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Published Jan 22, 2026 • 4 minute read
Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley is fouled
Toronto Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley is fouled by Sacramento Kings guard Malik Monk (0) during the first half of an NBA game on Jan. 21, 2026, in Sacramento, Calif. Photo by Justine Willard /The Associated Press
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What to glean from the Raptors’ 122-109 win over an inferior Sacramento Kings team, and what to make of a roster that continues to be plagued by injuries, are open for debate.
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As long as Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes are on the floor together, the Raptors will also have a chance, regardless of the health of the lineup.
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In Sacramento late Wednesday night, Toronto was led by its starters, who more than compensated from a bench that had its issues.
Toronto wasn’t very good in the opening half, but it was good in the second half to beat the Kings.
The win was deserving, but the night did feature enough poor stretches to remind the Raptors of the work that remains to be completed.
The following are three takeaways from a night the Raptors completed a successful back-to-back set as their record improved to 27-19, a far cry from the team’s 30-win season in 2024-25:
1. I.Q. and A
Everyone was wondering what Immanuel Quickley would do as an encore.
Tuesday night against the host Golden State Warriors, the hoopster known as I.Q. put together a career game in terms of efficiency when he scored 40 points, which tied his career high, on just 13 attempts from the field.
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Part of the reason for his big night was the Raptors’ decision to start Jamal Shead, allowing Quickley to play off the ball.
He did record 10 assists.
Another part to I.Q.’s production was Golden State’s poor transition defence.
The Raptors went with the Quickley-Shead guard combo against the Kings as Toronto went with its ninth different starting group in as many games.
Gradey Dick made his first start of the season in the Warriors win, while Sandro Mamukelashvili started against the Kings.
This fluidity to the starting group will one day stabilize with some of the team’s injured players expected back.
RJ Barrett (ankle) and Ja’Kobe Walter (hip) are expected to return either Friday or Sunday when the Raptors close out their five-game trip.
There’s less certainty on when rookie Collin Murray-Boyles, who injured his left thumb Sunday in the Raptors’ loss to the Lakers on a Luka Doncic attempted swipe of the basketball, will be back.
And there remains even more uncertainty on when Jakob Poeltl will be available.
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The big man and his troublesome back returned to Toronto to see a specialist.
Poeltl last played on Dec. 21 when the Raptors were in Brooklyn.
On the season, he has appeared in 21 games.
As for Quickley, who has experienced his own back issues, he was not as explosive against the Kings as he was against Golden State, which was to be expected.
He made his first six three-pointers against the Warriors, but missed all three of his attempts from distance in the opening half against the Kings.
Quickley checked in with seven points in the first half and 18 for the night.
2. Shot in the Dark
An undermanned roster doesn’t help, but neither does a roster composition when fully healthy that is short on shooters.
Perhaps a move of some kind is on the horizon as the NBA’s Feb. 5 trade deadline nears.
Perhaps someone on the roster will step up and make shots.
It’s little wonder why so many opponents resort to a zone defence.
Ball movement, having players flash to the high post, using the dribble to drive to the middle, those are the common options when attacking a zone defence.
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The most fundamental is draining jumpers.
The Kings led 61-52 at intermission, 24 minutes that would see the Raptors make 37% of their attempts.
Toronto’s second unit accounted for only 10 points on a combined 4-for-15 shooting.
Dick missed five of his seven shots, a handful coming off open looks.
The Raptors regrouped at the break and were the better team in the third quarter, which ended on a 20-7 Toronto run.
3. DeRozan on the Move?
It didn’t take long for the rumor mill to churn out a nugget linking one-time Raptors DeMar DeRozan to the Golden State Warriors.
Hard to believe DeRozan was a teenager when the Raptors drafted him in the first round out of USC.
He’s 36 now.
He’s no Jimmy Butler from a defensive perspective, but DeRozan’s mid-range game is second to none.
Butler’s season-ending knee injury has thrown the Warriors into no-man’s land, a team that will have to pick a direction as the trade deadline approaches.
Jonathan Kuminga has asked to be traded out of the Bay Area.
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Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis also has been mentioned in trade talk.
The big man was unavailable for the Kings on Wednesday because of injury management.
Sabonis just returned from an extended absence in the wake of a partially torn meniscus in his left knee.
The Kings entered their game against the Raptors at 12-32, the second-worst record in the Western Conference.
Up Next
Following an off day, the Raptors continue their road trip with a Friday night tip in Portland, where the Trail Blazers will complete a home back-to-back set; Portland enters its game Thursday against Miami on a three-game win streak to improve to 22-22; one of the NBA’s most improved players has been Deni Avdija; Shaedon Sharpe’s ascension has seen the Canadian average 21.8 points this season.
fzicarelli@postmedia.com
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Raptors play like road warriors in beatdown of shell-shocked Golden State](https://torontosun.com/sports/basketball/nba/toronto-raptors/raptors-play-like-road-warriors-golden-state-warriors)
2. [Deandre Ayton of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks the ball against Collin Murray-Boyles of the Toronto Raptors during the second quarter at Crypto.com Arena on Jan. 18, 2026 in Los Angeles.
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