This was a much-needed win after losing two in a row, and the head coach played a pivotal role in the win.
Immanuel Quickley and the Toronto Raptors achieved a bounce-back 134-125 win against the Washington Wizards at the Capital One Arena. The former Kentucky Wildcat led all scorers with 27 points on 10-for-15 shooting and 11 assists.
After losing both ends of the previous back-to-back set against the top two teams in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, the Raptors were able to storm back from a 13-point deficit on the road. Quickley’s main pick-and-roll partner, Jakob Poeltl, benefitted greatly from the absence of rookie lottery pick Collin Murray-Boyles, who missed Saturday’s contest with a thumb contusion.
Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (19) | © Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
The Austrian big man contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds on 100% shooting, the most points he’s scored in a game since Nov. 20th. He missed 24 consecutive games due to a lower back strain, and he is finally starting to look like the consistent starting center that the Raptors signed to a 3-year extension through 2030.
On the court postgame, TSN Sports’ Kayla Grey interviewed Quickley, who praised head coach Darko Rajakovic for leading the comeback win.
“Darko [Rajakovic] got on us at halftime. He really didn't show us any clips. He just kind of lit a fire under us, kind of yelling at us. He got different styles of coaching; we haven't seen that one in a long time, so he was great."
Rajakovic received criticism for his rotations in a lost 12-point lead to the Spurs, but it seems he redeemed himself when his team needed it most. Although he is consistently one of the most passionate and supportive coaches around the league, he has somewhat established a narrative as possibly being “too nice.”
This halftime speech surely debunked that theory, as he was able to let out the Serbian fire that he has within him to positively impact his squad in a comeback win. The Raptors are on pace to both have a winning record and make the playoffs for the first time in Rajakovic’s tenure, and his situational awareness and adaptation may be a key reason as to why.
Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic | © Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
While the win should definitely be a confidence boost for the squad, they need to use the momentum going into the rest of this difficult stretch of games. Toronto’s next two matchups come against the New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves, whom the Raptors have a combined record of 0-4 against.
How Is Toronto’s Playoff Outlook?
As they remain fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, the path to obtaining home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs is not getting any easier. The Raptors are separated from both the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and sixth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers by a game and a half on both sides, so the room for fluctuation is open.
The same is true for the third-seeded Knicks and seventh-seeded Orlando Magic, who both are three games away from the Raptors in their own respect. This makes Toronto’s final matchup with the Knicks extremely important to its postseason aspirations.