Toronto Raptors Media Availability | Postgame at Utah Jazz | January 12, 2024

Toronto Raptors Media Availability | Postgame at Utah Jazz | January 12, 2024

I mean last game over six game six game Road Trip um tough um I me personally I’m tired of road trips but uh no I mean it was you know they they came out they played well you got to give them credit um they played well from the beginning

Of the game they made a lot of shots uh made a lot of tough shots and um you know I think for us we we have to continue to just you know learn and fight through through everything through adversity you know um I played like garbage today so I’ll take that one for

Sure how difficult is it to play without your big man out there on the floor yeah I mean he changes a lot of stuff for us you know he’s such a such a good player um you definitely missed that out there but it’s not an excuse you know you got

To figure it out while while we wait for him to get back and also just the fact that you know outside of this loss the previous losses have been six points or less since you came on to the team got some good teams too yeah yeah was

Against some some really great teams uh what has been the biggest takeaway from this road trip that you’ve noticed with this team biggest takeaway uh I think we we had a great bounceback game after the loss in Sacramento and I just think this team has been playing very well um even

You know Sacramento game were down big came all the way back so you know we we have a fight and a toughness to us you know a night like tonight it’s going to happen every once in a while in the NBA is not to say that you know it’s okay we

Got to learn and and grow from it and push push through and be and be ready for the next game when when you have a game like well you’ve had a bunch of great games and let’s just say they Golden State game where everything’s going right and then a game like tonight

Where things aren’t going right do you go like do you feel physically different in a game like tonight where you’re just a little bit more fatigued or a little less I think I think everyone’s kind of basketball yeah everyone’s kind of fatigued at this point in in the season

But it’s not an not an excuse you know I I I I was fine I sued up I was fine um my shots didn’t fall early I got into a little bit of foul trouble like I said I played terrible tonight um I take that one on the chin I take responsibility

For that you know I’m not discouraged just got to come back and be better and then just in terms of like hey you are new um quickly is new of course but also jonte uh what have you seen from him because he starting to get his first real minutes as a raptor these

Past couple games yeah uh he’s been you know he’s been doing a lot of a lot of stuff for us you know his passing rebounding um three-point shooting he played well you know tonight he’s been playing well for us um another new guy that’s kind of trying to get you know

Used to things but you know was good to have have him out there and and you know see how he can his versatility changes the game a little bit for us well um we miss yak and we’re going to continue missing him over here for for sure but

Uh I think we have uh enough to to try tried to overcome situations like this um I thought that start of the game defensively we did pretty good job did that first quarter um I was not satisfied with our offense in the first quarter I thought that we were over

Dribbling the ball we were getting in situations that that was not our style of of play which resulted in only nine um assists in the first uh first uh uh half we did not get to the rim enough that was just not us not you know and

When we got to the rim we were shooting 3:15 um you know at the ramage again that’s not us um so it was a tough night all over and definitely missing Yak out there is you can feel it um you know you don’t want to talk about energy as an

Excuse but where do you think maybe having some TI leg showed up the fact that guys were settling I don’t think guys weren’t really attacking the rim really seem to get away from in the second half for for sure uh I mean in the third quarter we scored 38 points

They scored 41 you know it was uh and uh I believe they made six of the dribble threes tonight which you know which is which is quite a bit uh but um um we did not have that energy what we we got to learn how to close the road trips uh how

To play those games uh away from home and um it’s it it it it comes down to to that mental toughness and discipline you know not settling for for for some of the shots they were literally giving us like and actually like taking taking what we need what we want and uh getting

To the rim much more than finding open open people so I thought that offense really slowed us down in in the first half and that carried on on a whole game the you change your lineup a little bit to start the second half uh quarter I could understand and for that what was

Your thinking withj uh both of those guys they they had three fouls um you know I generally like like I like to to switch up I don’t think that who starts the game has to start the third quarter I don’t think it’s necessarily that I hope that that uh Gary might give us

Some some life there and you know make couple of Threes And also needed uh you know hopefully RJ to come off the bench and give us that that SP over there we just needed to try something like we could not like continue doing same same all same all there so you know we’re

Going to continue you know trying to find out the best lineups out there and best combos you see more from Porter that he can become like a kind of a regular part of your rotation um seems to pass the very well makes good decisions when comes yeah I think he’s

He’s doing good job offensively there pretty good field for for the game moving the ball you know still he needs to to have little bit more confidence in his shot you know I think he’s really good three-point shooter but he’s turning down a couple of shots just because he wants to connect with

Teammates and you know his teammates they need to learn how to play around him and how how to find him on the court um and then I think he did a decent job defensively as well in couple of those pick and roll situations even when if he switched out you know actually he’s

Surprising me more on defensive end in a positive way than um than offense and uh you know it it sounds Paradox when we when they scor so many points but actually he he did some some good stuff their defensively what are you seeing from the Jazz that you know they’ve been

Able to you know now they’re at a 500 record but almost feels like a different team out there um just watching uh what are you seeing from num do you feel like the Raptors have it in them you guys have it injur to like kind of have that same trajectory that same turnaround

Around the corner um definitely working towards that that’s that’s the plan that’s the goal um you know it was interesting last year they started really well and they fall off that the second part of the Year this year he did not they did not start great and now

They’re finding a groom it’s uh you know with with teams that are in transition and they are going through transition like those ups and downs that that they just happen and right now they’re playing really well uh they they got a great one in fonio he’s really you know

Feeling in great with with the starters and you know Clarkson coming off the bench just his ability to create points is uh is really good and uh you know I like Kesler uh he’s not demanding anything but he always finds the way to fect the game and tonight that was with

Block shots and uh and just like some of those lob situations and drop drop off passes around the rim he did a really good job they they’re solid team

Player and Coach speak with the media following the Raptors’ 145-113 loss to the Utah Jazz on Friday.

0:00 RJ Barrett
2:49 Darko Rajakovic

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