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
Politically motivated crimes in Germany reached their highest level in 2023 since tracking began
BERLIN (AP) — Politically motivated crime in Germany last year reached its highest level since the g2024-05-22Chinese peacekeepers to DRC awarded UN Peace Medal
Chinese peacekeepers attend an awarding ceremony at the camp of the engineering company of the Chine2024-05-22Lawmakers vigilant of use of AI in fraud
Photo/ICDuring a news conference of the National People's Congress Standing Committee held in Beijin2024-05-22Xi's Article on Strengthening, Improving Work of CPPCC to Be Published
Contact Us HomeNewsHighlightACWF NewsSocietyWom2024-05-22Protesters against war in Gaza interrupt Blinken repeatedly in the Senate
WASHINGTON (AP) — In wide-ranging testimony before the Senate Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Bli2024-05-22Tourism market makes robust recovery over holiday
Tourists feed black-headed gulls at Dianchi Lake in Kunming, Yunnan province, on Sunday. Destination2024-05-22
atest comment