TORONTO, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Toronto Raptors newcomers RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley combined for 33 points in a 124-121 victory over Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night to kick off the new year in the NBA.
Two days after being acquired in a blockbuster trade that sent defensive specialist OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks, Barrett and Quickley were immediately inserted into the Raptors' starting lineup, joining Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes and Jakob Poeltl.
The new unit immediately found success with a season-high 41 points in the first quarter on 14-of-22 (63.6 percent) from the field and 7-for-10 (70 percent) from threes.
"That first unit, the pace and ball movement were good," hailed Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic after the win. "As the game was progressing, we had moments when the ball was a bit stagnant. I'm not a fan of having 25 assists in the game and 16 in the first half."
Rajakovic's squad led 41-32 after the first frame and controlled the second and third quarters extending their lead to as much as 19.
Cleveland stormed back in the fourth quarter with a 20-8 run to briefly edge ahead, before the Raptors regained the lead for good with 90 seconds left in the game.
An open-minded Rajakovic said he was encouraged by the potential of his new roster after one game, adding that he hopes to find the optimal rotation as the season progresses.
"We're going to try to develop the chemistry between the players and really try to see what lineups work best, who is complementing who. We're learning a lot about this group right now," said the Serbian.
Siakam led the way with a game-high 36 points, Barnes contributed 20 more and Poeltl scored 14 points and pulled down 11 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season.
23-year-old Barrett, a Toronto native, scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds to become the eighth Canadian to play for the Raptors.
24-year-old Quickley finished with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists, despite battling foul trouble in the first three quarters.
With the win, Raptors improved to 13-20 on the season and 9-9 in games at Scotiabank Arena. ■
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