Takeaways For Toronto as Raptors Clinch 1st Road Win vs. Pelicans

The Toronto Raptors saw Jamison Battle and Ochai Agbaji post season's best performances in a blowout victory over the New Orleans Pelicans

Nov 27, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl (19) grabs a rebound against New Orleans Pelicans center Yves Missi (21) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Toronto Raptors 119, New Orleans Pelicans 93

1st Road Win

The skid is finally over.

After starting the season a franchise-worst 0-10, Toronto finally got over the hump Wednesday night. It wasn't a particularly pretty basketball game — certainly not in the first half — but the Raptors ran away with things in the second half thanks to a 31-point third quarter.

There wasn't much New Orleans could do without four of its top five players. At one point late in the first quarter, Daniel Theis fumbled two passes, Jordan Hawkins dribbled the ball off his foot, and CJ McCollum air-balled a three-pointer all on a single possession. It was the kind of disaster that encapsulated what's been a horrendous start to the year for New Orleans who moved into sole possession of the third-worst record in the NBA — below Toronto — with the loss.

Agbaji Responds

Raptors coach Darko Rajaković was pretty blunt in his assessment of Ochai Agbaji's zero-point, one-rebnound performance on Monday night. Put simply, Agbaji had to be better and Rajaković let that be known.

So how did he respond?

With a season's best 24 points to go with four rebounds in 28 minutes. It was exactly the kind of showing the Raptors needed from Agbaji who connected on 6-for-7 from three-point range including three in the second quarter as Toronto mounted a 14-0 run to put the Pelicans in a deep hole early.

Agbaji had gone two straight games without a three-pointer made and while he doesn't need to be an elite three-point shooter to be effective, he does need to be a threat. Wednesday showed again he's taken big steps this season to be the kind of two-way player Toronto had hoped he'd become

Starting Walter

With Gradey Dick out, Toronto opted to go with rookie first-round Ja'Kobe Walter in the starting lineup against New Orleans. It was a way to get a little more three-point shooting into the starting lineup while allowing Davion Mitchell to slide back into a bench role as the lead guard in Toronto's second unit.

Walter opened the game with a corner three-pointer to get the Raptors on the board and looked solid in his 27 minutes. What's been most impressive in his limited minutes is how he's been able to impact the game as a rebounder. It's clear the 6-foot-4 guard has a nose for the ball and he's willing to get after it. He finished Wednesday with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Battling for Minutes

Jamison Battle can certainly shoot.

It's been a while since Toronto has found a rotation player in the undrafted free agency market and while it's certainly too early to say Battle has proven anything on that level, he's certainly turning some heads. The 6-foot-7 wing can shoot the lights out, coming into Wednesday's game converting 38.5% of his three-point looks. That number jumped even higher thanks to a 6-for-8 night from Battle who dropped 24 points against the Pelicans.

The Raptors have been desperately in need of more three-point shooting firepower and Dick's injury has opened the door for Battle to prove himself. He still has a long way to go defensively and will have to show he has another skill to earn regular playing time, but his shooting is certainly NBA-level.

Up Next: Miami Heat

The Raptors will wrap up their road trip on Friday night when they heat to Miami to take on the Heat at 8 p.m. ET.