TORONTO RAPTORS AT NEW ORLEANS PELICANSFriday, March 8 (7 p.m.)
Why it’s on the list
Based on their combination of talent and youth, Eastern Conference teams like Boston and Philadelphia are getting more hype this summer, but Toronto is coming off a 59-win season, which quietly represented the NBA’s second-best record in ’17-18. The Raptors then pulled off a blockbuster trade in July for Kawhi Leonard, arguably the sport’s premier two-way player and a primary reason San Antonio captured the ’14 championship. With Leonard leading the way, the Spurs also won 67 and 61 games the next two seasons, but dropped to 47 victories last season, amid Leonard’s extended injury absences. Toronto had to jettison longtime franchise stalwart DeMar DeRozan and rising big Jakob Poeltl in order to do so, but the acquisition of Leonard gives the Raptors reason to believe they can compete for a first-ever trip to the NBA Finals and end their series of recent postseason disappointments. Toronto has also impressively built a deep roster over the past few years, featuring one of the NBA’s most effective benches. The team’s young core includes O.G. Anunoby, 21; Fred VanVleet, 24; and Pascal Siakam, 24.
Where it falls on the New Orleans schedule
This early-March meeting is part of a very favorable close travel-wise to the regular season for the Pelicans, who have 11 home games in their final 16 contests. Following the home game vs. the Raptors, New Orleans will head to Atlanta for a quick one-game road trip, then return to the Crescent City for a three-game homestand against Milwaukee, Portland and Phoenix.
What’s new in Toronto
There aren’t many NBA teams that earn a No. 1 seed and post the best record in team history, yet still fire their head coach (Dwane Casey has been replaced by Nick Nurse) and trade their best player (DeRozan is a four-time All-Star) in the ensuing offseason. Toronto should be a fascinating case study in ’18-19, with many watching closely to see what happens when a team makes momentous changes despite significant 82-game success (it also added underrated shooting guard Danny Green in the Leonard trade). Ultimately, however, the Raptors probably can’t be effectively judged until the ’19 East playoffs begin. This time at least, they won’t have to worry about facing LeBron James, who’s now in the West.
Other 2018-19 games between these two teams
Monday, Nov. 12, New Orleans at Toronto
