Toronto Raptors Media Availability | Postgame at Oklahoma City Thunder | February 4, 2024

Toronto Raptors Media Availability | Postgame at Oklahoma City Thunder | February 4, 2024

First game back since dealing with uh your left knee swelling played 43 minutes tonight led the team in 23 points what did you see out there how did it feel to be back uh you know it felt good to to be back and just be out

There with the guys um for sure I mean today was obviously a crazy game but just to be back out there playing basketball was uh you know felt good for me down the stretch of course it was a tough one because you guys push it to double overtime just walk me through

What it was like out there for you what did you see yeah um I mean obviously OKC is a very good team um I think we played really well obviously had an extremely good first half and I think even the second half we played well for for

Stretches I mean they were going to make a run of course um and we battled back and we’re up two with like 10 seconds left so you know it’s a game we should win rebounding has obviously been an issue especially when uh Yak was out and

It was a issue in the second half again is it just attention to detail Focus what what do you think needs to be done to firmly address it yeah I think in the second half they really just they really played you know a lot harder um so you

Know that’s kind of one thing and and we just got to kind of be locked in for you know for 48 minutes to make sure that we’re rebounding all throughout the game how how do you repeat that effort though kind of going into tomorrow’s back-to-back game against New Orleans

Coming out with that same level of energy and intensity especially coming off of the double OT yeah man get to the hotel get some sleep just get ready for tomorrow Emanuel obviously had some Big Shots big moments is that the player you came to know New York yeah sure you know

And he’s he’s just coming back too so he’ll find his it’s funny I mean he had a double double today so you know that was big and then what was it like to go up against uh Team Canada teammates in uh Shay as well as Lou oh it was always

Fun going up against them you know um I was trying to get the win so I could talk trash but you know they they did their thing for sure second game back for you after doing the ankle injury how did it feel out there tonight

Um it felt better um I feel like um I’m already catching my rhythm again obviously not at 100% yet um still got to get my conditioning back um but overall it felt pretty good definitely uh coach and RJ were impressed with obviously with how you were playing in

The paint on both sides of the ball what did you see out there that just felt like it was working for you um I I I don’t honestly don’t know like I game just ended um I think I got um I got easy buckets there for the most part

Like uh got found in a couple dump offs and stuff but really just tried to um Crut the paint since we didn’t good do a good job with that um in the Houston game um and then on offense yeah like I said I I think the my shots just kind of

Came to me obviously uh it was a tough one is being it double overtime but you guys played very well in the first half that’s something that coach also pointed out what can you take away from that half that you could go bring into tomorrow’s tomorrow’s game um I think

Our our activity was very good on defense um we we had really good rotations um so I think we got to keep that up um I think we guarded their oneone um very well with our team defense um so um we’re probably going to see more of that tomorrow with with some really

Good oneon-one players um and we got to we got to apply that tomorrow as well all right coach tough one tonight obviously double overtime walk me through what you saw uh played on the road against really good team uh um I thought that the first half we uh we did

Outstanding job both on offense and defense uh we kept the team from scoring in the paint and we were able to rebound the ball and really fueled our offense uh really good ball m in the first half uh with with 19 uh uh 19 assists as well

Um in the second half uh they uh we knew that they’re going to have a run there uh we were able to to control it at certain points uh at the end of the game uh we were uh up two and we secured defensive rebound all we had to do is uh

You know secure the ball there and go to the free throw line and then win it unfortunately uh we we turn the ball over there and um I tried to call timeout unfortunately referees did not see that in time um and uh um rebounding was the problem in the second half uh

That was their biggest adjustment in second second half they went rebounding much more and uh that that that hurt us again the late game situation the turnover the block shot of that those are the the growing pains for young teams you got to go through those bad

Ones to get there grow growing pants for for for sure you know uh but uh a lot of to learn learn for us tonight uh we did uh some really good stuff and uh you know a lot of those guys being for the first time in those situations as well

Closing games and understanding uh you know what they need to do and how they need to play there um um this is going to be great film for for me to study and then learn our team as well um we were able to to take sh Giles Alexander when

He was in Fall trouble and create good good stuff for us offensively and we just did not have enough to finish the game it seemed like Scotty was very hesitant to be involved down the stretch offensively uh obviously a lot of minutes what did you see why wasn’t he

Able to get involved uh in the the overtimes in the last few minutes yeah first of all uh we were looking uh for for less of the matchups there um trying to to get against players who were in a foul situation also when we went to him

He was trying to connect with with teammates and F find them for for shots uh and it’s also for him to understand how he needs to affect the game in in those those moments and sometimes that’s like with old ball cut or a good spacing and sometimes with on on the ball and

Then creating on the ball as well so uh um it was it was good game for us to to learn how to handle those situations tonight that last play of single uh of the first overtime was it just designed for Scotty to get it and make it make a

Read and he yes we want we wanted the ball in in his hands uh to to to create there and uh uh you know situations like that we were going to to uh quickly couple of times in the row we just wanted to to give it a different look

There at the end because they were ready for that did you uh what did you see tonight from yaka Perle as he was pretty effective on both sides in the paint um you know um after missing uh four weeks coming back to play uh he’s finding his

Rhythm I thought that he did a lot of great stuff for us tonight um he did better job of protecting the rim he did a good job playing in pick rolls in in the short rols um I thought that that he played very effective game thanks for watching the Toronto rappers YouTube

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Players and coach speak with the media following the Raptors’ 135-127 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

0:00 RJ Barrett
01:54 Jakob Poeltl
03:21 Darko Rajakovic

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