NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ochai Agbaji and Jamison Battle each scored 24 points and the Toronto Raptors won on the road for the first time this season, 119-93 over the hapless New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
Djounte Murray returned from a broken left hand that sidelined him for 17 games and looked rusty from the start. He finished with 14 points, but missed all seven of his shots in the first half and was 5 of 17 overall as the Pelicans lost their sixth straight game and 15th of 17.
CJ McCollum scored 19 points in his second game since returning from an adductor strain and missing 13 games.
RJ Barrett scored 22 points and 11 assists for Toronto, which went 0-10 on the road. Scottie Barnes added 17 points for the Raptors, who made a season-high 21 3-pointers.
Agbaji was 6 of 7 on 3-pointers and Battle was 6 of 8.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Pelicans, who played without starters Zion Williamson (left hamstring), Brandon Ingram (right calf) and Herb Jones (right shoulder), as well as standout reserve Trey Murphy III ( left knee). bruise).
Takeaway meals
Raptors: Toronto’s 21 made 3-pointers were the most since January 2021.
Pelicans: Coach Willie Green opted for a relatively small starting lineup. After 6-foot-11 center Yves Missi, the 6-6 Boston was New Orleans’ next tallest starter, followed by Murray (6-5), Javonte Green (6-4) and McCollum (6-3). . The Pelicans were 11 of 35 from deep.
Key moment
After assisting on Agbaji’s alley-oop layup, Barrett scored eight straight points on two free throws and three layups, sparking a 16-2 run that put Toronto up 79-53.
Key Statistics
Toronto shot 21 of 52 (40.4%) from 3-point range after ranking last in the NBA in three-pointers made at 10.4 per game.
Next
The Raptors play in Miami on Friday night, when the Pelicans visit Memphis.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Brett Martel, Associated Press