TORONTO — In an exciting matchup, RJ Barrett delivered a standout performance with 31 points, and Chris Boucher notched a personal best this season with 24 points, leading the Toronto Raptors to a thrilling 131-128 overtime victory over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night.
Ochai Agbaji also shone for Toronto, contributing a season-high of 22 points, alongside Gradey Dick, who matched Agbaji’s efforts with 22 points of his own. On the opposing side, Domantas Sabonis recorded a triple-double with 17 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists, marking his 60th career triple-double. However, his efforts fell short of keeping the Kings’ three-game winning streak intact.
Former Raptor DeMar DeRozan had a strong night for Sacramento, racking up 33 points but was unable to secure crucial 3-pointers in the final minute of overtime. After DeRozan’s initial miss, Barrett’s two missed free throws with nine seconds remaining set the stage for a dramatic finish. Sacramento’s last possession ended with both DeRozan and De’Aaron Fox failing to convert 3-point attempts. While Fox managed to score 14 of his total 24 points in the fourth quarter, he was unable to score in overtime.
Malik Monk contributed 21 points off the bench for the Kings, while Keegan Murray added 16 points before fouling out and grabbing 10 rebounds. A key highlight of the night occurred during halftime when the Raptors honored their former star Vince Carter by retiring his iconic No. 15 jersey.
Takeaways from the game include a closer look at the Kings’ performance; Fox struggled early with his shooting, going 3 for 11 through the first three quarters, but notably turned it around in the fourth, making 5 of 9 attempts. Despite this, he couldn’t connect on any of his 11 attempts from beyond the arc. For the Raptors, this victory marked their first win in three games since losing All-Star Scottie Barnes to a right orbital fracture, with expectations that he will be sidelined for at least three weeks.
A pivotal moment in the match occurred when Barrett sank one of two free throws with just over 10 seconds left in regulation, giving Toronto a narrow lead. However, Sabonis’ alert play led to him tipping in a missed putback just three seconds before the end of the fourth quarter, allowing the game to go into overtime.
An impressive statistic highlighted that the Raptors achieved a season-high by making 17 three-pointers during the contest. Looking ahead, the Kings are set to face off against Miami on Monday, while the Raptors will kick off a five-game road trip in Denver on the same night.
