By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Determined to draw a reaction from his players in Spectrum Center, Darko Rajakovic went into his Serbian approach.
“I was not happy with the intensity. I was not happy with our communication. Just the urgency was not there, to win on the road,” he commented on being extremely upset during a timeout in the third quarter of the meeting between the Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, “I just expressed my feelings in a soft Serbian way.”
The Serbian play-caller was successful in improving the team record to 18-33 in the 2023-24 NBA Regular Season. In clutch plays, Austrian Jakob Poeltl tipped in a miss from Immanuel Quickley and blocked Miles Bridges on the opposite end. “He was huge there the last couple of possessions, blocking shots, protecting the rim and securing rebounds,” noted Rajakovic.
The Raptors overcame a 45-point effort by Bridges to complete a six-game road trip with two wins. Poeltl finished with a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double. More European contribution by the reigning FIBA World Cup MVP Dennis Schroder with 16 points, five assists, and four rebounds.
Back to Scotiabank Arena through the All-Star break, the lone Canadian franchise of the NBA returns to action on Friday by hosting the Houston Rockets.
Rajakovic, 44, took over the Raptors in June. Moving his coaching career to North America in 2012, he spent two years in the G League with the Tulsa 66ers, before working as an assistant at the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, and Memphis Grizzlies.
Photo Credit: Getty Images