By Canadian Press

Raptors trying to ‘out-team the other team’ with new-found depth off the bench

Oct 25, 2024 | 9:38 PM

TORONTO — Toronto rookie Jamison Battle received a loud ovation from the remaining Raptors fans at Scotiabank Arena on Friday after he fouled out in less than 15 minutes of playing time.

The gesture wasn’t cynical, but a tribute to what he and a Raptors bench that included three other rookies accomplished in a 115-107 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Battle had 12 points and six rebounds before he earned his sixth foul to get drummed out of the game.

“Felt good, just to know I can contribute to a team win,” Battle said of the ovation. “That’s all I really care about … just coming out here and doing what I can to help this team win.”

Battle and the rest of Toronto’s reserves were called on to help a rotation significantly thinned by injuries.

Head coach Darko Rajakovic said pre-game that point guard Immanuel Quickley (right pelvic contusion) would miss the game. Quickley joined RJ Barrett (sprained shoulder) of Mississauga, Ont., Kelly Olynyk (back) of Kamloops, B.C., Bruce Brown (arthroscopic knee surgery), and Ja’Kobe Walter (sprained shoulder) on the inactive list.

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The referees also took the starters of both teams out of the game, issuing 66 personal fouls in the game. Both teams ended up scoring more free throws than field goals, with the Raptors going 39 for 46 (84.8 per cent) from the charity stripe and Philadelphia shooting 40 of 53 (75.5 per cent).

Starters Jakob Poeltl, Gradey Dick and Davion Mitchell all got into foul trouble as they tried to grind down the Sixers’ offence.

Toronto’s bench stepped up in their absence, outscoring Philly’s reserves 41-19.

“We’re a team, and that’s what we have to hang our hat on,” said Battle, who was playing in only his second NBA game. “That’s what our identity has to be: we have to out-team other teams.

“We may not have the most talent in the room but we’ve got a lot of people who, if we bring it together, (with) five guys connected out there on the court, we can be really scary.”

Dick and Mitchell also fouled out, leading to Jamal Shead and Jonathan Mogbo — two of Toronto’s four picks from this past summer’s NBA Draft — each playing over 23 minutes.

“I feel like everybody on the bench is ready for their name to get called,” said Mogbo, who had 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes of play. “I feel like we did a great job with it as a team.

“Everybody was ready to play tonight.”

Rajakovic said that he worked hard in the off-season to create a sense of togetherness and it paid off on Friday because everyone has bought in.

“We’ve had a lot of guys that were not planning to be in the rotation, but in the end — they end up cracking the rotation and helping the team,” he said. “This is a team that’s together.

“I told them tonight we out-teamed them and that’s one thing I was proud of.”

Although the 76ers threatened to tie the game right until the very end, many fans left the arena early with the Gardiner Expressway, the highway along Toronto’s lakefront that runs beside Scotiabank Arena, closing an hour after the final whistle for construction.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2024.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press