TORONTO — A thrilling performance by A.J. Lawson and the Toronto Raptors unfolded in a memorable game marked by record-setting rebounding. Lawson achieved a career-best 32 points, bolstered by seven successful 3-pointers, and contributed significantly with 12 rebounds. His efforts were part of a collective success, as the Raptors had four players each recording double-doubles in their 119-104 victory against Washington on Monday night. This achievement was a first for the team, as they had never before seen a quartet with at least 10 rebounds each in a single game.
Reflecting on the performance, Lawson, a Toronto native playing only his tenth game with the Raptors under a two-way contract, shared, “I’ve probably been dreaming about this, who knows how long, since I first touched a basketball. I’m a Toronto kid. … To have a performance like this, it just means everything.”
The team set a new single-game franchise record with 73 rebounds, the highest tally by any NBA team this season. Impressively, it marked the most in a regulation game since they entered the league three decades ago. Joining the rebounding feat was fellow Toronto-born player RJ Barrett, who added 14 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists. Scottie Barnes and Orlando Robinson also shone, contributing 14 points and 13 rebounds, and 13 points and 11 rebounds, respectively.
“It’s like a full-circle moment. We’ve been playing together since middle school,” Lawson said in reference to Barrett. “Just being on the court with him as a Raptor, both Canadians, what a blessing.”
The Raptors, holding a 22-43 record, notched more than 20 offensive rebounds for the third consecutive game, a feat that sets a franchise record, though the significance is mixed. With 28 offensive rebounds against Washington, they capitalized on their shooting opportunities, despite a modest 39.5% success rate on 43-of-109 field goals, tying their high for attempts this season. Their efforts resulted in 33 second-chance points.
In their previous encounter, a narrow 118-117 loss to the league’s bottom-standing Wizards, Toronto amassed 35 second-chance points with 22 offensive rebounds.
Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic remarked, “It would not be fair to say that we did anything different today than we do the whole season. Yes, we are focusing a lot on offensive rebounding, and we also focus on offensive rebounding in many games.”
He added, “I don’t think it was just the message tonight. Also, we did not shoot the ball necessarily well. We got a big number of shots up, so those were opportunities for us to be more aggressive and then get those.”
