Raptors' Weekend Slide Highlights a Familiar Problem: No Paint, No Gain
Coming off a pair of gritty wins over Miami and Milwaukee, the Toronto Raptors entered the weekend with a bit of momentum. It wasn’t flawless basketball, but it was promising - the kind of stretch that could’ve sparked a December surge. Instead, what followed was a sobering back-to-back reality check against the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets, exposing some deeply rooted issues that Toronto can’t afford to ignore any longer.
Let’s start with the 112-96 loss to Boston on December 20. The Raptors were already behind the eight ball before tipoff, with starting center Jakob Poeltl sidelined by a lingering back issue.
That absence loomed large, especially against a Celtics team that knows how to punish you inside. Sandro Mamukelashvili got the nod in Poeltl’s place, and to his credit, he delivered offensively - 24 points, six made threes, and a level of confidence that’s becoming a trend.
Brandon Ingram matched his scoring with 24 of his own, but the Raptors' offensive flashes couldn’t mask what was happening in the trenches.
Toronto was manhandled on the glass, out-rebounded 55-37. Boston poured in 54 points in the paint to Toronto’s 32, a stat that tells the story without needing much interpretation.
The Raptors simply couldn’t hold their ground inside. And it wasn’t just the usual suspects doing the damage.
Boston’s bench - Luka Garza, Hugo Gonzalez, Neemias Queta - brought the kind of energy and physicality that Toronto lacked. Queta was perfect from the field (7-for-7), Garza pulled down nine offensive boards en route to a double-double, and Gonzalez matched that feat with 10 points and 10 rebounds of his own.
These aren’t household names, but they didn’t need to be. They played their roles, crashed the glass, and outworked Toronto in the paint.
That’s the part that should sting the most. The Raptors couldn’t match the effort, and without a traditional big anchoring the middle, they had no answer.
Mamukelashvili and Collin Murray-Boyles gave what they could, but it wasn’t enough. And asking Scottie Barnes to shoulder even more responsibility isn’t a sustainable solution - it’s a recipe for burnout.
The very next night, things didn’t get any better. In fact, the 96-81 loss to Brooklyn on December 21 might go down as one of the Raptors’ most deflating performances of the season, right up there with the 25-point loss to Charlotte earlier this month.
This time, Poeltl was active - briefly. He lasted less than seven minutes before exiting again with back stiffness, leaving Toronto back at square one in the middle.
And while the Raptors' shooting woes took center stage - just 37.2 percent from the field and 27.8 percent from beyond the arc - the rebounding gap remained an issue. Brooklyn won that battle 48-39, continuing a trend that’s become impossible to ignore.
This wasn’t just a bad weekend. It was a spotlight on a glaring weakness.
When Toronto can’t control the paint, they struggle to control the game. Their perimeter talent can only do so much when second-chance opportunities and easy buckets keep tilting the court the other way.
There’s no mystery here. The Raptors need size.
They need toughness. They need someone who can anchor the interior, clean the glass, and give this team a physical identity.
Until that happens, weekends like this one are going to keep popping up - and they’ll keep dragging Toronto further from where they want to be.
The clock’s ticking. The fix isn’t complicated.
Go get muscle. Go get hustle.
Because if the Raptors want to close out 2025 on a high note, they’re going to need a lot more than just hope.