Raptors vs Pelicans Recap: NBA Thursday

The Toronto Raptors hosted the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday as the All-Star break came to an end for each team. The Raptors won the game in a contest that was fairly close as time expired. They posted a single-digit margin of victory, winning by 5 points. The final score was New Orleans 110, and Toronto 115 as the latter team continues to try to climb back to .500 basketball this season.

Pelicans vs Raptors: Brandon Ingram scores 36

With the loss, the Pelicans are now 30-30 overall on the season. They were one of the weakest teams in the NBA in the weeks heading into the All-Star break. The absence of Zion Williamson continues to hamper this team, one that looked like a contender in the early months of the season.

The top scorer in the game was Brandon Ingram. He had an impressive 36 points in the contest but New Orleans is now just a .500 team. Meanwhile, the Raptors are trying to ascend back to .500.

Toronto Raptors: Recent Form Alert

• Toronto Raptors were 20-27 (January 21st, 2023)
• Following Thursday’s game, they are 29-31
• The Raptors are 9-4 in their last 13 games

They improved to 29-31 with the 5-point victory. OG Anunoby was back in the starting lineup for the team. He had 12 points in the game in 32 minutes of playing time.

The standout stat for Toronto was with Jakob Poetl. The center scored 21 points but he also had a very stellar 18 rebounds, a total that marked his career high. Poetl has been a difference-maker since joining the team earlier this month. Toronto, despite the losing record, has been playing convincingly well for the last month.

They are beginning to look like a contender, however, like all the bubble teams they will need to stay healthy in their key positions. Toronto remains guilty of overplaying its starting lineup: Pascal Siakam had 38 minutes, Stu Barnes had 41, and Gary Trent Jr. had 37 as Toronto played just three players off of the bench (most teams will play 9-11 in a game). They are a difficult team to read: Toronto is in good form but the heavy minutes for their starters could lead to more injury problems for this team.

Further reading: NBA Power Rankings