Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
MONTREAL – On a night when Toronto Raptors stars Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley didn’t fit in at all, hometown favorite Chris Boucher emerged in Montreal.
Boucher produced 13 points and six rebounds off the bench as the Raptors defeated the Washington Wizards 125-98 in their preseason opener at the Bell Center on Sunday.
The longest-serving Raptors went 5-for-9 from the floor in 17 minutes in front of “too many” friends and family in the sold-out crowd of 21,900 after the team held training camp at the Université du Quebec à Montréal all week.
“The fans support us, they embrace us when we’re in town, and you can feel the love,” Boucher said of his second NBA preseason game in the city. “It’s hard for me not to give it back when they support me all the way. So I’m glad we got the win. I’m glad we played well and to our standards and were able to give them a good show.”
RJ Barrett led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting in 14 minutes – all in the first half – before leaving the game with a bruised right shoulder after running into a screen by Wizards big man Jonas Valanciunas .
Head coach Darko Rajaković said Barrett would be further evaluated on Monday.
Gradey Dick, Kelly Olynyk, Jamal Shead, Jahmi’us Ramsey and Jamison Battle added 10 points each for the Raptors. Shead and Davion Mitchell combined for nine assists and one turnover with starting point guard Quickley absent.
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Jordan Poole led Washington with 16 points and six assists. The forward of the Swiss-Canadian Wizards, Kyshawn George, whose father Dean is from Montreal, scored eight points.
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The 24th overall pick in this year’s draft got his first taste of the NBA in front of a pack of family in the stands – including his grandparents.
“Just as amazing as I imagined, it was a blessing to be able to spend my first game in front of my family,” he said. “This is the first time they’ve seen me play in real life, too. So overall it’s a blessing, and seeing them then on the court is amazing.”
Loud spectators included newlyweds Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey of the PWHL’s Montreal Victoire, four-time Canadian Olympian Natalie Achonwa and former Raptors goalie Vince Carter.
Carter, who will be the first player in Raptors franchise history to have his number retired on Nov. 2, received the loudest ovation of the night.
“The arena over here is very big. Someone told me it was 21,000 seats. They are very steep, so you can really feel that the crowd is over the whole team,” said Rajaković. “Being here in Montreal for a couple of days was great.”
Barnes missed the start of camp for personal reasons and rejoined the team on Saturday, while starting point guard Quickley is nursing a sprained thumb.
Boucher – who grew up in the borough of Montréal Nord – also took the Bell Center floor to a hero’s welcome when the Raptors played an exhibition game against the Brooklyn Nets in October 2018.
The Raptors last played a preseason game in Montreal against the Boston Celtics in 2022, but Boucher was out with a hamstring injury.
Boucher and George addressed the crowd from center court to give tips before the Raptors went on a roll.
Led by Barrett and Dick, the Raptors opened on a 13-2 run less than four minutes into the game before Boucher and George tallied six minutes into the first quarter to more applause.
Boucher’s dunk with 1:49 left helped the Raptors jump out to a 34-16 lead after the first quarter.
“We weren’t thrilled with our start,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “The second quarter was much better, much better defensive mentality. The game went a little up and down in the third for both teams, but we were more competitive. But the start hurt us a lot. A lot to learn from this game.”
In the second quarter, Boucher hit a three while Barrett hit two layups and a shot from beyond the arc as Toronto kept up the score. The Raptors led 56-38 at halftime.
Boucher scored eight points in the third quarter, but the Wizards cut the Raptors’ lead to 15 with multiple baskets by Alexandre Sarr and George.
Both teams went deep down their benches in the fourth quarter. Toronto’s Battle scored eight points in a hurry with two threes and a layup as the Raptors cruised to the sweeping victory.
UP NEXT
The Raptors visit the Wizards in a rematch on Friday before home-and-home series with the Boston Celtics on Oct. 13 and Oct. 15. They will finish the preseason against the Nets in Brooklyn on Oct. 18.
Toronto ends its 30th anniversary season at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 23.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on October 6, 2024.
& copy 2024 The Canadian Press
(Except translation, this story has not been edited by achinews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
source link https://globalnews.ca/news/10797551/raps-beat-wizards-in-montreal-to-open-pre-season/
