The reinvigorated Toronto Raptors begin a six-game trip against Western Conference opponents with a matchup against the host Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
Toronto received a welcome boost from new arrivals RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, who each made a strong first impression in the Raptors’ 124-121 home win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.
Both were acquired along with a 2024 second-round draft pick on Saturday in a trade with New York. The Raptors dealt OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to the Knicks.
The new-look Raptors scored 41 points in the first quarter in the victory over Cleveland. Pascal Siakam finished with 36 points, while Jakob Poeltl had 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Raptors.
Quickley scored 14 points and the Toronto-born Barrett added 19 points and nine rebounds.
“I think we played good basketball,” Toronto coach Darko Rajakovic said. “I think that guys were enjoying playing a good brand of basketball and just cheering for each other.
“You could just see the emotions … They really liked the applause for RJ Barrett, Canadian, coming back. I see that Canadians are really excited about it. All of that together brought a lot of energy and juice to Scotiabank (Arena). It was a fun night.”
The Raptors will look to carry the momentum on the road against Memphis, which snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the visiting San Antonio Spurs 106-98 on Tuesday.
Ja Morant had 26 points and 10 assists in the victory, while Desmond Bane added 24 points. Memphis led by as many as 18 and held the Spurs to five fastbreak points.
“I thought our on-ball defense was really good, our rotations were really good, and the activity overall was really good,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “Overall a very impressive defensive performance by the group.”
The Grizzlies were monitoring the status of guard Derrick Rose, who exited Tuesday’s game in the first half due to left thigh soreness.
Jenkins continues to be pleased by the development of second-year guard Vince Williams Jr., who has moved into the rotation while providing a consistent presence on the defensive end.
Williams can also contribute as a scorer when needed. He had eight points and five rebounds in 22 minutes against San Antonio.
“I didn’t know he would be this type of defender, but I knew he had that dog in him,” Bane said. “He’s shown that in his time being here. He got his opportunity, and he’s running with it.”
The Grizzlies are playing the second night of a back-to-back set and will need Williams’ energy against Toronto. Siakam led the Raptors last month by averaging a team-high 24.8 points over 13 games while shooting 56.1 percent from the field.
Barrett and Quickley started for the Raptors on Monday along with Siakam, Poeltl and Scottie Barnes, but Rajakovic said that could change as he learns more about the team’s newest additions.
“I would not read way too much (into) starting, not starting, coming off the bench, because that’s going to be an ongoing process, figuring out who plays well with who and how we are going to create the best chemistry possible,” the coach said.
–Field Level Media