Raptors Lose Fourth Straight as Size, Injuries Bite

The Toronto Raptors dropped their fourth straight game, losing 139-121 to the Houston Rockets as Kevin Durant scored 31, Jabari Smith Jr. added 25 and Scottie Barnes had 31, leaving Toronto 1-4. Jakob Poeltl was ruled out before tipoff with lower-back stiffness, depriving the Raptors of their only true big and contributing to Houston outscoring Toronto 66-36 in the paint and a 53-22 rebounding edge that included a 17-4 offensive-rebound disparity. Houston’s size — Durant, Smith, Alperen Sengun, Steven Adams and Clint Capela — fueled second-chance points, fastbreaks and a dominant night on the glass, with Sengun nearly posting a triple-double. Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles made his first NBA start and scored 13 points while drawing praise for his physical defense and improved shooting, but could not mask Toronto’s frontcourt size issues. Those size and defensive mismatches have been a recurring problem, highlighted earlier in the week by a 121-103 loss to San Antonio in which Victor Wembanyama had 24 points and 15 rebounds, underscoring concerns about Poeltl’s back and the Raptors’ depth in the frontcourt.