5 strangest single-game Raptors performances
By Brian Boake
![Chicago Bulls' Luol Deng is fouled by Toronto Raptors' Rafael Araujo during the first quarter. The Bulls defeated the Raptors 127-106, at the United Center in Chicago, Illlinois, Wednesday, April 19, 2006. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune/MCT via Getty Images) Chicago Bulls' Luol Deng is fouled by Toronto Raptors' Rafael Araujo during the first quarter. The Bulls defeated the Raptors 127-106, at the United Center in Chicago, Illlinois, Wednesday, April 19, 2006. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune/MCT via Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/bb41a9befd8527c52c552e4ae763f53179a8590667fbb4fc356d0efb96048a05.jpg)
The Raptors have had their share of excellent games from their top players. Sometimes the other guys stick their nose in. Here are 5 great games by lesser-known Toronto ballers.
As we ramp up for what should be an exciting season, I thought it might be fun to consider strange games in Raptors history.
This is a Raptors site, so my selections are those in which an obscure or short-service Toronto player did something extraordinary. For example, I’m not going to retell the story of Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game. I stayed up very late to watch that impossible performance from Los Angeles.
A couple of my selections are more noteworthy for who put up the numbers, rather than how massive they were.
There were some honourable mentions:
- Donyell Marshall buries 12 three-balls against the 76ers, March 13, 2005
- Rafael Araujo scores 14 points (we don’t have a high bar for him), January 9, 2005
- Pape Sow has a 13 point – 15 rebound double-double, March 31, 2006
- Matt (The Red Rocket has to get a mention!) Bonner hits 5 long balls, March 5, 2006
- I wanted to work in the 2004 game in which the Warriors scored one(!) basket in Q4, allowing the undeserving Raptors to wipe out a 16-point deficit and win in OT. Sadly, no Raptor played well enough. MoPete hit the winning three.
There remained lots of fluky efforts to chose from. An otherwise cup-of-coffee player goes berserk to lead off, in our fifth-ranked memorable game.