TORONTO – Results like Toronto’s 104-101 comeback win over Golden State on Monday are a rare bright spot in a season that has been forgotten for the Raptors and can help build a foundation for a team that looks to the future.
It’s an approach that Golden State coach Steve Kerr knows well. He led a strong Warriors team for several years before suffering an uncharacteristic slump in 2019-20.
In some ways, it was a campaign that mirrored the Raptors’ current season. Injuries to famous players were serious, and the losing streak was prolonged.
The Warriors endured a 15-50 freefall that left them in the basement of the Western Conference. When things were going poorly, Kerr made it a point to try to maintain a strong team culture even as the losses piled up.
“If we can keep the culture of development, work and joy and not give up and get something out of difficult situations, it will be worth it,” he said in a pre-game availability.
Related videos
Golden State is scheduled to advance to the 2021 play-in round and win the championship next year. Kerr said several players went through a valley in 2019-20 before blossoming as the team became a contender again.
Get national news every day
Get the day’s top news, politics, economy and current affairs headlines delivered to your inbox once a day.
“I think that although we struggled that year, it paid off because we had young players like Jordan Poole (now with the Wizards) who gained valuable experience and really helped us win a lot of games and championships. Years later,” Kerr said.
“It was an important time for us, just trying to keep things moving forward.”
This is also a key period for the Raptors as they look to build around their young core anchored by Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, Gradey Dick and Immanuel Quickley.
Barnes led Toronto with 23 points Monday night. Montreal’s Chris Boucher scored 17 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter.
“We needed it,” Barnes said. “He won our game.”
Boucher dunked Ochai Agbaji with 39.8 seconds left, giving Toronto a three-point cushion. Golden State’s Buddy Hield attempted a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer but failed.
Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 26 points.
With this victory, Toronto’s five-game losing streak ended. This was the Raptors’ second win in 18 games.
Quickley, who had missed 22 games (right elbow) before returning on New Year’s Day, suffered a scratch due to pain in his left hip. This season he only played in 9 games.
“He’s disappointed that he can’t go out and continue his group work and play,” Toronto coach Darko Rajkovic said. “But hopefully this isn’t a long-term thing.”
The Raptors, who improved to 9-31, are on pace to do slightly better than the franchise’s worst-ever record of 16-66 in 1997-98.
If the poor record continues, it will at least lead to solid draft picks this spring. Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper are early bets to headline the 2025 NBA draft class.
Toronto entered the game with the third-worst record in the league. The draft lottery is set for May 12.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press