Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic credited his team’s decisive third-quarter performance in Wednesday’s 122-109 win at Golden 1 Center to disciplined execution against zone defense.
“Glory to God,” Rajakovic said. “Zone is such a defense that you don’t see it all the time. I thought it was great for us to play against the zone that much tonight. All the principles we work on kind of fall in line during that third quarter, and we felt very comfortable with what we were doing.”
Scottie Barnes led the surge with 14 of his 23 points in the quarter, attacking mismatches and creating opportunities for teammates. Rajakovic highlighted the team’s emphasis on attacking the paint. “When you get to the rim, it doesn’t matter. Zone is supposed to defend certain gaps, and you need to attack those gaps to get to the paint and make the right decisions,” he said.
Sandro Mamukelashvili also contributed 22 points and nine rebounds, with Rajakovic noting his growing versatility. “Sandro is helping us in so many ways. His rebounding is improving, and we’re using him more in pick-and-rolls to roll rather than pop. He’s providing a completely different dimension—spacing, scoring, and defensively, he’s smart and knows how to guard different personnel,” the coach said.
Rajakovic stressed the importance of instinctive decision-making. “We’re making good decisions. For a stretch of games, we were just more comfortable understanding that when our good shooters are taking shots, we’ve got to live with the outcome,” he explained.
The Raptors shot 46 percent from the field and outrebounded Sacramento 47-45 while committing just 10 turnovers. Toronto’s defensive pressure also forced hurried possessions, enabling fast-break opportunities. “It’s very important against the zone to get defensive stops so you can actually get out in transition and run,” Rajakovic said.
Brandon Ingram matched Barnes with 23 points, and Immanuel Quickley added 18 points and eight assists, maintaining Toronto’s offensive balance despite a slow first half. The win improved the Raptors to 26-19, keeping them fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Sacramento fell to 12-32 as Russell Westbrook scored 23 points on 22 shots, with Zach LaVine adding 19 and Malik Monk 17. The Kings played without Domantas Sabonis, who was rested after three consecutive games post-injury.
Toronto will continue its road trip Friday in Portland, while Sacramento travels to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers.
