Raptors’ Immanuel Quickley returns in exuberant win over the Nets

New Years resolutions don’t really make sense. Why wait until Jan. 1 to drop bad habits, start exercising, improve your nutrition, or in the Toronto Raptors case, play better basketball.  

Yet in some instances, the turn of the Gregorian calendar can be a catalyst for change, something the Raptors were in desperate need of after hitting rock bottom in a franchise record 54-point loss to the Boston Celtics on New Years Eve.  

It was a tough year for Toronto, one of the worst in the history of the franchise by the numbers. They went 20-63, their worst ever record in a calendar year. It concluded with an 11-game losing streak, including allowing the most points by any team over a three-game span since 1991 and the most points in a game in franchise history.  

But 2024 is over, and the Raptors started 2025 with a resounding 130-113 win over the Brooklyn Nets on New Years Day.  

The story so far has been the injuries. At the core of that, the Raptors’ projected starters have combined to miss a boatload of games, and are yet to share the floor this season. Scottie Barnes has missed 13, RJ Barrett seven, Gradey Dick six, and Jakob Poeltl five. But Immanuel Quickley has truly been the missing link, losing 30 total games between a pelvic injury and a partial UCL tear in his left elbow. But as the year changed, so did the Raptors’ lineup. 

Quickley’s heartening return  

Quickley last played Nov. 10 against the Los Angeles Clippers – missing 22 straight – but you wouldn’t have known from his performance on Wednesday.  

The addition of his shooting and live-dribble creation added a dynamism to the Raptors offence we hadn’t seen so far this season.  

Quickley’s most solidified NBA skill – his shooting – wasn’t on display to start the game. He missed his first three triples and took some awkward looking, fairly contested shots. No worries, the 25-year-old has a proven track record as one of the better 3-point shooters in the NBA on both pullups and from above the break. It only took a couple quarters for the shot to get going. 

In the meantime, the Raptors’ lead guard did a wonderous job using both his shooting gravity and some clean passing to create for his teammates.  

Quickley’s first four assists came in transition. First, he threaded the needle to Ochai Agbaji streaking to the basket in transition who started off the game and year with a bang, throwing down an emphatic one-handed slam. Quickley showed good pacing on the go, stuttering and shimmying in the paint before finding Kelly Olynyk drifting to the open strong-side corner for a 3. The Raptors ran like crazy in this one, outscoring the Nets 33-21 in fastbreak points.  

To start the fourth, Quickley had two more dimes. First, he got past his defender, into the paint, and sent a creative lob sideways over his head to Barnes for a slam. On the following offensive possession, Quickley made a precise entry pass to Kelly Olynyk as he sealed his defender in the paint for an easy finish.  

The six-foot-three guard made his first 3 on an open catch-and-shoot from the wing, evening the score at 57 late in the second quarter. Next, Quickley blew by Russell, kept him on his hip, initiated contact, and banked it in off glass for another and-one – giving the Raptors the lead. Two trips later, Agbaji made a baseline skip to an open Dick in the corner, and he swished the 3. The overall energy of the team felt the best it had in weeks, and the Raptors led 65-64 at the half.  

The Raptors also went 9-of-18 from 3 in the first half, with Quickley taking four and Dick taking six. Dick’s shot diet may change as Quickley replaces the role he’s been taking in a lot of actions and takes more of the difficult shots. Dick in turn will get more looks from easier areas – like the corner – and both his volume and efficiency from deep should go up. The Raptors finished the game 16-of-32, on par with their regular volume, but well above their normally poor efficiency.  

Midway through the final quarter, the Raptors started to pull away as Quickley set up four straight Raptor baskets. It all started with a clever ATO set dubbed Skip the 77 by the great Evin Gualberto.  

Basically, the Raptors set up to run a 77 or double drag for Quickley, who skipped it to the second screener Poeltl. Quickley then rejected the handoff with Poeltl, freeing him up going downhill. This forced Dick’s man to help from the corner, leaving him open to cash the triple. Gualberto and Caitlin Cooper do a great job breaking down this play and its machinations further in the replies to Louis’s tweet. 

To put the cherry on top of this immaculate playmaking display, Cam Johnson went go under a high screen from Poeltl and Quickley drilled the 30-foot pull-up. HE’S BACK FOLKS.  

He finished with 21 points, 15 assists, and shot 3-of-7 from deep.  

D’Angelo Russell also made his (second) Nets debut after coming over from his other frequented team – the Los Angeles Lakers – and was good. But Quickley played so well that I ran out of room to talk about DLo’s strong mid-range game and quick passing reads. Sorry DLo!   

Barnes breaks out of his funk  

Prior to this game, Barnes was mired in a slump. He was passive, took more outside shots, rarely found the paint when he drove, was less effective facilitating for teammates as a result, and turned the ball over more often when trying to do so. He even had some embarrassing turnovers on routine passes.  

In this game the turnovers were down and the aggression was up. Barnes actively sought the paint and executed once he got there.  

It took a little bit for him to get going. Barnes’ first basket was actually on an attempted lob to Agbaji that incidentally went through the hoop (after a second look it appeared Ochai may have touched it, but it held up as a 34-foot “pull-up 3”). 

Eventually Barnes was taking it to Nic Claxton and hunting for post position. The 2024 All-Star banked in a hook shot over the Nets primary rim protector and caught an entry lob down low and finished. He got to his turnaround fade often, and it really worked for him. Really the turnaround looked so nice tonight

Barnes secured a double-double with his 10th rebound three minutes into the second half and proceeded to hit a late clock pull-up 3. In recent games, he has taken far too many pull-up jumpers early in possessions before trying to generate an advantage. But nailing one when options are running out? That is not only acceptable, but welcome. He made another big-time triple with the clock running down from the corner minutes later, and did a little dance to celebrate.  

Barnes had a couple assists early in the final frame and threw down two big transition slams during the Raptors exuberant 26-5 fourth quarter run. He appeared more energized and decisive than we’ve seen him in some time. Final stat line was 33 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, 14-of-18 from the floor, and 3-of-4 from 3. To his credit, Barnes came out and said after Toronto’s 30-point loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 29 that the team playing better has to start with him. It did on Wednesday.  

Raptors young guns did some gunning  

Dick was electric. He made shots, got to the hoop, and also played some handsy defence grabbing three steals.  

He jumped an inbound pass, broke up and stole an entry pass to Claxton in a wide-open lane, and swiped a ball from Cam Johnson that ended in Dick cashing an open transition 3 from the wing going the other way.  

Dick scored on consecutive possessions to start the third quarter, first blowing past Jalen Wilson and finishing with his patented finger roll. Quickley got downhill off a pick n’ roll next and made a jump pass to Dick, who back-cut his defender on the baseline and sunk a long floater.  

Dick’s most impressive play came in the fourth. After he missed a corner the 3 and the Raptors collected the offensive board, the ball swung its way back around to him on the wing. He drove the close out, navigated through a crowd with his dribble, and looped the ball up and into the net with a spectacular long-distance finger roll. Dick is continually adding to his case for best driver in the 2023 draft class. He finished with 22 on 9-of-17 shooting from the floor and 4-of-8 from 3.  

The Raptors other young runner and gunner, Walter, also had a quietly excellent game. It was dwarfed by standout performances from the Raptors top dogs, but he had 11 points on 4-of-6 from the floor and 2-of-4 from distance. He ran off a pin-down and canned a triple from the top of the floor, lifted and hit a catch-and-shoot from the wing, made good cuts, good passes, it was all-around good stuff from the rook.  

Collective exhale 

This game really seemed like an inflection point. Toronto reached arguably an all-time low the day before, and they will face four of the top five teams in the east over their next four games. If they didn’t win here, there was a real chance of the Raptors threatening their franchise record 17-game losing streak and sinking into further apathy and despair. But they won – forcefully. Next up they’ll take on a scuffling Orlando Magic squad on Friday that has been similarly plagued with injuries. The Raptors will go in with some newfound swagger and maybe even a fully healthy starting five.  

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