Don't look now, but the Toronto Raptors might be the hottest team in the NBA.

With a four-game win streak — their first of the season, and first under head coach Darko Rajakovic — the once-dormant Raptors are suddenly creeping their way up the Eastern Conference standings.

Okay, they might still have a ways to go to overdo the self-inflicted damage from the early parts of the season, as Toronto still sits with a 14-32 record on the season and 12th in the Eastern Conference standings. They're still 5.5 games out of the 10th and final play-in spot, and rest assured, will in all likelihood find themselves in the mix for the NBA Draft Lottery when the season ends.

But amid a season where Toronto won just one game from December 4 through January 12, reeling off four wins in a row — and six of seven in total — comes as a bit of a shock for most of those watching the team.

Over the last seven games, the Raptors have allowed just 105.4 points per game, the second-best mark in the entire league. Compared to a season average of 117.1 points allowed per game — 25th best in the NBA — it's clear some kind of flip has switched for Toronto on the defensive end of the floor.

After a 113-104 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena, Rajakovic met with the media to explain his view on the team's sudden turnaround.

"I've [been] coaching for 28-29 years, and I still did not find the defensive schemes where four players play defence, and one is not giving great effort, and their defence works. Or two players, or three players [are not giving effort, and it works]," Rajakovic explained.

"That was happening to us quite a bit early in the season, that three guys, four guys, doing what they're supposed to do, and one player might be late half of a second or not follow the game plan, and that creates a lot of breakdown. Right now, we have all the guys locked in."

For Raptors veteran centre Jakob Poeltl, he offered his perspective on how the team's defensive play has evolved in recent weeks.

"You have a game plan. But sometimes that stuff just goes out the window. You have to pick something up on the fly. And in those situations, it's important to have the right communication, getting everybody on the same page," Poeltl said.

With a February 6 trade deadline looming for Toronto, there's no certainty how long this current hot stretch will last. But right now, it's been a clear high point of a down season.

The Raptors hit the floor again on Wednesday night when they take on the Washington Wizards.