The Toronto Raptors started their 2025-26 NBA season by destroying the Atlanta Hawks in a 20-point game victory.
Brandon Ingram was the first Raptor to score a bucket this season after he made a layup at the 11:07 minute mark.
Toronto got the lead with 10:13 minutes left, thanks to an RJ Barrett three, and they held it all game long.
The first quarter ends with a 36-34 Raptors lead.
Despite Atlanta slowly coming back, Toronto kept its lead. The first half ends with a six-point lead for the Raptors with a 65-59 score.
After going back and forth for the first three minutes of the third quarter, the Raptors quickly controlled the game with a 10-point lead at the 7:57-minute mark.
It was total domination the rest of the quarter from Toronto as they scored 45 points, which included a 23-point lead.
The third quarter ends with a 14-0 run. The score was 110-87.
And the dominance contused into the fourth quarter for the Raptors. They ended the game with a 138-118 victory.
The highlight of the game was when Ochai Agbaji deflected the ball from Kristaps Porzingis.
And because of Agbaji’s deflection, Sandro Mamukelashvili was able to grab the ball and pass it to Scottie Barnes, who made a running open dunk.
Toronto shot the ball 56.8 per cent and 24 per cent from three. They scored 86 points in the paint, shooting 43-for-60.
The 138-point victory is a franchise record for most points in a Raptors season opener.
Another franchise record Toronto broke was the largest point margin in a season opener with 20points.
The player of the game was Barrett. He finished the game with 25 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
Barnes also had a great performance with 22 points, six rebounds, and nine assists.
The player whom Raptors fans were looking to see was Ingram, as this is his first game playing for Toronto, and he hasn’t played a game since December 2024.
Ingram finished the night with 16 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.
He never suited up for the Raptors last season. He was dealing with an ankle injury that he sprained.
The injury occurred when Ingram was playing for the New Orleans Pelicans before getting traded to Toronto.
Last year, the Raptors finished their season 11th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 30-52.
Toronto was actively trying to tank last season to get a potential high lottery pick. There were also injuries on this team.
Barnes and Immanuel Quickley were dealing with a lot of injuries last season,
The injuries both players suffered respectively were an eye injury and an ankle injury, an elbow injury, a hip injury, an abductor injury and etc.
Jamal Shead is the only player who missed seven games last year. The rest of the players on the team missed 17 or more games.
Raptors rookie Collin Murray-Boyles is the only one on the team who’s out with an injury.
This season, the Raptors are no longer tanking. They are now looking for a spot in the postseason.
Their playoff aspirations are looking good right now, as Toronto started the season strong with a dominating win.
Let’s see if they can continue the momentum from their first win of the season throughout the year.
