The Toronto Raptors open up their preseason with a win. They defeat the Sacramento Kings 112-99 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
The Raptors have now won six straight preseason games in Vancouver over the years.
The Raptors starting lineup for this one was Dennis Schroder, O.G. Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poeltl.
Gary Trent Jr. was the sixth man from off the bench and he led all scorers with 22 points in 21 minutes. Trent. Jr was on the mark in this one going 7-12 from the field and 3/6 from deep. If Trent Jr. is used as the Raptors sixth man moving forward, he has a chance to be a real weapon for the second unit.
Aside from Gary Trent Jr., Scottie Barnes looked great. Barnes finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assits. He was aggressive early attacking the basket. He showcased his strong passing ability, pushing the ball down the court and setting up his teammates. Barnes missed the only two three-point he attempted, but he was a solid 5-9 from the field. Barnes looks ready to take his game to another level this season.
O.G. Anunoby chipped in with 14 points, meanwhile Jalen McDaniels and Chris Boucher each had 11.
As for the new faces on the team, Dennis Schroder had 6 points, 5 assists and 5 rebounds in 17 minutes. Gradey Dick who finally checked into the game late in the third quarter had 5 points.
Mouhamadou Gueye had 7 points, Garrett Temple had 2 points and Marquis Nowell along with Javon Freeman-Liberty were scoreless in 8 minutes of action.
The Raptors and Kings went back and forth in the first quarter. However, in the second quarter the Raptors captured the momentum outscoring the Kings 34-20. In the second half the Raptors never looked back.
The Raptors did a good job of running, spacing, cutting and sharing the basketball. The Raptors finished the game with 30 assists.
Toronto struggled from deep in this one shooting it 35.4 percent, however they shot it 52 percent from the field.
Overall, the Raptors looked good under new head coach Darko Rajakovic’s new system.
Next on tap
The Raptors will be off for a week and then will play their second preseason game against Cairns Taipans on Oct. 15 at Scotiabank Arena.
The Raptors have three more preseason games before they begin their regular season on Oct. 25 agaisnt the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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