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And if Casey’s caution didn’t take root with the Raptors, his leaders in the locker room doubled down on the message.

“That’s when we go out and tell everybody ‘Let’s get a win going into this break so we can feel good about ourselves and not say we gave one away,” DeMar DeRozan said. “That gets old saying ‘We gave a game away.’ The only way to not have that feeling is to go out and play with the same intensity as we would if (this game) was last week.”

Mike Ganter, Toronto Sun[/np_storybar]

MINNEAPOLIS — Watching a team mature like the Raptors are doing before our eyes right now really is a thing of beauty.

The Raptors’ fan base has watched this team make strides before. That first playoff series by this group against Brooklyn two years ago was unforgettable and a big step forward, but it was followed by a step back the following year.

Now, they have bounced back from that setback with primarily the same core and some impressive upgrades in some of the more supporting roles.

But more impressive than anything about this team right now is the way they have figured out how to win in the NBA.

Even from earlier this year, that is a huge step in their development.

It’s a nebulous thing, this learning how to win, but it’s a very real and very pivotal step in the development of any team with aspirations of a long playoff run.

Earlier in the year, the Raptors weren’t very successful closing out games.

They went through a stretch where they couldn’t get off to a good start and, once that was fixed, they wound up giving games back they had worked so hard to take control of.