TORONTO – When the Toronto Raptors announced their starting lineup against the San Antonio Spurs, there was a small surprise at centre with rookie Collin Murray-Boyles taking the tipoff as an alternative of veteran Jakob Poeltl.
The seven-foot, 253-pound Poeltl is the tallest player on the Raptors by three inches and the heaviest by eight kilos. He’s also one of the experienced players on Toronto’s roster and would presumably have the opportunity to provide seven-foot-four Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama a tough time.
Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic had other plans, nevertheless.
“Our focus was to be physical with them usually, particularly Wemby,” said Poeltl of the strategy. “We all know when he finds his rhythm and may play free, he’s a very good basketball player, a very good shotmaker.
“We attempt to make it as hard on him as possible and physicality was an enormous a part of that.”
On a person level, the plan worked. Wembanyama was limited to 12 points but had seven rebounds and five blocks. Poeltl finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
Toronto got here up short overall, losing to San Antonio 110-107 on Wednesday, their second loss in a row. The Raptors dropped a 116-107 decision to the Oklahoma City Thunder the day before as Toronto hosted the highest two teams within the NBA’s Western Conference on back-to-back nights.
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“I’m satisfied, but not comfortable,” said Rajakovic. “I believed that on a back to back, playing against such a great team, we actually gave them a hell of a fight over there.
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“I believed that we did a very good job, made it really hard, on their essential guys. Did in addition to you possibly can do against Wembanyama.”
The 22-year-old Wembanyama was the primary overall pick within the NBA’s 2023 draft. He was the 2024 Rookie of the Yr and is a two-time all-star. He was averaging 24.2 points, 11.3 rebounds and a couple of.8 blocks per game heading into the sport against Toronto.
Poeltl appreciated Rajakovic’s strategic gambit against the Spurs’ dominant centre.
“I actually don’t mind either way,” said Poeltl. “They wanted CMB to be really aggressive with Wemby.
“I don’t mind. I like fidgeting with the bench unit. I like fidgeting with the starters. I’ll determine a technique to slot in.”
Toronto led the Spurs by as many as 15 points in the sport and had a 12-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter. San Antonio opened the ultimate period on a 15-2 tear to take back control of the sport.
Rajakovic had chosen not to place all-stars Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes on the ground to begin the fourth.
“Brandon never starts the fourth quarter because he played for your entire third quarter,” said Rajakovic, who noted that Barnes had aggravated a right quad contusion he’d suffered on Tuesday against the Thunder. “(Barnes) was really playing through the pain, so he was in constant communication with us.
“He was saying, ‘if you happen to guys don’t should play me, try to maintain the momentum.’ So we had that technical communication.”
Ingram had a double-double with 20 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. Barnes scored 15.
It was the fifth time this season Toronto had lost after holding a double-digit lead, essentially the most within the NBA.
The loss dropped the Raptors to 4-15 against the league’s top 10 teams with three of those wins against the Cleveland Cavaliers before they acquired 11-time all-star James Harden in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 4.
“I believe this is sweet for us, especially me,” said Toronto point guard Immanuel Quickley. “I feel like just the last couple games I actually have gone against some really good defenders.
“This is sweet for me and for the remainder of our team, just with the ability to get a taste of that have of teams which are being really physical, especially the great teams.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press