RJ Barrett shined in his fourth game with the Toronto Raptors, scoring a season-high 37 points and leading his new team to a 133-118 victory over the Golden State Warriors during Sunday night’s NBA action.
Barrett, who joined the Raptors from the Knicks on December 30 and debuted on New Year’s Day, showcased his learning and adaptation to the Raptors’ system.
“I’m trying to play the right way and help my teammates,” Barrett said. “A lot of learning going on. I’m still learning the defensive system, trying to get better at that every day watching film. But I’m just trying to help, that’s all I’m trying to do.”
On the other hand, Stephen Curry had a notably poor performance, finishing with just nine points and missing all his nine 3-point attempts, one of his lowest-scoring games this season.
Barrett’s impressive performance included shooting 13 for 20 from the floor, along with six rebounds and six assists. Chris Boucher, a former Warrior, also contributed significantly off the bench with 17 points and nine rebounds. Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic praised Barrett’s playmaking and attack approach.
“I thought RJ was great today,” coach Darko Rajakovic said. “Obviously he scored a lot but I was really proud of his playmaking. He had six assists, he played unselfishly, he was trying to make the right plays every time down the court and also I really liked the force he was attacking the rim. That’s something that we talked about.”
NBA NEWS & SCORES: RJ Barrett, Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors Updates
Klay Thompson scored 25 points for the Warriors, who struggled to find their rhythm, particularly as Curry missed his first seven shots. Golden State also faced the setback of losing veteran guard Chris Paul to a broken left hand.
“Defensively I thought that we were very disruptive, we really wanted to get them out of their rhythm and their patterns,” Rajakovic said.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: RJ Barrett, Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors Updates
The Warriors, who also saw Draymond Green return from a 12-game suspension, couldn’t recover from an early deficit, trailing by 27 points at halftime. Golden State’s 39.2% shooting and poor 3-point performance (14-46) led to fans expressing their disappointment.
“We got punched in the mouth right away,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “They just took it to us.”
Otto Porter Jr., now with the Raptors, received his 2022 championship ring from Curry before the game, earning a warm ovation from the Chase Center crowd.
NBA NEWS & SCORES: RJ Barrett, Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors Updates
The Raptors led from the start, going 7-0 initially and maintaining the lead throughout the game, ending the Warriors’ three-game home winning streak against them.
Looking ahead, the Raptors will face the Lakers on Tuesday night, while the Warriors will host the Pelicans on Wednesday night.
