After beating the Atlanta Hawks in NBA Cup action on Friday night, the Toronto Raptors are above .500 for the first time since opening night, moving to 5-4 after winning their fourth straight game. Once again, it was a collective effort (seven players in double figures) and once again, RJ Barrett was part of that collective.
Barrett scored 19 points on Friday, but his second-half effort may have been his best half of the year. He shot 7 for 9 from the field and scored 17 points, completely redeeming himself from a brutal first half. On the season, Barrett has scored 20-plus points in six of the Raps' nine games, and the team is 4-2 in those games (5-2 in the games he scores at least 19, counting Friday).