Canada’s Barrett helps Raptors to 131-128 OT win

TORONTO – RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., had 31 points and was a rebound shy of a double-double as the Toronto Raptors held off the Sacramento Kings for a 131-128 overtime win on Saturday.

Forwards Ochai Agbaji and Gradey Dick each had 22 points, five rebounds and two assists as Toronto (2-5) squandered a 13-point lead.

Montreal’s Chris Boucher came off the Raptors bench for 24 points, the most he’s had since the 2020-21 season.

De’Aaron Fox had 24 points, 14 of them in the fourth quarter, as Sacramento (3-3) staged a late comeback. Domantas Sabonis had a triple-double with 17 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists. Keegan Murray had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out.

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Former Raptor DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 33 points.

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TAKEAWAYS

Sacramento: Although Fox’s 14-point outburst in the fourth quarter carried the Kings to overtime, his three-point shooting cost them. He was 0 for 10 from beyond the arc — including a game-tying attempt with 2.1 seconds left in overtime — and a big reason why Sacramento’s comeback bid failed.

Toronto: Finishing off opponents continues to be an issue for the Raptors who are still without all-star forward Scottie Barnes and starting point guard Immanuel Quickley. Toronto led by as much as 13 but were outscored 34-24 in the fourth quarter as the Kings forced the extra period.

KEY MOMENT

Dick swatted the ball away from Fox with 57.1 seconds left in overtime, bouncing a pass to a streaking Barrett. The Canadian swingman laid the ball in for a three-point lead and then made his free throw after he was fouled on the play. DeRozan answered with a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, but Dick had a floating seven-foot jumper to maintain Toronto’s three-point lead on a night when Vince Carter’s No. 15 jersey was retired.

KEY STAT

Toronto has struggled from three-point range all season, only making 31.5 per cent of their shots from beyond the arc in the season, 27th in the NBA, heading into Saturday night. Boucher (4 for 6) and Agbaji (4 for 5) carried the Raptors to a 17-for-37 three-pointer performance (45.9 per cent) against Sacramento.

UP NEXT

The Raptors travel to Denver to take on reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on Monday.

Sacramento continues its East Coast swing with a stop on Monday against the Miami Heat.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2024.

&© 2024 The Canadian Press