Toronto rookie Jamison Battle received a loud ovation from the remaining Raptors fans at Scotiabank Arena on Friday after he fouled out in lower than quarter-hour of playing time.
The gesture wasn’t cynical, but a tribute to what he and a Raptors bench that included three other rookies achieved in a 115-107 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Battle had 12 points and 6 rebounds before he earned his sixth foul to get drummed out of the sport.
“Felt good, simply to know I can contribute to a team win,” Battle said of the ovation. “That’s all I actually care about … just coming out here and doing what I can to assist this team win.”
Battle and the remainder of Toronto’s reserves were called on to assist a rotation significantly thinned by injuries.
Head coach Darko Rajakovic said pre-game that time guard Immanuel Quickley (right pelvic contusion) would miss the sport. Quickley joined RJ Barrett (sprained shoulder) of Mississauga, Ont., Kelly Olynyk (back) of Kamloops, B.C., Bruce Brown (arthroscopic knee surgery), and Ja’Kobe Walter (sprained shoulder) on the inactive list.
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The referees also took the starters of each teams out of the sport, issuing 66 personal fouls in the sport. Each teams ended up scoring more free throws than field goals, with the Raptors going 39 for 46 (84.8 per cent) from the charity stripe and Philadelphia shooting 40 of 53 (75.5 per cent).
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Starters Jakob Poeltl, Gradey Dick and Davion Mitchell all got into foul trouble as they tried to grind down the Sixers’ offence.
Toronto’s bench stepped up of their absence, outscoring Philly’s reserves 41-19.
“We’re a team, and that’s what we’ve to hold our hat on,” said Battle, who was playing in just his second NBA game. “That’s what our identity needs to be: we’ve to out-team other teams.
“We may not have probably the most talent within the room but we’ve got plenty of individuals who, if we bring it together, (with) five guys connected on the market on the court, we may be really scary.”
Dick and Mitchell also fouled out, resulting in Jamal Shead and Jonathan Mogbo — two of Toronto’s 4 picks from this past summer’s NBA Draft — each playing over 23 minutes.
“I feel like everybody on the bench is prepared for his or her name to get called,” said Mogbo, who had 12 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 24 minutes of play. “I feel like we did a terrific job with it as a team.
“Everybody was able to play tonight.”
Rajakovic said that he worked hard within the off-season to create a way of togetherness and it paid off on Friday because everyone has bought in.
“We’ve had plenty of guys that weren’t planning to be within the rotation, but in the long run — they find yourself cracking the rotation and helping the team,” he said. “It is a team that’s together.
“I told them tonight we out-teamed them and that’s one thing I used to be pleased with.”
Although the 76ers threatened to tie the sport right until the very end, many fans left the world early with the Gardiner Expressway, the highway along Toronto’s lakefront that runs beside Scotiabank Arena, closing an hour after the ultimate whistle for construction.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
