MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Immanuel Quickley scored 26 points, Pascal Siakam added 24 points, and the Toronto Raptors survived a late Memphis rally to beat the Grizzlies 116-111 on Wednesday night.
Quickley, who traded OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks in late December, made 8 of 18 field goals, including 5 of 8 from 3-point range. Toronto's Scottie Barnes finished with 20 points.
Quickley was playing in only his second game since being traded, but he's already made a good impression on Toronto coach Darko Rajkovic.
“He's very fit,” Radjakovic said of Quickley. “He's a guy who can do a lot with the ball. His shooting is what really changes things for us.”
Quickley said the transition was smooth. The Toronto organization's family environment and welcoming approach helped ease the change. The Raptors are “a top-tier organization,” he said. “That made the basketball part a lot easier.”
“Darko pulled me aside during the game and said, ‘This isn’t fun.’ Have fun,” Quickley said of becoming more comfortable with his new team. “I’ve never had a coach do that to me.”
Ja Morant had 28 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Grizzlies.
Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 24 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. For Memphis, Desmond Bane scored 22 points and Zhaire Williams 18 points.
“I've got to prepare this team better. We were flat tonight. That's on me,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said.
But Memphis players weren't going to hold Jenkins responsible for their play in the game they lost.
“There are limits to what you can do as a coach,” Bain said. “You don't wear a jersey. You don't go up and down the court. So, to be honest, it has nothing to do with him. We're all grown men. That's our responsibility. . We have to be better.”
Toronto led 102-84 with nine minutes left, but Memphis pulled them back into the game with a 16-4 run. The Grizzlies got as close as five points a few times, but Toronto never relinquished the lead and won two straight.
“Honestly, in that fourth quarter, I thought we really didn't have control offensively,” said Radjakovic, who was an assistant in Memphis before taking over in Toronto. “We were all over the place. What we were doing. What we were running.”
Both teams have won, with Toronto defeating Cleveland on Monday. Memphis defeated San Antonio on Tuesday. However, both teams were below playoff standards in their respective conferences.
Accuracy of the shot got the better of Memphis in the second quarter, as the Raptors scored 11 straight points to take a 62-48 advantage at the break. Another small push to start the second half pushed Toronto's lead to 20.
And even with nine minutes left, it looked like the Raptors were in control.
However, Jackson's score was joined by Williams' 12 points, and the Grizzlies got back into the game. Memphis shot 52 percent in the fourth, including 6 of 11 from beyond the arc.
“I wasn't happy with the way we played in the fourth quarter,” Radjakovic said. “That's what caused us a lot of problems.”
