Toronto hosts the Knicks on Oct. 13, visits them two days later, then flies to Detroit before the preseason closes out. None of this week's three scores will decide anything by the time the Raptors open the regular season at home against Chicago on Oct. 21 — but the rotations built this week will carry into it.
A Lopsided Rest Split
New York arrives at Scotiabank Arena on the second night of a back-to-back, with zero days of rest and two games already played in the last week. Toronto, by contrast, comes in on two days' rest off a single game in that span. Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart are all listed with rest-related absences for Mike Brown's club, which went 53-29 last season — whether any of them actually sit is the kind of call preseason coaches make on the fly. The two teams meet again at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 15, closing a quick home-and-home before Toronto flies to Detroit the next night.
A Camp Spot Changes Hands
The roster moved again this week: Jamarion Sharp, a seven-foot-five center, joined on a camp contract, while Chucky Hepburn was waived off his two-way deal, clearing the spot Sharp will compete for. It is the kind of late-camp churn that rarely makes a regular-season roster sheet but decides who sticks around for call-ups and injury depth. Toronto's 15 contracts now run $202.5 million, above the $200.4 million luxury-tax line and under the first apron.
Depth Due Back
Four Raptors — Trayce Jackson-Davis, Allen Graves, Alijah Martin and Nate Bittle — all carry the same target return date on their injury listings: Oct. 13. If even a couple are ready to play this week, Darko Rajakovic gets his first real look at a fuller bench before the Detroit trip and the Oct. 21 opener against Chicago. Barnes is the one piece that doesn't rotate out regardless of who's healthy — these three preseason games are about setting everyone else around him.
When do the Raptors play the Knicks again after tonight?
Toronto travels to Madison Square Garden on Oct. 15, two days after hosting New York at Scotiabank Arena, completing a quick preseason home-and-home.
When does the Raptors regular season start?
Toronto opens the regular season at home against the Bulls on Oct. 21, after one more preseason stop in Detroit on Oct. 16.
