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Toronto Raptors are embracing a 'dog mentality' this season

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
Oct 23 2025, 2:37 pm
Toronto Raptors are embracing a 'dog mentality' this season
Nick Turchiaro/Imagn Images

For at least one night, the 2025-26 Toronto Raptors find themselves at the top of a whole bunch of NBA statistical categories.

On Wednesday, Toronto picked up a 138-118 victory over the Atlanta Hawks, their largest win in franchise history in a season opener.

Toronto’s 138 points is more than they scored in any game last season, and the second-highest total under Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic.

But for third-year Raptors wing Gradey Dick, it seems that the team’s best shot at success is to dominate on the opposite end of the floor.

Asked about whether the victory could send a message to the rest of the league, Dick chose to focus on how the team was preventing baskets rather than scoring them.

“Our mindset is to come in and play defence,” Dick told reporters after the game. “We don’t shy away from that. I think it kind of sends the message that whoever’s bringing the ball up [against us]. We’re right there, we want to get stops, we play physical, and I feel like we kind of show that ‘dog mentality’ to the whole league.

Dick’s head coach doesn’t seem to be willing to read too much into the one-game sample, however.

“Obviously, this is just the start,”  Rajakovic added. “I don’t think that any of the players on our team played their best game today, you know. So, I think there is, for [the] whole team, room for growth, and that’s going to be our focus. Win or lose, we’ve got to be focusing on daily and weekly improvements.”

The Raptors return home to Toronto on Friday night for their home opener, with a re-jigged earlier start time to accommodate Game 1 of the World Series taking place down the street. The Raptors host the Milwaukee Bucks, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m. ET.

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