In a game against a New Orleans team that was missing four of its projected opening day starters and plenty of bench depth, too, the Raptors avoided playing down to their competition for a change and laid the spanking expected of them on the shorthanded Pelicans.
The 115-91 final score is irrelevant in the big picture, but that didn’t mean the Raptors didn’t need it.
And the result is certainly not irrelevant. It matches the franchise mark for wins in a season at 49 set last year. They have 10 games remaining to get to 50.