Raptors hand Wizards franchise
The Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley scored a season-best 31 points, dished out 13 assists, and grabbed seven rebounds in the team's 130-122 win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday evening.
RJ Barrett (L) of Toronto Raptors makes a layup during the 2023-2024 NBA regular season game between Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards in Toronto, Canada, April 7, 2024. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)
Toronto had a balanced attack with three other starters finishing with at least 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
24-year-old RJ Barrett finished with 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while fellow Toronto-native Kelly Olynyk chipped in with 21 points, nine rebounds, and five assists.
Sharpshooter Gary Trent Jr finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists.
The team jolted out to a quick start with a season-best 42 points in the first quarter and taking a 25-point lead that they would never surrender.
"It was very positive the whole first quarter, we were making shots and we were running in transition," said Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic after the win. "It's a readjustment. From not having anybody to having more guys. It's definitely a very good feeling to have more guys able to play."
Since March, the team has been decimated by injuries and unfortunate news to key personnel, leading to an abysmal 1-14 record during the month.
Starters Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl remain sidelined with hand injuries and have missed 18 and 17 games to date, respectively. Barrett and Quickley were sidelined for eight and six games to grieve the death of respective family members.
Since returning on April 2, 25-year-old Quickley has averaged 23.0 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.5 rebounds in four games.
"Growth, communication with his teammates, he's taking a lot of ownership in game preparations as well," praised Rajakovic when asked about the changes in Quickley's role since his return. "On the court, his ability to shoot the ball opens up a lot for everybody on this team."
With the victory, Toronto improves to 25-53 on the season and racked up consecutive wins for the first time since Feb. 26 when they beat the Pacers.
Related articles
Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. to lead Indianapolis 500 field in Corvette pace car
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. will drive the pace car for the 108th ru2024-05-21Scary Movie is back! Franchise will be rebooted 11 years after Scary Movie 5 was released
Scary Movie is being rebooted, 11 years after the last film - Scream 5 - was released in theaters.Th2024-05-21- Chris Sutton and Ian Ladyman were unable to reach an agreement on who should be crowned the Premier2024-05-21
Lewis Hamilton will begin his Ferrari career at the Australian Grand Prix next year
Lewis Hamilton will open his Ferrari career in Melbourne next year – as the Australian Grand Prix is2024-05-21Jon Wysocki dead at 53: Staind drummer passes away
The music world is in mourning this Sunday, with word that original Staind drummer Jon Wysocki passi2024-05-21Venezuelan beauty queen Wilevis Brito, 24, dies following surgery on jaw and lip
Venezuelan model Wilevis Brito reportedly went into cardiac arrest and died after she underwent faci2024-05-21
atest comment