MONTREAL — On a night Toronto Raptors stars Scottie Barnes and Immanuel Quickley didn’t suit up, hometown favourite Chris Boucher took the spotlight in Montreal.
Boucher produced 13 points and six rebounds off the bench as the Raptors trounced the Washington Wizards 125-98 in their pre-season opener at the Bell Centre on Sunday.
The longest-serving Raptor went 5-for-9 from the floor in 17 minutes in front of “too many” friends and family in the sellout crowd of 21,900 after the team conducted training camp at the Université du Québec à Montréal all week.
“The fans support us, they embrace us when we're in town, and you can feel the love,” Boucher said of his second NBA pre-season game in the city. “It's hard for me to not give it back when they support me all the way. So I'm glad that we had the win. I'm glad that we played well and to our standards and that we were able to give them a good show."
RJ Barrett led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting in 14 minutes — all in the first half — before exiting the game with a bruised right shoulder after running into a screen by Wizards big man Jonas Valanciunas.
Head coach Darko Rajaković said Barrett would undergo further evaluation on Monday.
Gradey Dick, Kelly Olynyk, Jamal Shead, Jahmi'us Ramsey and Jamison Battle added 10 points each for the Raptors. Shead and Davion Mitchell combined for nine assists and one turnover with starting point guard Quickley absent.
Jordan Poole led Washington with 16 points and six assists. Swiss-Canadian Wizards forward Kyshawn George, whose father Deon is from Montreal, scored eight points.
The 24th overall pick in this year’s draft got his first taste of NBA action in front of a pack of family in the stands — including his grandparents.
"Just as amazing as I imagined it, it was just a blessing to be able to spend my first game in front of my family,” he said. “It's their first time seeing me play in real life, too. So it's just a blessing overall, and seeing them after on the court is just amazing."
The rowdy spectators included newlyweds Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey of the PWHL’s Montreal Victoire, four-time Canadian Olympian Natalie Achonwa and former Raptors great Vince Carter.
Carter, who will become the first player in Raptors franchise history to have his number retired on Nov. 2, received the loudest ovation of the night.
"The arena over here is very big. Somebody told me that it's 21,000 seats. They're very steep, so you can really feel the crowd being all over the team,” Rajaković said. “Being here in Montreal for a couple of days was great."
Barnes missed the start of camp for personal reasons and rejoined the team Saturday, while starting point guard Quickley is nursing a sprained thumb.
Boucher — who grew up in the Montréal Nord borough — also took the Bell Centre floor to a hero’s welcome when the Raptors played an exhibition game against the Brooklyn Nets in October 2018.
The Raptors last played a pre-season game in Montreal against the Boston Celtics in 2022, but Boucher was out with a hamstring injury.
Boucher and George addressed the crowd from centre court to tip things off before the Raptors went on a roll.
Led by Barrett and Dick, the Raptors opened on a 13-2 run less than four minutes into the game before Boucher and George checked in six minutes into the first quarter to more ovations.
Boucher’s dunk with 1:49 left helped the Raptors jump out to a 34-16 lead after the first quarter.
"We didn't love our start,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “Second quarter was much better, much better defensive mindset. The game got a little bit up and down in the third for both teams, but we were more competitive. But the start really hurt us. A lot to learn from this game."
In the second quarter, Boucher hit a three while Barrett hit two layups and a shot from beyond the arc as Toronto kept running up the score. The Raptors led 56-38 at halftime.
Boucher scored eight points in the third quarter, but the Wizards cut the Raptors lead to 15 with multiple baskets from Alexandre Sarr and George.
Both teams went deep down their benches in the fourth quarter. Toronto’s Battle scored eight points in a hurry with two threes and a layup as the Raptors cruised to the resounding win.
UP NEXT
The Raptors visit the Wizards in a rematch on Friday before a home-and-home series with the Boston Celtics on Oct. 13 and Oct. 15. They’ll wrap up the pre-season against the Nets in Brooklyn on Oct. 18.
Toronto tips off its 30th anniversary season at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 23.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6, 2024.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press