Raptors gain some revenge with blowout win over Pelicans

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Back home for the first time since March 15, the Toronto Raptors badly needed a victory. After going 2-3 on a long road trip, the Raptors easily took care of the offensively ghastly New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.

Scottie Barnes dominated, most of the other Raptors were good offensively, and the Pelicans struggled to shoot 40% from the field in a 119-106 Toronto win.

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There was only one lead change in the game as the superior team cruised and never appeared threatened.

Zion Williamson led New Orleans with 22 points.

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Some takeaways:

CHANGING IT UP

Immanuel Quickley missed his third game in a row because of plantar fasciitis, and the absence of the starting point guard forced the Raptors to make some changes. Barnes has spent lots of time over the years acting as the club’s defacto point guard on offence, even though he’s a power forward, although it hasn’t happened too often this season. But head coach Darko Rajakovic elected to start Barnes at the point and move Jamal Shead to the bench, with wing Ja’Kobe Walter also starting. Without top shooter Quickley, the Raptors hoped Walter, who had been on fire from beyond the arc in March (48.9% on three-pointers in 12 games) would keep rolling. That came to pass, with Walter scoring 18 points, the same as three other Raptors. Walter nailed four three-pointers.

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Barnes directed the offence and picked up seven assists in his first 14 minutes of action, before finishing with 12 assists, to go along with 23 points on 10-for-14 shooting (with zero three-point attempts). Barnes collected his career-best 27th double-double this season.

Rajakovic even gave sparkplug scorer A.J. Lawson a few first-half minutes, his first action since March 3. Lawson has averaged over 21 points a game for Raptors 905 and later Rajakovic tried Jamison Battle, who is probably the team’s most talented shooter.

The Raptors picked up 31 assists on their first 39 baskets.

SO MUCH FOR DRAMA

The thinking coming in was there might be some sparks in this one since Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray had taunted Shead after dropping him on a crossover and then standing over him when the teams played on March 11. The Raptors did not respond well to the incident, with only Immanuel Quickley even confronting Murray at all. Later they lamented the lack of response and Rajakovic even expressed disappointment.

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So paying fans might have expected some drama, but it wasn’t to be. Pelicans head coach James Borrego decided to play Murray on Thursday at Detroit, and Murray is not expected to play any back-to-backs this season as he works his way back from a major injury.

That meant Murray was out for the rematch.

How did the Raptors react to the news? It was shrugs all around. Their focus was on securing a key win with only 10 regular-season games remaining entering play Friday. Toronto has something to play for, New Orleans, with its high first-round pick already traded and no shot at the play-in or playoffs, does not.

The Pelicans are banking on their two lottery picks, Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, becoming really good at some point, but both were brutal in this one.

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INGRAM REWRITING HIS STORY

Brandon Ingram, like most of his teammates, was beset by injuries during his six years with New Orleans. His 64 games played in 2023-24 were his most there, and last year Ingram was held to 18 before a severe ankle injury ended his season months early and before his trade to Toronto.

There are no questions about Ingram’s basketball abilities, he’s one of the more gifted scorers the Raptors have employed over the years, but his availability has always been a major concern and was one of the biggest reasons the Pelicans moved on from their one-time star.

But Ingram has been rewriting the narrative as a Raptor. Friday was his 70th game, the first time he has hit that mark since 2016-17, when he was a 19-year-old rookie with the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers. Ingram already had set a new high for minutes played even before Friday’s tip, ranking 12th in the entire NBA. Ingram has set new personal highs for total points, blocks, and rebounds, blocks per game and defensive win shares.

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Ingram was mostly quiet against his former team Friday, with only 13 points.

AROUND THE RIM

Toronto shot 3-for-10 from three-point range in the first half, but New Orleans went just 4-for-19, a big reason they trailed 59-44 at the break. Walter actually went 2-for-4 for the Raptors in the half, the rest of the team was 1-for-6. Saddiq Bey hit half of the Pelicans’ three-pointers. Toronto then hit 3-of-6 in the third quarter, New Orleans only 1-of-5 … Collin Murray-Boyles left in the second half because of back spasms … Toronto’s win and Atlanta’s loss in Boston left the Raptors and Hawks tied at 41 wins, though Atlanta has one more loss so remained in sixth in the East, half a game behind Toronto. Miami lost to Cleveland and dropped to 10th … Toronto hosts Orlando Sunday. The Magic will enter two games back of the Raptors.

@WolstatSun

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