close
close

Le-verdict

News with a Local Lens

Canada’s Barrett scores 31 points as Raptors hold off Kings for 131-128 overtime victory
minsta

Canada’s Barrett scores 31 points as Raptors hold off Kings for 131-128 overtime victory

TORONTO — RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., had 31 points and was one rebound away from a double-double as the Toronto Raptors held off the Sacramento Kings for a 131-128 overtime victory on Saturday.

TORONTO — RJ Barrett of Mississauga, Ont., had 31 points and was one rebound away from a double-double as the Toronto Raptors held off the Sacramento Kings for a 131-128 overtime victory 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, his most since the 2020-21 season.

De’Aaron Fox had 24 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, as Sacramento (3-3) mounted 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.

Former Raptor DeMar DeRozan led all scorers with 33 points.

TAKE AWAY

Sacramento: Although Fox’s 14-point fourth-quarter explosion sent the Kings into overtime, his three-point shooting cost them dearly. He was 0 of 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 attempt failed.

Toronto: Finishing off opponents continues to be a problem for the Raptors who are still without star forward Scottie Barnes and starting point guard Immanuel Quickley. Toronto led by 13 points, but was outscored 34-24 in the fourth quarter as the Kings forced overtime.

KEY MOMENT

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

KEY STATUS

Toronto has struggled from three-point range all season, making just 31.5 percent of its shots from beyond the arc on the season, 27th in the NBA, before Saturday night. Boucher (4 of 6) and Agbaji (4 of 5) lifted the Raptors to a 17 of 37 (45.9%) three-point performance against Sacramento.

FOLLOWING

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

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

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

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press