DeMar DeRozan's Historic Night and a Painful Loss for Rajakovic's Raptors

While Nikola Jokic stole headlines elsewhere and Tristan Vukcevic dropped 17 points, it was a tough night for Darko Rajakovic's Raptors. The evening belonged to DeMar DeRozan, who delivered an emotional and historic performance. He poured in 28 points (14 in the decisive fourth quarter), surpassing the legendary Dominique Wilkins on the all-time scoring list. DeRozan now stands at 26,688 career points, securing 17th place all-time.

His next target is the iconic Oscar Robertson. A truly breathtaking statistic reveals that all non-active players ahead of him on the list (excluding current stars like LeBron, Durant, Harden, and Westbrook) are already enshrined in the Hall of Fame. Despite an off-shooting night from the field (7/18), DeMar was surgically precise from the free-throw line, hitting a perfect 12 of 12 attempts.

Alongside DeRozan, Precious Achiuwa emerged as a hero in the victory. He delivered a season-best performance, literally terrorizing his former team with 28 points and an astounding 19 rebounds. His dominance was evident early on, as he already had 18 points and 15 boards by halftime – a total equal to the entire Raptors team at that point.

The Kings' win was also fueled by a stellar Malik Monk (18 points), as Sacramento finally secured a road victory, improving their modest away record to 7-32.

For the Raptors, coached by our own Darko Rajakovic, this loss stings more than a typical defeat. It snapped their five-game home winning streak, and more critically, they lost ground in the race for a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference. Although they share the same record as Philadelphia (42-34), the Sixers currently hold the tie-breaker due to a better divisional record.

Even 20-point efforts from RJ Barrett and rookie Kolin Murray-Boyles (a career-high for the youngster) weren't enough for the home side. Toronto was hampered by the absence of Brandon Ingram, who is battling a heel injury, and his absence was keenly felt in the game's crucial moments.

In their next outing, the Kings will host New Orleans, while Toronto faces a tough road trip to Memphis, hoping to wash away the bitter taste of this defeat.

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