The Toronto Raptors picked up their first road win of the season as they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 119-93.
Ja’Kobe Walter makes first-career start
The Raptors made a surprising announcement before the game, announcing that Walter would start over Davion Mitchell. Gradey Dick had been ruled out for the second straight game with a calf contusion so the rookie got the start at shooting guard. Walter hit his first three-pointer and he looked solid in 27 minutes of action. He was able to make a big impact on the glass as the 6-foot-4 guard has a knack for the ball. He finished the game with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Ochai Agbaji responds in a big way
Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic called out Agbaji’s zero-point, one-rebound performance on Monday night against the Detroit Pistons. Agbaji responded with a season best 24 points in 28 minutes of action. He was on fire from deep going 6-for-7. He hit three three-pointers in the second quarter which led to a 14-0 Raptors run to put the Pelicans in a big deficit early. Agbaji has taken a big step with his three-point shooting this season, especially from the corners. He is turning into the kind of two-way player the Raptors had hoped to see.
Jamison Battle was lights out
Battle can shoot the ball well. He turned heads with his latest performance as the 6-foot-7 wing scored a career-high 24 points on 6-for-8 shooting from deep. The Raptors needed more three-point shooting with Dick out and Battle made the most out of this opportunity. He needs to continue to work on his defense, but his shooting has been impressive and should continue to earn him more minutes from off the bench.
Next on tap
The Raptors will wrap up their four-game road trip against the Miami Heat on Nov. 29.
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