TORONTO — Darko Rajakovic didn’t want to go jinx it.
“We’re not there yet,” he said when asked about what advancing to the knockout round of the NBA Cup could mean for a team that hasn’t played a meaningful basketball game — where losing actually had consequences — since he was hired before the 2023-24 season.
“When we get there, we’ll talk about it. Get there first.”
There wasn’t all that much doubt. The Toronto Raptors needed a win over the lowly Washington Wizards and a loss by the Indiana Pacers on Friday night to clinch their spot in the elimination round of the tournament.
The Pacers lost and the Raptors did their part with a fairly clinical 140-110 win over the visiting Wizards, who fell to 1-14 with the loss, leaving them in sole possession of the NBA’s worst record.
For the Raptors, it was their sixth straight win and 10th in their past 11 games, improving their record to 11-5 as they maintained their grip on second place in the Eastern Conference.
This was not exactly how the Raptors’ season was supposed to go.
Sportsbooks in Las Vegas pegged Toronto for 39.5 wins, which most likely would’ve put them fighting for a spot in the play-in tournament at the end of the season. Instead, they can quite rightly think about hosting a first-round playoff series, and maybe more.
And now that they’re in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup, they can acknowledge the benefits that moving ahead in the tournament might provide a young team still finding its competitive legs.
“I think it’s awesome,” Rajakovic said. “It’s going to be a different feeling for us because it’s going to be one game to decide are we going to the final four or not. Definitely, we do have ambition and desire to be there, so I’m really excited about the opportunity to play and our players are as well.”
Perhaps even more significant than whatever weight you want to put on the NBA Cup — and your mileage can vary — is that it’s proven to be a strong indicator of full-season success.
Of the 16 teams that have qualified for the knockout round (or quarterfinals) over the previous two iterations of the Cup, 13 have ended up advancing to the playoffs in April, with the three others getting to the play-in tournament.
Which is why playing important games against good teams could have an outsized impact for a team that is both young and short on collective post-season experience.
It’s not something the Raptors have done a lot of in recent seasons or ever this season.
The Raptors have benefited from their current surge by playing a lot of teams that have been either short-handed or short on talent — the Wizards being the latest example and the Raptors’ next opponent, the Brooklyn Nets (3-12), another.
The prospect of playing in a do-or-die game in December (the quarterfinals are scheduled for Dec. 9-10), not to mention the possibility of advancing to Las Vegas for the “Final Four,” represents a chance to level everything up.
It’s not the playoffs, but it’s not nothing.
“The physicality level goes so much higher (in the playoffs),” said Sandro Mamukelashvili, who had another brilliant game off the bench for the Raptors, with 23 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 21 minutes. “… when it’s those kinds of games, knockout games, you come in prepared, you learn the scout, you learn player characteristics, I think it’s definitely going to help this team out (in the future).”
The Raptors can’t be faulted in the slightest for how they’ve navigated their schedule in the present. Their effort against the Wizards was another example of them maintaining a consistent approach against an opponent it might otherwise be tempting to let down against.
The Raptors were a touch sloppy by their standards in the first half, but even with eight turnovers, some missed shots at the rim and a few straight-line drives surrendered, they led 57-47.
That was because their bread-and-butter — ball movement and ball pressure — didn’t take the night off, as their 15 assists on 21 made field goals and nine Wizards turnovers they forced early indicated.
And when they were completely locked in — Scottie Barnes especially — for the second half, the only question was how many points the Raptors were going to add to their point differential (they are now at +53 to go along with their 3-0 record in East Group A), as to factor into which seed the Raptors would earn in the quarterfinal round.
The Raptors blitzed the Wizards 48-30 in the 12 minutes after halftime, setting a franchise record for third-quarter scoring. Barnes led the charge, scoring 14 of his 23 points in that stretch, converting on 6-of-7 field goals, including both his three-point attempts, as Toronto took a 28-point lead into the fourth quarter and never relented.
RJ Barrett and Brandon Ingram led the Raptors with 24 points each, while Immanuel Quickley rounded out another productive night from the starters with 17 points and seven assists.
As has become the norm, the Raptors’ bench was prolific in its own way. Along with a big Mamukelashvili night, reserve point guard Jamal Shead had 10 assists without a turnover and made both his shots, each threes. His only blemish was going 1-of-2 from the line.
The Raptors shot 57.8 per cent from the floor and 14-of-28 from three while forcing 17 Wizards turnovers. Thirty-six of their 48 made field goals were assisted. More often than not, at least so far this season, it’s how they play.
The only moment of concern came when Ingram rolled his ankle coming down on Bub Carrington’s foot while attempting a jumper in the fourth quarter (the play was ruled a flagrant foul). Ingram — who missed all but 18 games last season with an ankle sprain — pounded the floor in frustration but stayed in the game to shoot his 13th free throw of the night (he made 12) and hung around on the bench rather than go to the locker room for treatment. An encouraging sign.
But the most important development on the night was the Raptors earning themselves a chance to play more difficult games against better opponents for higher stakes in December, all of which could very well be a dress rehearsal for more of the same come April and beyond.
Making it to the quarterfinals comes with a bonus of $53,093 for each player. It also gives them a chance to compete for the $530,933 winners’ share.
But for the Raptors, the ultimate payoff could come later.
1. He’s in: The competition for spots on the Canadian men’s national team at the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup and 2028 Olympics promises to be stiff, and Wizards sophomore wing Kyshawn George plans to be in the thick of it. “One hundred per cent,” George told me prior to what ended up being a rare off night for him: five points (on 2-of-7 shooting), four assists, three rebounds and five turnovers.
“That’s one of my goals to be able to be on that final team that’s going to compete for gold. I’m just trusting the process, doing what I can do day-to-day to prove that I belong.”
George was born in Switzerland, where his father, Deon George, a professional basketball player from Montreal, was playing at the time. So the second-year pro had never played internationally for Canada at the age-group stage. He made his senior national team debut this past summer, representing Canada at the FIBA AmeriCup and signalled that his future candidacy will have merit. George was named to the All-Star First Team with 13.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game over six contests, highlighted by a standout 18 points, six rebounds and five assists in a quarterfinal win over Colombia.
More importantly, the six-foot-seven 21-year-old carried his production over the NBA season, with his play a bright spot in an otherwise trying season for the rebuilding Wizards, as he arrived at Scotiabank Arena averaging 17.4 points with 6.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 50 per cent from the floor and 45.5 per cent from three. Last season, he averaged 8.7/4.2/2.5 and shot 46.4 per cent and 22.2 per cent, respectively.
The summer playing for what Canada Basketball considered a development opportunity for young pros looking to earn their way into consideration for the upcoming quadrennial paid off, George said. “I do a lot of individual work in the off-season,” he said. “But there’s no better way to put it into practice than in an actual game. I was grateful to be able to play for Team Canada and to have them rust me to have that type of role where they trusted me with the ball and to make plays for myself and my teammates, and I think that just kind of led into training camp and the start of the season, where the Wizards have trusted me to make the right decision on the floor. I still have major steps to take, but I’m just trying to get in the pain to create for my teammates and myself.”
2. A home debut: It was an exciting night for Will Riley, scoreboard aside. The rookie from Kitchener, Ont., was drafted by the Wizards out of Illinois with the 21st pick after a promising freshman year. The six-foot-eight guard’s adjustment to the pro game has been predictably measured — the 19-year-old wasn’t initially expected to enter the draft after his first college season. Prior to Friday night, he’d appeared in nine games, averaging just seven minutes per night. He’s averaging 21 points on 58 per cent shooting with four rebounds and four assists in two G League appearances.
“Will’s been terrific,” said Wizards head coach Brian Keefe. “The minutes he’s been in the rotation, he’s been very productive, and when he went down to our G League team, he was super-efficient. We’re really excited about where he’s going.”
Riley played nine minutes in the fourth quarter on Friday and delighted a very full box of friends and family with a pair of field goals on five attempts. He also added a pair of assists.
3. Direct from Shead: The second-year point guard is as friendly as they come, but according to Mamukelashvili, he doesn’t waste time getting to his point on the basketball floor. And the centre who shares so much floor time with the second-year guard loves it: “He’s a very straightforward guy,” said Mamukelashvili. “I don’t like people who don’t tell you to your face how they feel, and sometimes when I mess up, he comes to me and tells me, ‘Come on, like, do this, do that.’ I like those kinds of guys, who motivate you to be better.”