Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic looks on during the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Darko Rajakovic explains why Raptors lost vs. Spurs

Originally posted on Toronto Raptors on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Oct 28, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Toronto Raptors are picking up the pieces after a 121-103 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night inside the Frost Bank Center.

The Raptors put themselves in a hole from the start, surrendering 41 points in the first quarter and forcing the team to play from behind all night long. Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic spoke about the team's poor start.

“It was not just the second half; it was pretty much three and a half quarters," Rajakovic said postgame.

"You know in the first five minutes they scored 20 points and they scored 41 in in the first quarter. For whatever reason, we did not come with the intensity and attention to detail that you need when you play on the road when you play against very talented team. We did not do a good job with that part after that."

Rajakovic wants Raptors to start quicker

RJ Barrett agreed with Rajakovic's message, citing poor starts behind the team's three-game losing streak.

“It's really our first couple games together, but there's I feel like we can definitely give a little bit more effort of being ready. I think yesterday we started off not too bad but it's kind of been like I'll say half the games we started good half the games we didn't. So just trying to make sure that that we can have a focus and intensity from the beginning," Barrett said postgame.

Despite the Raptors starting off poorly, they were able to take a 22-point deficit down to eight points by the middle of the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to pull out a win.

“I thought that we really fought back," Rajakovic said. "A couple of times we came down to eight points. We had our chances there. It's going to come down to discipline. We do play hard. We just gotta play smarter as well. That that's gonna be a big challenge for us.”

Getting energy on the road to start games is one of the most challenging things in the NBA, especially for a team like the Raptors that didn't get a lot of minutes together with the current starting five.

As the season goes on and the first five get more comfortable, the Raptors will be in better shape, but it will take time.

The Raptors are back in action tomorrow as they host the Houston Rockets at 6:30 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Toronto Raptors on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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