The Toronto Raptors trade is already paying off. The new-look Raptors are 2-0 and start their west coast trip with a win after holding on to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 116-111.
It was newcomer Immanuel Quickley who stole the show. He finished with a team-high 26 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds on 8-18 shooting from the field and 5-8 from deep.
Quickley was scoreless in the first quarter but then turned it on, giving the Raptors the offensive punch they needed in the second half.
RJ Barrett was solid in this one doing most of his damage in the first half. The Canadian scored 14 points and hauled in 7 rebounds. He was aggressive once again and hit two triples.
Scottie Barnes had 20 points, Pascal Siakam scored 24 points despite being in foul trouble and Jakob Poeltl added 5 blocks. The new Raptors starting lineup once again delivered.
Dennis Schroder deserves a lot of credit for this win. He was huge from off the bench finishing with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Schroder has embraced the bench role and has been playing well.
Darko Rajakovic went with a nine-man rotation once again as Jontay Porter made his Raptors debut.
With veteran Otto Porter Jr. (knee) out, two-way player Porter got some minutes. He didn’t score but he was a +9 in 7 minutes of action in the first half.
The Raptors used a big 32-19 second quarter to take a 14-point lead into halftime. They led by as many as 20 points.
The Grizzlies did cut into the lead and made things interesting in the fourth thanks to a 35-23 quarter but then the Raptors got some key stops to close it out.
The Raptors pick up a nice win and remain undefeated in 2024.
Next on tap
The Raptors’ west coast trip continues when they travel to Sacramento to take on the Kings on Jan. 5. The Raptors are one more victory away from a three-game winning and a team dinner with Rajakovic.
Let’s see if the Raptors can continue their winning ways.
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