TORONTO \u2014 Before every Toronto Raptors game Jamal Shead starts bouncing in place, dancing to the music during warm-ups. A conga line forms up behind him with the Raptors\u2019 entire bench getting in line, bouncing along behind him.<\/p>\n
They then break in unison and jog forward, giving high fives to Toronto\u2019s starters, coaches and other personnel, getting fired up.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just fun, man. It gets us hype, gets us doing something before the game, and gets us talking to each other,\u201d said Shead. \u201cHigh fives, getting hand touches, and just getting ourselves prepared for the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tradition was started by veteran shooting guard Garrett Temple when he joined the Raptors for the 2023-24 season. After three seasons in Toronto, Temple retired as a player and became an assistant coach for new Dallas Mavericks head coach Dusty May starting this campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, when he wasn\u2019t available, the couple of games he missed, I filled in for him and did it,\u201d said Shead, who was usually second in the conga line behind Temple. \u201cSo I knew once he was gone this year that I had to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shead provided a different kind of spark on Wednesday, scoring 13 points, dishing out seven assists, and grabbing two steals off the bench in the Raptors\u2019 129-99 rout of the Orlando Magic. <\/p>\n
Head coach Darko Rajakovic and all-star forward Scottie Barnes both credited Shead with turning around a slow start by Toronto.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought that once Jamal Shead checked in, he changed the game,\u201d said Rajakovic. \u201cHe was really following our principles, doing a great job on the ball, and once he started doing that, our whole team they picked up from that point.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought that we did really good job with our hand activity on defensive end, and that we were able to get out in transition and score a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barnes, who lead all scorers with 28 points and added six rebounds and four assists for Toronto (3-1), could pinpoint the moment when Shead\u2019s presence changed the momentum of the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came in late in the second quarter, and I think the lead went from like around 10 to 17,\u201d said Barnes. \u201cHe did a great job being on ball, was getting steals, being active. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt just elevated everybody else. Everybody was getting more active, guarding the ball. We\u2019re talking more on defence, and it definitely gave us that spark that we needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The two teams will meet at Scotiabank Arena again on Friday in an NBA Cup game.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe take one game at a time. I thought that we were prepared for this game tonight,\u201d said Rajakovic. \u201cI think there is a lot to learn from this game. <\/p>\n
\u201cI always like to look at these games like mini playoff series, you know? It allows you to go back to analyze, to see what you can do better, and to learn from that.\u201d<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2026.<\/p>\n
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