Raptors Beat Wizards 134-125: Quickley Drops 27 as Toronto Bounces Back
The Toronto Raptors needed a response. After back-to-back home losses to Oklahoma City and San Antonio — two of the West’s toughest teams — they got one. Saturday night at Capital One Arena, the Raptors handled business against the Washington Wizards, 134-125, and it wasn’t as close as the final score suggests.
Immanuel Quickley was the engine. The sixth-year guard finished with 27 points and 11 assists, orchestrating the Toronto offense with a poise that’s become his trademark in 2025-26. He’s now scored in double figures in 10 straight games, averaging 20.8 points since the All-Star break. At halftime, head coach Darko Rajakovic didn’t pull up film. He just got in his team’s face. “Darko got on us at halftime,” Quickley said afterward. “He really didn’t show us any clips. He just lit a fire under us.” It worked.
All Five Starters Delivered for the Raptors
This wasn’t a one-man show. All five Toronto starters scored at least 18 points — a collective performance that speaks to just how balanced this Raptors team has become.
Brandon Ingram added 24 points, including a clutch 3-pointer that capped an 11-2 third-quarter run and flipped the game in Toronto’s favor for good. RJ Barrett chipped in 21. Scottie Barnes contributed 18 points and 4 assists. And Jakob Poeltl quietly put together one of the night’s most efficient performances — 18 points on 7-of-7 shooting, with 10 rebounds, 3 steals, and a plus-18 on the night. When your center shoots 100% from the field and dominates the glass, you win basketball games.
The Turning Point: A Third-Quarter Run That Changed Everything
Washington actually led by three midway through the third quarter. The Wizards were fighting. Despite being without Anthony Davis (finger), Trae Young (knee/quad), and Alex Sarr (hamstring), they weren’t going down quietly. Their bench went off for 64 points. Young role players like Bilal Coulibaly (14 points) and Kyshawn George (14 points) kept them in it. Washington shot 16-of-34 from deep.
But Toronto put the game away the old-fashioned way — by dominating inside. The Raptors went 42-of-63 on 2-point attempts. When Ingram knocked down that corner three to cap an 11-2 burst late in the third, the Raptors led 98-92 heading into the fourth. They never looked back.
What This Win Means for Toronto
The Raptors came into this game as a team that had been projected to finish around .500 before the season tipped off. Nobody gave them much. They’ve been proving people wrong ever since.
At 35-25 and fifth in the Eastern Conference, Toronto now sits three full games clear of the play-in group. They’re 19-10 on the road — one of the better away records in the entire league. This group isn’t just padding stats against weak competition. They went punch-for-punch with OKC and San Antonio this week, and now they’re headed home to face the New York Knicks on Tuesday night.
He’s not wrong. The Raptors look like a team that’s starting to believe in something real. For a franchise that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2022, that belief matters — and right now, the Raptors are backing it up with wins.
