Toronto Raptors: Why the Raptors have to beat the Lakers

After back-to-back losses, the Toronto Raptors are looking to bounce back with a win, which is exactly what they need right now.

After a hot start, the Toronto Raptors have lost their last two games. This brings their record to 2-2, which currently has them tied for eighth in the East. Their last two losses came from the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors.

The Raptors are currently on a six-game road trip. Tonight they will be facing off against the young Los Angeles Lakers, who are fresh off a win against the Washington Wizards. Although it is only their fifth game, this one is a must-win.

Right now the Raptors are in the top 10 in different league stats across all teams. Some of the most notable include offensive rating, assist percentage, true shooting percentage and rebound percentage.

With them having so much success in these categories, their last two losses shouldn’t mean much — especially since they lost to the defending champs and one of the few undefeated teams, both on the road.

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However, they now face a different task. This Lakers team has shown it has some fight. After taking down the Wizards, L.A. will be ready to knock another premier Eastern team off.

This is a must-win for the Raptors, for a lot of reasons — one of them being confidence. In this league, you have to have confidence and momentum in order to go on a win streak. Think about the Miami Heat last year. They had one of the biggest turnarounds ever thanks to getting comfortable with each other and being more confident in themselves.

Going into L.A. and picking up a win can mean more to this Raptors team. This will help shake off the previous two losses that happened this week and give them the confidence to win the rest of their away games during this stretch.

Another big reason they need this win is to improve their seed in the East. Okay, it’s super early, but it’s still important to get off on the right foot, especially this year when it seems like everyone is bringing their all to every game. Well, except the Phoenix Suns.

Every game this season has shown that every team is trying to get the win. That means it’s going to be even more competitive, even in the East. If the Raptors aren’t careful, they could get stuck with a first round opponent that they really don’t want to see that early.

Another major reason this game is important is to possibly get Kyle Lowry out of his slump. The point guard is averaging the second-lowest scoring numbers of his time with the Raptors. If he can go out there and put up some big numbers, maybe he will get back in the swing of things.

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Obviously it is important to try to win every game, but this one means more than others. This could be just what the Raptors need in order to bounce back from their previous losses. They have what it takes to win and it is time to start winning.