Toronto will wrap up a three-game road trip when it travels to Minnesota on Thursday night. The Raptors have lost two of their last three games, including a 130-122 setback at Milwaukee on Tuesday. Minnesota is trying to snap a two-game losing streak after falling to Denver in a thriller on Wednesday.
Toronto has not been able to overcome some lengthy losing patches so far this season. The Raptors lost nine out of 11 games from the end of November to the middle of December, and they added five losses in a six-game stretch from the end of December to the beginning of January. They have won four of their six games since then, beating Charlotte (twice), Portland and New York. Their two losses have come against Atlanta and Milwaukee. Toronto beat the Knicks in overtime on Monday before losing to the Bucks by eight points in the second leg of a back-to-back on Tuesday.
STOP! RIGHT NOW ????
Go cast your vote for @pskills43 to see him ??? all the way to Utah ? for the @nbaallstar Game ??https://t.co/ANQtKPHSBX pic.twitter.com/jhrZha1QUz
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 18, 2023
Veteran guard Fred VanVleet led Toronto with 39 points, tying his season-high, but it was not enough to get the Raptors over the edge. Milwaukee was playing without star Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Jrue Holiday scored a season-high 37 points. Scottie Barnes was held to 14 points on Tuesday after scoring 20-plus points in four of his previous five games. The Raptors have not been a strong offensive team this season, ranked No. 22 in the NBA in points per game (112.2). Pascal Siakam leads the Raptors with 25.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, while VanVleet is adding 18.7 points. They are facing a Minnesota defense that is No. 19, allowing 115.4 points per game.
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