Poeltl was only able to feature for seven minutes in the contest and came away with just two points and two rebounds before leaving the game. The Raptors ended up losing the game 96 to 81. Poeltl will miss his tenth game of the season tomorrow, as he's played and started in all 21 games that he was available for.
Raptors announce that RJ Barrett will return to basketball activities this week after having a PRP injection a week ago. Barrett has been out of the lineup with a knee sprain since Nov. 24th.- Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) December 15, 2025 This probably means he will start practicing once again, and it looks like the return of Toronto's second-highest scorer is just around the corner, which is great for Toronto, as they have really struggled without Barrett to pick up wins.
Quickley's defence continues to show real improvement in transition, where his aggression forced a turnover early. Early in the first quarter, he stood his ground impressively when Jabari Smith Jr. tried to post him up, showcasing added strength and discipline. Offensively, however, it was a rough night - his trademark floater deserted him, missing a few he normally converts with ease. Quickley still hasn't quite found his rhythm on that end of the floor.
"I've never been a horrible defender, so I was kinda confused on that, but I've gotten better and i want to continue to get better and be a two way player, thats kind of my calling card so I want to continue to embrace that"A common theme during media day thus far has been defense, and Toronto's focus on it this season and throughout the summer.
The modern NBA is about spacing. Perhaps once upon a time it was about strength and size and moxie, but the name of the game in this century is spacing. How are you using the vertical space, the horizontal space? How do you open up space on the perimeter for shooters to get open, space in the paint for cutters and drivers to score, space around playmakers for them to dime up teammates in the right spot to score?
