Toronto – On the best offensive night of his career, Jared Rhoden remains focused on what he does on defense.
Rhoden hit a new climax with 25 points and 12 rebounds, leading the Toronto Raptors to win the first double of his NBA career 118-105 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. But it was his four steals–and a career, he said was the most memorable part of the night.
“I think it’s something I’m really proud of and I want to see how the game affects my game,” Roden said. “It’s going to be my phone card in the NBA.
“I can score as many points as possible, but I know I have to play defense in order to maintain myself.”
Rhoden and nearly all of his Raptor teammates tried to fight against the 76ers.
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The two teams were unable to participate in a total of 17 players. Among them are four of Toronto with Immanuel Quickley (rest), Mississauga, Ontario (personal reason), Scottie Barnes (sprayed finger with right hand) and Ready Dick (bruised right kneecap).
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A total of nine Raptors were not active in this game.
More concise, the only players who made the field in Toronto on Wednesday were center Jakob Poeltl and backup forward Garrett Temple. Everyone else is a rookie, involving two deals or a 10-day contract.
“People always say that the NBA is about opportunities, it’s never about talent,” Roden said. “I think what you’re seeing now is what people can do when they get opportunities, that’s the whole purpose of the NBA, that’s how you take advantage of those opportunities.”
Orlando Robinson scored a career-high 25 points with two-way 25 points and matched his career-best with 12 rebounds. Colin Castleton scored a career-high 14 rebounds and seven points on a 10-day contract.
AJ Lawson of Brampton, Ontario also scored a career-high 32 points in a two-way manner, scoring 28 points per game.
“I’ve never seen it before, and it’s special,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said during an impressive game with Toronto Deep Players. “It just shows how great the front desk is bringing these guys into these guys, and we (G-League’s Raptors) 905 brings the guys there to get them into the system.
“And you see these guys step on the floor and contribute to it.”
Robinson also plays for the Miami Heat Organization and the Sacramento Kings and their G League clubs.
“It’s all about the situation,” Robinson said. “Then, once you get the opportunity, you can take advantage of it.
“People like AJ, myself and JR, that’s what we are doing, taking advantage of the opportunity so you don’t sleep on us.”
The Toronto victory put Philadelphia behind the Raptors’ standings by half. This puts the Sixers at fifth place in the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery.
The Raptors finished seventh in the NBA, earning a 31.9% chance of the top four in this summer’s draft and a 7.5% chance in the first overall pick.
This report by Canadian media was first released on March 12, 2025.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
