Following a strenuous six-game road journey, the Toronto Raptors were back at home tonight. This was the first game following the Thursday NBA Trade Deadline and all of the associated roster adjustments.
The Raptors were a tad shorthanded tonight after trading in a few players and outing several more. Ochai Agbaji and Kelly Olynyk arrived in Toronto from Utah earlier in the day, but they did not participate in the game.
In addition to those two, the Raptors have lost two roster spaces as a result of the transactions. Although the team has not yet filled those positions, they have stated that they will be monitoring young and developing talent for the remainder of the season.
The Houston Rockets and Fred VanVleet were in town, albeit VanVleet was sidelined by an injury. Legendary member of the Canadian national team Dillon Brooks did, however, play for the first time in Toronto since Canada’s bronze medal at the FIBA World Cup last summer.
RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Scottie Barnes, Gary Trent Jr., and Jakob Poeltl were the Raptors’ starting lineup.
The Raptors attempted to capitalize on Houston’s lack of VanVleet, their leader, in a frantic first quarter. Houston found it difficult to coordinate their offensive and defensive strategies, allowing the Raptors to infiltrate the lanes.
After one quarter, the Raptors were ahead 34–22.
Leave a Reply