Date: November 4, 2025
Source: BASKETMAN (YouTube)
After the Raptors’ 128–100 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, head coach Darko Rajaković spoke about his team’s defensive effort, Immanuel Quickley’s bounce-back game, Jakob Poeltl’s improved mobility, and Sandro Mamukelashvili’s growing confidence.
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On the Team’s Most Complete Performance
“If you look at the box score, we did well on both ends of the floor. Kept them to 100 points — they didn’t have a quarter where they scored more than 30. That was a big emphasis for us going into this game. On offense, we did a really good job moving the ball, especially in the first half. They made some adjustments in the third and fourth, and I think we adjusted well to that.”
On Growth and Responding to Opponent Adjustments
“Absolutely. It’s something we’re working on — being able to recognize adjustments faster and implement changes right away. Overall, I thought we played a very competitive game. Defensively, I think Scottie did an outstanding job guarding Giannis — he’s a very tough matchup.”
On Immanuel Quickley’s Aggression and Confidence
“A lot of conversations from the media, social media, but in-house we knew what we’ve got in Quickley. There was no worry about him. He’s going to continue getting better — there’s no issue there.”
“He did a really good job running the team, setting teammates up. He didn’t do much different than other games — he’s been good defensively — but when he’s making shots, everything looks different.”
On Jakob Poeltl’s Mobility
“Yes, definitely. Yak looked more mobile, more aggressive — he was moving really well. That was great to see, and that’s big for us.”
On the Bench Unit’s Impact
“Our bench did a great job — came in and gave us a punch. All our guys are committed to playing hard defensively. When we get stops and rebound the ball like we did tonight — only nine offensive rebounds for them — it allows us to get in transition. The guys were connected throughout the whole game, great huddles, talking about the right things and focusing on defense.”
On Defensive Connectivity and Practice Time
“Practice for us is gold. The start of the season we didn’t have a practice for 10 days because of scheduling — we just came to the arena and played. But this group watches a lot of film, addresses the right things, and competes for each other. I was really impressed with Brandon Ingram tonight — defensively he did an outstanding job covering for teammates, making the right decisions, and playing the right way.”
On Continued Defensive Improvement
“When the season starts, you’re learning through games — what other teams are doing, what works for your group, what doesn’t. You can’t just have one plan and stick with it. We’re learning on the fly. Our players and coaches are open to that. We’re not afraid to fail and learn through it. The focus is every day to be one percent better than the day before.”
On Sandro Mamukelashvili’s Role and Development
“Sandro is a really good rebounder, especially offensively. He’s getting more comfortable with his teammates and with consistent minutes. We still want him to be more aggressive offensively and to shoot more when he has closeouts — but it was a step in the right direction.”
“We had a great conversation yesterday — he’s always playing with the worry of when the sub is coming. I told him, ‘I’m going to sub you only when you don’t play hard.’ If you miss shots, I don’t care. I’ve never subbed a player because of missing shots. If he plays this hard like he did tonight, he’ll always have minutes on this team.”
Pulse Takeaway
Rajaković called it one of the Raptors’ most complete performances of the season, praising their connected defense, Quickley’s leadership, and Poeltl’s improved mobility. He highlighted Scottie Barnes’ defensive work on Giannis, the bench’s spark, and Sandro Mamukelashvili’s growing confidence. The coach emphasized daily progress, saying the group’s focus is to be “one percent better every day.”
Quotes from Darko Rajaković via BASKETMAN (YouTube). Used for analysis and commentary.
Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and length.