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'I don’t think one person in the locker room has talked about the streak,' Brandon Ingram said after scoring 37 points.
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Published Nov 25, 2025 • 4 minute read
Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram takes a selfie with fans after his team's 110-99 win over Cleveland Cavaliers.
Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram takes a selfie with fans after his team's 110-99 win over Cleveland Cavaliers. The Canadian Press
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Most of the Toronto Raptors might be new to this winning business, but they aren’t getting carried away with a spectacular start to the season.
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The team improved to 13-5 (only two teams have won more games so far) with an impressive win Monday over Cleveland and has now won 12 of its past 13, which rarely has happened in these parts over 31 seasons of Raptors basketball.
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Yet, the players don’t seem overly impressed. It probably starts with their coach.
When Postmedia told Darko Rajakovic in a quiet moment post-game that this is the fourth-best start in franchise history, Rajakovic simply shrugged and kept walking, clearly unmoved by the update.
We should have seen it coming, based on his comments up at the podium only a few minutes earlier.
“There’s nothing to enjoy,” Rajakovic said. “There is the next game coming very, very quickly our way.
“We enjoy each other, we enjoy the journey and it’s the most important thing.”
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Brandon Ingram concurred.
“I think it’s more enjoying the process. I don’t think one person in the locker room has talked about the streak,” Ingram said after scoring 37 points, his most in nearly 22 months. “I don’t think Darko will let that creep into the locker room. Take it by day. Every day is an opportunity to get better. Just worry about the next opponent.
“Of course it’s a good feeling. We know we’ve got to continue to do it so we can keep it going.”
Staying even-keeled
Backup point guard Jamal Shead, who is having an outstanding sophomore season, drew comparisons to how the previous edition of the Raptors found a way to keep spirits high even during a dreadful, injury-plagued season that was filled with injuries.
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These guys just stay even-keeled. Veteran Garrett Temple had even told Postmedia last season he hadn’t previously seen a young team stay so positive when things weren’t going well.
“Same way we didn’t get swept up in the losing last year,” Shead said. “I think we just stay one game at a time. Stay positive with each other, and keep the message the same. It’s about winning. It’s about playing hard. It’s about doing all the right things to try to put us in position to win.”
Last season’s Raptors seemed to have better vibes than many winning teams and that’s only amplified now that victories are piling up. Ingram has noticed.
“Everybody’s bought in. I think everybody on the team is selfless,” he said. “We just want to win. Whatever it takes, I think everybody is brought into what we’re doing. Nobody has an ego on the floor, off the floor. Really good at communicating in real time and talking about the game.”
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Still, Shead might have the most upbeat personality in the locker room, so it’s not a surprise that he is taking some enjoyment in what’s happening.
“I mean, it’s awesome. We’re turning around from last year. We saw the potential last year, and it’s really cool to see it kind of sprout,” said Shead, who went from being the winningest player in Houston Cougars history to a rookie on a poor NBA team.
This is much better.
“I think everybody’s been tremendous,” Shead said. “I think all, like 13 guys that play, all come in and contribute, you know, I think coach said it best. We had a really big spark in (Jamison Battle) the very first time we played at Cleveland and we’ve been pretty good since then.
“So I think it’s about all of us, and everybody’s contributing in a really, really major way.”
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End of a rebuild?
That includes Jakob Poeltl, who makes massive contributions, though they often go unnoticed.
Poeltl is second in screen assists per game and fourth in points created off screens. He can also play well when only taking one shot (as he did in a win Friday), or when only scoring seven points, as he did against Cleveland, along with 13 rebounds.
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[Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram (right) claims a defensive rebound from Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jaylon Tyson during the first half in Toronto on Monday, Nov. 24, 2025.
Raptors stay hot with win over Cleveland Cavaliers](https://torontosun.com/sports/basketball/nba/toronto-raptors/raptors-keep-pedal-to-metal-in-win-over-cavaliers)
2. [Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett (9) brings the ball up court in front of Indiana Pacers forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (25) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis on Saturday.
Raptors hope Canadian star RJ Barrett avoids serious injury](https://torontosun.com/sports/basketball/nba/toronto-raptors/raptors-hope-canadian-star-rj-barrett-avoided-serious-injury)
Poeltl was in Toronto as the We the North era was taking flight, but was sacrificed as part of the Kawhi Leonard trade and then had to see San Antonio go into a bit of a rebuild that culminated with the drafting of Victor Wembanyama.
Of course, Poeltl was gone by then (with new Raptors teammate Sandro Mamukelashvili helping fill the void with the Spurs) and Toronto went into a rebuild of its own.
Poeltl yearns to win and re-signed with Toronto in part because he felt things would turn around. Now that’s coming to pass.
“We’re having a lot of fun, yeah,” Poeltl said Monday. “Obviously, winning’s always more fun than losing. We have good chemistry this year, but we’ve had good chemistry, throughout the past couple years, so I feel like the vibe in the locker rooms kind of stayed the same,” he said.
“But obviously, the winning is improving on those kind of things.”
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