Toronto just set a single-game franchise record with 73 rebounds, which are also the most any team has won in the NBA this 2024-25 campaign, and the most by any franchise in a regulation game since the league was joined three decades ago. While at it, the Raptors beat the Wizards 119-104.
It seems as if A.J. Lawson was ready to take his hometown team on a rebounding record-setting night. He started off with seven made three-pointers while dropping a career-high 32 points against Washington, also contributing with 12 rebounds as one of four teammate who posted double-doubles.
“I’ve probably been dreaming about this, who knows how long, since I first touched a basketball,” Lawson shared after playing his 10th game with the Canadian squad while on a two-way contract. “I’m a Toronto kid. … To have a performance like this, it just means everything.”
Another Toronto native is RJ Barrett, who is also 24-years of age, and posted 14 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists. Teammate star Scottie Barnes had 14 points and 13 boards, while Orlando Robinson finished with 13 and 11 to his name.
For A.J., this is one of the most special moments of his career. “Man, it’s like a full-circle moment. We’ve been playing together since middle school,” he said of Barrett. “Just being on the court with him as a Raptor, both Canadians, what a blessing.”
Now the Raptors improved their poor mark to 22-43, and boasted the fact that they’ve had more than 20 offensive rebounds for a third match in a row, which is another club record. With 28 of them against the Wizards, they also shot 39.5% on 43-of-109 field goals, matching another season high for attempts.
“It would not be fair to say that we did anything different today than we do the whole season,” said Darko Rajakovic, the Raptors coach. “Yes, we are focusing a lot on offensive rebounding, and we also focusing on offensive rebounding in many games.”
