RJ Barrett settling in after trade, leads Raptors past Warriors 133-118
Jan 7, 2024, 8:13 PM | Updated: Jan 8, 2024, 7:11 am
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 07: RJ Barrett #9 of the Toronto Raptors goes to the basket against Kevon Looney #5 of the Golden State Warriors in the third quarter at Chase Center on January 07, 2024 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
RJ Barrett exploded for a season-high 37 points as the Toronto Raptors won for the third time in four games by beating the Golden State Warriors 133-118 on Sunday night in San Francisco.
Acquired from the New York Knicks on Dec. 30 along with Immanuel Quickley, Barrett connected on 13 of 20 shots, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range, in the third-highest scoring game of his career.
Quickley chipped in with a game-high 10 assists to go with nine points for Toronto, which has wins over the Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies during a 3-1 run since the trade that saw it send OG Anunoby to the Knicks.
Barrett bombed in a 3-pointer 12 seconds into the game and the Raptors never gave up the lead. Facing a Warriors team without Draymond Green and Chris Paul, they scored the game’s first seven points in just 56 seconds, then went on to lead by as many as 14 in the first quarter and 27 in the second.
Despite going without a 3-pointer from Stephen Curry, the Warriors closed within 96-87 in the final minute of the third on a pair of Jonathan Kuminga free throws. But Toronto scored the final five points of the period and was never seriously threatened in the fourth.
Barrett also found time for six rebounds and six assists on a night where he fell nine points shy of his career-high point total (46), set in February of 2022 against the Miami Heat.
Jakob Poeltl recorded a double-double for Toronto with 14 points and a game-high-tying 11 rebounds, while Chris Boucher had 17 points and Pascal Siakam added 16.
With Boucher hitting all seven of his shots, including all three of his 3-pointers, the Raptors scorched the nets at a 58.5 percent rate overall. They connected on 45.5 percent of their 3-pointers.
Curry finished with just nine points, going 2-for-14 overall and 0-for-9 on 3-pointers, the second time in his past 11 games that he failed to make a 3. Before missing all eight of his attempts at Portland on Dec. 17, he had set an NBA record with at least one in 268 straight games.
Klay Thompson paced the Warriors with 25 points, hitting five of his seven 3-point attempts. Trayce Jackson-Davis matched Poeltl’s 11-rebound total as part of a double-double with 16 points, and Moses Moody supplied 21 points.
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