Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic acknowledged the team’s shooting woes in Wednesday’s 106-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Scotiabank Arena. “We shot 0-18… all the guys off the bench and from the three-point line… we just the ball did not fall tonight for us,” he said.
Rajakovic pointed to Denver’s fast start as a key factor. “The biggest problem was the start of the game in the first quarter when we allowed them to score 32 points… we got to find much more energy to start the game,” he said.
Despite the shooting struggles, Rajakovic praised the team’s resilience. “It was impressive… we found a way to compete throughout the whole game and to bring this game into one possession reach,” he noted.
He addressed the strategic use of small lineups to match Denver’s personnel. “We were looking at the matchups… opportunity to start the game with that group,” he said, highlighting the challenge of defending Jamal Murray over a full game.
Handling Denver’s zone defense proved difficult. “They kind of got you out of sync there for three or four possessions… biggest problem there was we were just not making shots against the zone,” Rajakovic explained.
Rajakovic emphasized integrating players returning from injury. “Incorporating players that are coming from injury and finding the rhythm there and substitutions… starting Collin Murray-Boyles in the third quarter really helped us get good momentum,” he said.
He also addressed the balance between confidence and urgency. “There is not a sense of security… there is a little bit of confidence that we can pull it, but everybody likes if you can start better the game and create a lead at the start,” he said.
Toronto’s bench struggled to produce offensively, limiting options for the starters. “Shooting was not on our side tonight, shooting 37% from the field… starting group got to do better job of not fouling too early,” Rajakovic added.
The Raptors’ late attempt to tie the game fell short after a video review overturned Brandon Ingram’s three-pointer at the buzzer. Rajakovic did not dwell on the call, instead focusing on improvement. “We’re going to take a look at it, analyze this game and get better through it,” he said.
Toronto will aim to regroup for a home matchup against Atlanta on Saturday, while Denver travels to Cleveland on Friday, continuing their stretch without Nikola Jokic.
