The Toronto Raptors finished the first half of the regular season schedule with losses to the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics, playing with a shorthanded roster and coaching staff in both.
The slow climb back to .500 begins again on Thursday against Atlanta. At 17-19, the Raptors are in the eighth spot in the East. The better way to read the standings is this: Toronto is two games from the fourth seed and one game from falling out of the play-in tournament altogether.
Before we start up the regular season again, here are five takeaways from the first half of the season.