Immanuel Quickley
It looked like it could be another poor game for Quickley early on as he missed his first shot, but he responded with nine first-quarter points. He slowed down after the hot start, especially in the second half, but it felt like he was trying to get his own offence going when Toronto pulled away with a big lead.
Grade: B+
RJ Barrett
A nice start to the game as he knocked down the first shot for Toronto and then fed an open Quickley in the corner with an unselfish extra pass. The free-throw shooting was subpar, but everything else was strong — especially a few impressive blocks, which aren’t typically a big part of his game.
Grade: A
Brandon Ingram
A pedestrian start, which was uncharacteristic for BI3 since he usually finds his rhythm early, but with Toronto getting shots from everyone, he focused more on facilitating. He got going in the second quarter with back-to-back pull-up mid-range jumpers. Not his flashiest game, but Ingram definitely left his mark, especially with his smooth mid-range scoring over defenders.
Grade: A-
Scottie Barnes
Scottie opened the game with two triples and a nice inbound pass that led to an and-one for Quickley. He was playing well before heading to the locker room with a thumb strain. Fortunately, X-rays came back negative, and he returned to start the second half, finishing with several excellent passes and steady all-around play.
Grade: A+
Jakob Poeltl
Back from a three-game absence — a stretch where Toronto struggled on the glass against Houston — Poeltl immediately brought energy to the boards. He threw down a big poster dunk on Cole Anthony midway through the second quarter (props to Anthony for contesting). A strong response in limited minutes after a disappointing showing against San Antonio.
Grade: A
Jamal Shead
Shead came out with the rookie-year energy we’ve come to expect, flying around the court in the first quarter. His offensive rebound late in the third was particularly impressive, showing great hang time and hustle.
Grade: A
Gradey Dick
Dick got going early with a smooth transition corner three, then followed it up by crashing the offensive glass and drawing a foul to earn Toronto an extra possession. A good, efficient performance after a string of lacklustre outings.
Grade: B+
Ja’Kobe Walter
Walter was quiet in the first half but hit a three-pointer, then capped off the third quarter with a tough and-one finish through contact. His defence remains his best asset, and if he can consistently knock down threes, he’ll be tough to keep out of the rotation.
Grade: B+
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Mamu started aggressively, putting up five shots early with mixed results. His second quarter was much stronger as his defensive energy and effort on the offensive glass picked up. After a rocky start to the regular season, he’s been trending up lately — and this was his best performance by far.
Grade: A+
Collin Murray-Boyles
CMB had a quiet first-quarter shift but knocked down a nice floater from outside the paint midway through the second. This was his weakest performance of his young career, but with plenty of others stepping up, it didn’t hurt the team much.
Grade: D
Jonathan Mogbo
Made his first appearance since the loss to Houston last week. Like that game, he got a few first-half minutes without much impact and didn’t see the floor again until garbage time.
Grade: D-
Ochai Agbaji
Garbage time.
Grade: N/A
Jamison Battle
Garbage time.
Grade: N/A
Darko Rajaković
Though Toronto would be giving up some size, part of the expectation was that Darko might stick with CMB in the starting lineup after the team’s two-game win streak. Instead, he reinserted Poeltl — on a minutes restriction — and the decision paid off as Toronto built an early lead before any substitutions. Some questionable rotation choices remain, as both Jamison Battle and Ochai Agbaji were benched despite solid previous performances, but it worked tonight.
Grade: A+
Three Things
- Efficiency: Toronto shot 48.4% from the field, 44.7% from three, and 79.3% from the line, committing just 10 turnovers.
- Suffocating Giannis: The Raptors threw multiple defenders at Giannis all night, collapsing the paint every time he tried to attack inside.
- Defensive Identity: This was Toronto’s best defensive performance of the season, and the team’s defensive energy has noticeably ramped up over the past three games.
