NBA: Raptors hope long-range scoring punch continues against Kings

Two teams that were on opposite ends of high-scoring games Tuesday night won’t get much rest before meeting again. The Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings complete their back-to-back schedule with a head-to-head matchup Wednesday night in Sacramento.

Toronto overcame the league’s worst 3-point shooting percentage entering the game (33.6%) and relied on a standout performance from Immanuel Quickley. The Raptors shot 21-for-34 from beyond the arc and rolled past the Golden State Warriors 145-127 in San Francisco.

Meanwhile, in Sacramento, the Kings watched the visiting Miami Heat deliver a long-range shooting display, making 21 of 42 shots from deep in a 130-117 victory.

Both teams were able to spread minutes broadly during the first night of the back-to-back. Toronto used all 12 available players, while Sacramento played 10 players for at least 19 minutes each.

Mission accomplished, Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said.

“We are at the end of January and we know what those dog days look like before the All-Star break,” he told reporters in San Francisco. “We’re trying to be very conscientious about minutes and usage of our guys in those games before All-Star.”

Raptors’ Stars Shine in Big Win

Three Raptors played 34 or more minutes against the Warriors, largely because the team was delivering an impressive performance.

Quickley matched his career-high with 40 points in 34 minutes. Scottie Barnes added 26 points in 39 minutes, while Brandon Ingram scored 22 points in 36 minutes. The trio combined to shoot 31-for-48 overall. Toronto finished the night shooting 59.3% from the field and 61.8% from 3-point range.

Barnes also recorded a game-high 11 assists, leading Rajakovic to compare the effort to NBA great Wilt Chamberlain.

“When I look back at NBA history and see that Wilt Chamberlain was averaging 48.1 minutes in one season and playing all the overtimes, I’m a little bit jealous of those old times,” Rajakovic said. “But the game is different nowadays, and definitely we have that in mind. I’m thinking about Scottie’s usage quite a bit.”

He added, “I don’t know if there’s another player in the history of the game that one night plays point guard, the other night he’s a wing, and the fourth night he’s playing center. Just not for one or two possessions, but it’s a main role in the game. Scottie’s doing that for us and he’s outstanding trying to manage all of those different roles.”

Kings Coach Defends Rotation Strategy

After Sacramento’s second straight home loss, Kings coach Doug Christie defended his decision to keep star guard Zach LaVine on the bench for most of the second half.

“We’re trying to find a rhythm and find a group that is stopping people at the same time,” Christie said. “We didn’t have a problem scoring tonight. We need to stop somebody.”

LaVine finished with 18 points in 22 minutes. Domantas Sabonis, returning from a 27-game absence due to a knee injury, played just 17 minutes — raising questions about his availability for Wednesday’s game.

Sabonis scored six points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his limited time, which was shorter than his previous two comeback games, when he played 21 and 20 minutes.

—Field Level Media/Reuters