Not for nothing, but after starting the season 2-8, the Raptors have gone 5-1 over their past six games (and 3-1 over the past week). Yes, that one loss was a rough one to the Miami Heat — isn’t that how it always goes? — but Toronto immediately responded, and then put together another satisfying shorthanded win against the Pacers. In all, they’ve jumped up in all sorts of league metrics, to say noting of their standing in the Eastern Conference.
So then, the mood around the Raptors is better these days. Not best — Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam are currently listed as out with injuries — but they are indeed better than they were in the early going of the season.