Raptors Power Rankings Signal Potential Downward Spiral

"The Raptors are 1-2 on their five-game trip, and they got clobbered in Phoenix on Sunday. But they’re still holding onto fifth place in the East, and easier games lie ahead," Schuhmann wrote.

"Their most important remaining game could be Sunday against the Magic, one of three teams that are just a game behind the Raptors in the loss column. That will be for the head-to-head tie-breaker, with both of the previous meetings having been within five points in the last five minutes."

The Athletic, Law Murray (13, down 1)

"The Raptors showed up in Phoenix to play their fourth game in a fourth different time zone. They were obliterated through one quarter of play against a team they handled right before their Time Zone Week," Murray wrote.

"The biggest shift in the rotation from Week 1 to now involves Ja’Kobe Walter passing 2023 lottery pick Gradey Dick in the pecking order; trading Agbaji hasn’t opened up much more playing time for Dick or Jamison Battle."

USA Today, Clemente Almanza (12, up 5)

"Some pretty good recent work done by the Raptors. They've won three of their last five games. They had an easy win over the Bulls before barely losing to the Nuggets," Almanza wrote.

"At this point, Toronto is what it is. The defense is the real deal. The offense, on the other hand, isn't equipped to make a serious playoff run. Brandon Ingram and RJ Barrett are nice pieces, but if they're your most talented scorers, then that severely limits your ceiling. But hey, credit them for squeezing the most juice they can out of this weird roster."

Overview

The Raptors started their road trip off on the right foot after beating the Chicago Bulls, but they have not been able to maintain that success now that they have traveled to the West Coast. Losing to the Suns by 22 points is definitely cause for concern because the Raptors went into the game as a favorite. Unfortunately, they showed the wrong side of the coin when it comes to their offence.

At this point in the season, the Raptors are a true mixed bag. The team has shown that it can be successful even against some of the best teams in the league, but it also isn't a consistent enough team to truly be a contender. With the Eastern Conference so jumbled up between 5th and 10th place, it's hard to tell exactly where the Raptors will end up.

The Raptors' season will truly come down to these final three weeks where they play 12 games to close out the year. They will finish their road trip against the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers before returning home for a pair of games against the New Orleans Pelicans and Orlando Magic which could be the most important home game left on the schedule.

They will close out the month of March against the Detroit Pistons who are hoping to cling on to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. While there are still some winnable games against the Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets, the team also has to face the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and New York Knicks, all of whom are still fighting for playoff positioning.

The Raptors have gone through peaks and valleys all season long. But they will need to climb their way up to a peak before the season ends if they want to avoid the Play-In tournament.

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