Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic lauded his team’s effort following Sunday’s 141-127 overtime victory against the Golden State Warriors at Scotiabank Arena.
“Thank God and glory to God first of all. Amazing team win, amazing grit from the whole group,” Rajakovic said. “Scottie was leading that—leading with the rebounding effort, leading with playmaking, leading with defense. He was really high level today. It was an impressive performance.”
The Raptors overcame Stephen Curry’s 39-point night through strategic defensive adjustments.
“It took a lot. He ended up with 39 points, but he also took three shots. I thought that we made it hard on him,” Rajakovic explained. “Our goal was tonight to keep him at 39. So we did our job tonight.”
RJ Barrett returned from a 15-game absence, playing 24 minutes under a minutes restriction.
“At this point, it’s really just about reconditioning with him. Nothing can supplement the game. I thought he was very important for us, a big part of winning the transition battle,” Rajakovic said.
Rajakovic highlighted key defensive plays that shifted momentum late in the game.
“Our defense was really good to finish the third quarter. Those guys got a couple of steals, and that really gave us momentum,” he noted.
He also emphasized the Raptors’ response after a loss to Washington, praising the team’s growth and perspective during their rebuild.
“We’re in the second year of our rebuild. If somebody told us in September that we’d be 19-14 right now, we would have signed up immediately,” he said. “We’ve seen growth, dealt with injuries, and still missing Yahoo. That loss against Washington gave us much more urgency and grit tonight.”
Jamal Shead drew a critical offensive foul on Curry at the end of regulation.
“To be honest, that started with Davion Mitchell. When Jamal first came in the league, we showed him film on how aggressively you need to play on the board to do something like that. He made big plays tonight,” Rajakovic said.
Barrett’s return also helped stabilize the bench unit, according to Rajakovic.
“He’s a stabilizing force. He brings a lot offensively and needs to step up defensively as well. When he’s right physically and mentally, he is outstanding for us,” the coach added.
Scottie Barnes recorded 23 points, 25 rebounds, and 10 assists, matching Bismack Biyombo’s franchise record for rebounds in a game. Brandon Ingram added 26 points, Immanuel Quickley 27, and Ja’Kobe Walter 18 to snap a five-game home losing streak.
Toronto capitalized on 21 Warriors turnovers, scoring 35 points off mistakes, and outscored Golden State 9-2 in the final 1:32 of regulation to force overtime.
The Raptors will host Orlando on Monday, while the Warriors travel to Brooklyn for their next matchup.
