"After hard-fought victories over the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks in their previous encounters, the Toronto Raptors headed into the past weekend facing a back-to-back schedule against the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets. While the Raptors didn't secure those two prior straight wins with absolute perfection, I was hopeful that Toronto could carry this positive momentum into December as they aim to close out 2025 on a high note."
"However, unfortunately, this weekend revealed that the Raptors have a multitude of issues to resolve quickly, or else their problems will continue to weigh them down. Toronto is now on a two-game skid, losing to the Celtics on December 20 with a final score of 112-96, and falling to the Brooklyn Nets on December 21, with a final score of 81-96."
"In the Celtics' loss, Toronto was without their starting center Jakob Poeltl, who continues to navigate a concerning back issue, and started Sandro Mamukelashvili in his place. Mamu had recently proven his scoring ability with a great performance in the victory over Milwaukee, and that scoring prowess continued in the game against the Celtics, where he scored 24 points and made six three-pointers."
Toronto entered a back-to-back against Boston and Brooklyn following wins over Miami and Milwaukee but lost both games, 112-96 and 96-81. Jakob Poeltl missed the Celtics game with a back issue, leading to Sandro Mamukelashvili starting and scoring 24 points with six three-pointers. The Raptors lacked interior presence without a traditional big, were out-rebounded 55-37, and surrendered 54 points in the paint to Boston's 32. Celtics reserves Luka Garza, Hugo Gonzalez, and Neemias Queta provided a significant boost, with Queta going 7-for-7 and Garza grabbing nine offensive rebounds. The team needs to address rebounding, interior defense, and depth.
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