TORONTO — The most important game of the season.
Well, until the next one. Heading into Friday night’s visit from the New Orleans Pelicans, the Toronto Raptors only had 10 games left on the schedule. By default, every game is important for a Raptors team that could end up finishing anywhere from fifth to 10th in an Eastern Conference playoff race where five teams were separated by one-and-a-half games before play Friday.
But here’s why Friday’s meeting with the Pelicans carried extra weight. The Raptors’ struggles against good teams have been well established at this point. They’ve played teams in the top 10 of the league 25 times this season and are 5-20 against them.
Conversely, their dominance against…