It was a road trip that got off to a start like it would for any Toronto Raptor team of the past. Kobe Bryant, who once dropped 81 on the dinos came out scorching the Raptors. Kobe wasn’t just doing it by scoring, but he found ways to get his team involved. The future hall of famer became the oldest player to record a triple-double as he scored 31 points, dropped 12 dimes and grabbed 11 rebounds – as the Raptors fell 129-122 in overtime against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Eastern Conference leading Raptors knew they had to take at least two of three games on the short road trip. After the loss to the Lakers it didn’t get any easier with a back to back versus Sacramento and Utah. Raptors came out hot against the Kings, but kept letting up defensively. A strong offensive effort from the entire team helped the Raptors win their first game in Sacramento since March 10, 2010 – winning 117-109.

The next night, the Raptors Kyle Lowry dropped a career high 39 points on a lonely Jazz team on route to a 123-104 win.

Toronto came away with the 2-1 record they needed for a somewhat successful road trip, but one thing all three games had in common, which is not a good thing, the Raptors allowed 100+ points. It’s a trend that has continued for six games as the Raptors also allowed 100+ to their previous three opponents. In the Raptors first 13 games they had only allowed 100+ points in five games. It was one of the main reasons the Raptors got off to an impressive 11-2 start. Still impressively at 15-4, and leading the Eastern Conference, the Raptors don’t have much going bad for them.

However, the defense will need to tighten up as the next two of three games for the NBA’s second best scoring team comes against Cleveland’s new trio of LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. The game in-between the two Cleveland games is against the NBA’s fourth best scoring team, Denver Nuggets. Two of three will be at home as the Raptors hope their defense can get back to elite level.

On November 22nd the Raptors were ranked seventh in the NBA in defensive rating and since they’ve dropped to eleventh in the league. Not a huge drop off, but enough to draw cause for concern. Over the last three games the Raptors gave up an average of 114 points to three teams with a combined record of 19-37.

Being 15-4 won’t draw a huge concern to many people, and this could just be an overreaction, but this defensive trend is not one a team dealing with injuries wants continuing. With DeMar DeRozan out for four or more weeks and Amir Johnson banged up the Raptors defensive efforts will catch up sooner or later.

Raptors head home for their two against Cleveland and Denver before they head to Cleveland for their third match-up against the Cavaliers in the early part of the season. After that the Raptors schedule does lighten up as they go; Indiana, at New York, Orlando, Brooklyn, at Detroit, and New York. That will lead into their tough six game road swing after Christmas, which will take them into the New Year. Dwane Casey has been urging better defensive efforts and it’ll have to change before the Raptors hit that season long road trip.