On the strength of 25 points from, the Raptors upset the Rockets 107-104 to win their…

Toronto — On Friday night, the Toronto Raptors defeated Houston 107-104 at home, led by Immanuel Quickley’s 25 points and RJ Barrett’s 21 points. This was the Raptors’ fourth straight victory at home against the Rockets.

The Raptors won their second straight game after dropping their previous eight. Jakob Poeltl led the way with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Scottie Barnes chipped in with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Toronto, who defeated Charlotte on Wednesday, hadn’t triumphed in back-to-back games since defeating Cleveland on January 1 and Memphis on January 3.
Despite missing a triple-double by a hair, Barnes finished with eight of Toronto’s 24 assists on 4 for 16.

I felt he made an incredible play tonight, said Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic. He was locating his associates.
Barrett set a season high with seven assists.

Before Houston’s closing 30 seconds of the fourth quarter saw Dillon Brooks’ 3-pointer cut the margin to one, 105-104, Toronto had the largest lead of the game at 22 points. Barrett made two free throws in response.

Aaron Holiday of Houston missed a three-point shot with five seconds remaining, which would have knotted the game. After the Rockets regained possession of the ball, seasoned shooter Jeff Green missed the go-ahead shot.

We positioned ourselves well, Green remarked. Certain shots land, some don’t. You have to live with the outcome.For the Rockets, Jabari Smith Jr. had 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Brooks scored 11 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter.Houston suffered their fourth straight road loss despite having a sprained right ankle, which forced Cam Whitmore to leave the game after scoring 17 points. 5–19 miles separate Houston from home.

After defeating Toronto at home on February 2, the Rockets have now dropped three in a row.Coach Ime Udoka of Houston stated, We just played this squad a week ago and didn’t have a whole lot of carryover.
Due to a strained left ankle, former Raptors player Fred VanVleet was forced to miss his second straight game. This prevented him from playing in the city where he began his career, where he won an NBA championship in 2019.

VanVleet probably won’t make a comeback until closer to the All-Star break, according to Udoka’s earlier comments this week.During the first timeout of the game, the Raptors honored VanVleet with a video tribute, and the fans stood up. VanVleet entered the court and raised his hands in appreciation.

Acquired from Utah on Thursday, Toronto’s newest players, Ochai Agbaji and Kelly Olynyk, were active but did not play.After eight Houston mistakes in the first quarter, the Raptors scored 10 points and took a 34-20 lead at the halfway point.

Brooks stated, We have to bring that intensity from the beginning. I was among the first few of us to start a little slowly. That is not the kind of hole we can dig for ourselves
In the second quarter, Whitmore scored 15 points as the Rockets went on a 19-2 run to take their first lead of the game. Toronto came back to lead 61-49 at the half and 88-71 heading into the fourth quarter.
Courtney Kirkland, the referee, did not come back for the second half. According to a Raptors spokesman, Kirkland’s condition caused him to leave.