There wasn’t a whole lot of fun going on with the Toronto Raptors one year ago.

Last season, Canada’s COVID protocols didn’t allow Toronto’s NBA team to play in Toronto. They weren’t winning games. Frustration between head coach Nick Nurse and star forward Pascal Siakam was on the verge of bubbling to the surface. Then, it did.

Toronto ended the year 18 games under .500, a far cry from its NBA championship season in 2018-19.

Now? Things couldn’t be better. The Raptors are playing their best basketball of the season. Much of that continued in their seventh straight victory Wednesday night, a 117-98 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center.

First Takeaway: Touching ‘Baz’

I sound, or read, like a broken record praising Darius Bazley’s burgeoning skills and endless youth in this space because, well, I have.

One thing that isn’t up for debate: Bazley had his best game of the season Monday night against the Golden State Warriors. He poured in 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and had the task of guarding one of the game’s greatest shooters in Klay Thompson. Thompson missed nine of his 15 shot attempts, so you have to throw some credit in Bazley’s direction, even if he may not agree.

Before Wednesday’s game, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault was asked about whether or not Bazley was starting to come into his own.

Daigneault raved to the Thunder Radio Network that “the game was starting to slow down” for him. He began talking about his growing comfort level before facing the versatile Raptors with Bazley guarding everyone from Pascal Siakam to Fred VanVleet and everyone in between.

Is it finally here? Are we arriving at Peak Bazley? I need to be sure this time. I don’t want to get hurt again.

He turned in a modest offensive effort Wednesday night with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes. That works for me. I consider this a step in a positive direction.

And his defense? Let’s, uh, move on to the next takeaway and find out.

Second Takeaway: ‘Si’-k And Ye Shall Score

Toronto lost a one-point game to the Thunder back on Dec. 8 in Canada. If I were a betting man, I’d bet revenge served as motivation for the Raptors in Wednesday’s rematch.

As soon as the Raptors won the opening tip, Siakam jammed his foot on the gas and never relented.

The moment that best illustrated Siakam’s gameplan came in the second quarter. He grabbed a defensive rebound, casually dribbled the ball past halfcourt and then scurried by Kenrich Williams. He tried a finger roll from a difficult angle, missed it but followed the miss by deftly tapping the ball into the basket for two.

It wasn’t just the 27 points he scored on 13-for-17 from the floor. It was also the 16 rebounds and five assists that let you know no one wearing white had a chance to stop him.

Siakam also made some Raptors history in the process.

What else would you expect from Siakam, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week?

Third Takeaway: Where Are We, Exactly?

As a Thunder fan -- when you know where the final destination will be at season’s end -- you scrounge around for your slice of seemingly small, inconsequential hope and you hold on to it for dear life.

Maybe you wanted Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to post five 50-point triple-doubles this season, Lu Dort to draw the most charges in the NBA or Kenrich Williams to get a new hairstyle. (Not me, though. Live your truth, Ken.)

But here we are, the first full week of February. SGA is out for a few more weeks and who knows how much longer after the All-Star break? The Thunder and the Houston Rockets are continuing their flirtations with last place in the Western Conference. Plus, Oklahoma City played the role of trade partner with the first-place Miami Heat Wednesday in an inside basketball-type trade with so much jargon that I’d rather let this hyperlink do the explaining for you.

As a non-Thunder fan, I can’t identify much being built to last in this rebuilding year. My sincere hopes: For each player to get a ton of exercise, drink plenty of water and to not see your name in a “sent-down-to-the-G-League” press release.