just recently and I think we were like, 'I think we're for real.' Based on the mindset and how we go into games and how confident we are going into games...."
It's going to be difficult to maintain such a hot start with more teams placing a bullseye squarely on their back. With stiffer competition and more road games on the horizon, we should have a better understanding of what the Raptors are truly made of in the coming weeks.
Dec. 1 Through Dec. 7
1 of 5
Key matchup: Dec. 2 at Sacramento Kings (L)
It was the trade of Rudy Gay (along with Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray) to the Sacramento Kings last December that sparked the Raptors' epic turnaround and eventual postseason run.
After a 6-12 start, the team finished the year 42-22 after sending Gay packing. His departure freed up more opportunities for DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry in the offense, allowing one of the more highly-touted backcourts in the league to flourish.
One year later, the Kings look like they're ready to turn the corner. Gay is averaging a career high in points (21.1), rebounds (6.5) and assists (3.8), while DeMarcus Cousins is playing at an All-Star level.
The 24-year-old ranks fifth in scoring (23.2), first in rebounds (12.3) and second in double-doubles (10).
Head coach Dwane Casey will need to make stopping Cousins one of his top priorities as "Boogie" has a history of feasting on dinosaur meat. He averages more points against Toronto (22.9) than any other team.
The Raptors have lost two of their three meetings against Sacramento since the deal went down. They'll look to even things up before visiting Utah on the second night of a back-to-back.
DeRozan scored 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting as Toronto convincingly handled Gordon Hayward and company in a 111-93 beatdown on Nov. 25. Utah will be out for revenge as the action shifts to the EnergySolutions Arena.
Record: 2-1
Dec. 8 Through Dec. 14
2 of 5
Key matchup: Dec. 9 at Cleveland Cavaliers (L)
Rest of schedule: Dec. 8 vs. Denver Nuggets (W), Dec. 12 vs. Indiana Pacers (W), Dec. 14 at New York Knicks (W)
For the third time in 18 days, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers will find themselves squaring off with Canada's team.
After getting thoroughly manhandled for the final three quarters (89-59) by Toronto in a 110-93 thrashing on Nov. 23, James called out his team for folding in the face of pressure, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com.
"We're a very fragile team right now. Well, we were a fragile team from the beginning. Any little adversity hits us, we just shell up. That's something that will come with experience."
The four-time NBA Most Valuable Player is doing his best to lift his team out of obscurity, yet issues on the defensive end continue to be their downfall. They rank 21st in defensive rating (105.1) and 20th in points allowed (100.5).
Kevin Love is having a great deal of trouble incorporating himself into an offense that features two other All-Stars in James and Kyrie Irving. His 16.2 points and 9.8 rebounds on 40.4 percent shooting are an extreme drop-off from the 26.1 points and 12.5 rebounds on 45.7 percent shooting he put together in his final year with Minnesota.
If Cleveland can't cure what ails them by the time the Raptors come marching in, they could face a similar result to the massacre of Nov. 23.
Even with their issues, they'll present the toughest challenge in a four-game week against three other squads that also currently possess records below the .500 mark.
Record: 3-1
Dec. 15 Through Dec. 21
3 of 5
Key matchup: Dec. 17 vs. Brooklyn Nets (W)
Rest of schedule: Dec. 15 vs. Orlando Magic (W), Dec. 19 at Detroit Pistons (L), Dec. 21 vs. New York Knicks (W)
Being in the same division would have been enough of a reason to conjure up some sort of rivalry between the Raptors and Brooklyn Nets. A hard-fought, seven-game series that came down to one basket in the 2013-14 NBA playoffs is what added fuel to the fire.
Masai Ujiri's infamous pre-game speech to the people of "Jurassic Park" before Game 1 stirred the pot, antagonizing Brooklyn and giving them more of an incentive to put their opponents in their place.
It will be interesting to see what kind of reaction they get in their first game back north of the border. While Paul Pierce—the man who blocked Lowry's attempt at the end of Game 7—is off playing in Washington, the likes of Kevin Garnett, Deron Williams and Joe Johnson continue to wear black and white.
First-year head coach Lionel Hollins has been critical of starting center Brook Lopez for his failure to deliver in nearly all important facets of his game, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
“[He’s] the same Brook. He can score. He needs to be better defensively, he needs to be better rebounding, he needs to be better passing the ball to his teammates.’’
Anything else you forget to leave out, Lionel?
Lopez missed all but 17 games last season, including Brooklyn's playoff run. While he poses more of an interior threat offensively (averaging 17.9 points for his career) than backup Mason Plumlee, his porous defense and shaky rebounding numbers (he has failed to average more than seven rebounds in five of his seven seasons) shouldn't worry the Raptors too much.
The Detroit Pistons and their 44.7 boards (fourth) will be the ones giving Toronto fits on the glass on Dec. 19.
Record: 3-1
Dec. 22 Through Dec. 30
4 of 5
Key matchup: Dec. 22 at Chicago (L)
Rest of schedule: Dec. 27 at Los Angeles Clippers (L), Dec. 28 at Denver (W), Dec. 30 at Portland (L)
While this game won't be airing live on TNT like their previous encounter, that shouldn't downplay the importance of a matchup between two teams jockeying for position at the top of the conference.
The Bulls got the better of their first meeting in a 100-93 win on Nov. 14 at the ACC. Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah imposed their will in the paint, combining for 33 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists. They muscled their way to easy looks under the basket, using a combination of finesse and brute force en route to a dominating performance.
"The third quarter did us in," said Casey after his team got outscored 35-14 in the period, per Ian Harrison of the Associated Press. It was the first time all season where they had been held under 100 points for a game. That putrid third had a lot to do with it.
This might not even be the most problematic outing of the week, though. The Raptors will embark on their second Western Conference road trip of the year, playing three games in four nights.
In a five-game road trip that featured games against the Clippers, Nuggets and Blazers last year, only Denver came up short in their efforts against Toronto of those three squads.
History may repeat itself this go-around. Toronto hasn't defeated the Clippers on the road since 2009-10, while the Trail Blazers are unblemished at Moda Center since 2006-07.
Record: 1-3
December Recap
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Fans need to be realistic and come to terms with the fact that this team can't continue winning at the rate they are.
There are going to be setbacks. With one of the NBA's best records, teams are going to be gunning for them even harder.
They've set the bar so high for themselves that it's going to be next to impossible to keep their pace up for an entire 82-game slate.
This franchise has never won 50 games in a season. By all accounts, they'll reach that mark come April and break their previous record of 48 in 2013-14.
If a 6-12 start last season can result in 48 victories, a 12-2 start should easily crack the 50-win margin.
Is that good enough, though? Is regular-season glory enough to quench the thirst of the die-hards?
Absolutely not.
In the months to come, we'll continue watching a group of players who continue to shock the rest of the league with their cohesive play and exciting brand of basketball. Ultimately, we'll be judging this season based on how well they fare in the playoffs.
Victories over the likes of the Cavaliers, Clippers and Bulls will go a long way towards quieting skeptics.
The Raptors are for real. It's just a matter of filling in everyone else.
December record: 9-6
Christopher Walder is considered by many to be the "songbird of his generation" and the greatest center to have never played professional, collegiate, high school, house league or pickup basketball. His work has been published on Bleacher Report, SB Nation, Sports Illustrated, FanSided and several other online outlets. You may follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports.
All statistics, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of NBA.com/stats and Basketball-Reference.com
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