Immanuel Quickley scored 25 points, RJ Barrett added 21, and the Toronto Raptors defeated Houston 107-104 on Friday night, their fourth consecutive home victory over the Rockets.
The Raptors won their second straight game after losing eight of nine, with Jakob Poeltl scoring 16 points and 12 rebounds and Scottie Barnes adding 13 points and 10 rebounds. Toronto, coming off a win over Charlotte on Wednesday, has not won consecutive games since beating Cleveland on January 1 and Memphis on January 3.
Barnes was 4 for 16 and nearly missed a triple-double, contributing eight of Toronto’s 24 assists.
“I thought his playmaking tonight was outstanding,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. “He was finding his teammates.”
Barrett’s seven assists were a season high.
Toronto’s largest advantage was 22 points until Houston closed the gap to one, 105-104, on a 3-pointer by Dillon Brooks in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter. Barrett replied with two free throws.
Houston’s Aaron Holiday missed a 3-pointer with five seconds left to tie the game. The Rockets got the ball back, but veteran forward Jeff Green missed the final attempt.
“We put ourselves in a good position,” Green explained. “Some shots land, some don’t. You must live with the consequences.”
Brooks scored 11 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, while Jabari Smith Jr. added 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Rockets. Cam Whitmore scored 17 points before exiting with a sprained right ankle as Houston lost its fourth consecutive away game. Houston is 5-19 away from home.
The Rockets have lost three straight games since defeating Toronto at home on February 2.
“We just played this team a week ago and didn’t have a lot of carryover,” Houston coach Ime Udoka explained.
Former Raptors guard Fred VanVleet missed his second straight game due to a strained left adductor, passing up the opportunity to play in the city where he spent the first seven years of his career and won an NBA championship in 2019.
Udoka stated earlier this week that VanVleet will most likely not return until closer to the All-Star break.
During the first break of the game, the Raptors honored VanVleet with a video tribute, prompting a standing ovation from the crowd. VanVleet stepped onto the court and raised his hands in thankfulness.
Toronto newcomers Ochai Agbaji and Kelly Olynyk, who were acquired from Utah on Thursday, were active but did not play.
The Raptors took advantage of eight Houston mistakes to score 10 baskets in the first quarter, leading 34-20.
“We’ve got to bring that intensity from the beginning,” Brooks told reporters. “Our starters, including myself, were a little slow in the beginning. “We can’t dig ourselves those kinds of holes.”
Whitmore scored 15 points in the second quarter, which saw the Rockets take their first lead of the game after a 19-2 run. Toronto rallied to lead 61-49 at halftime and 88-71 entering the fourth quarter.
