Darko Rajakovic is full of Gregg Popovic about keeping Stephen Curry

for many, Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković is still the guy who advertised Scotty Barnes as the future face of the NBA in a postgame speech against the officiating. However, he is now gaining recognition for much more than a viral video. Although his team struggled in December, it sits in fourth place in the Eastern Conference at 19-14. Toronto wins in overtime 141-127 Golden State Warriorswhich showed Rajaković’s extensive preparation skills.

Barnes looked like an elite player his HC projects to become that, scoring 23 points on 11-of-17 shooting with a whopping 25 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and one block. He also managed to tie the game with less than 25 seconds left. Immanuel Quickley drained five 3-pointers and scored a game-high 27 points, while Ja’Kobe Walter, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Jamal Shead added punch off the bench.

The Raptors’ defensive game planning proved especially crucial. They forced an NBA legend Stephen Curry to work hard for his 39 points, holding him to 40 percent shooting from the field. Rajakovic was incredibly motivated to slow down the four-time NBA champion afterwards remembering the old sound Hall of Famer, head coach Gregg Popovich.

“I saw a video of coach Pop when he was asked what the plan was for Luka {Dončić}, and he said to keep him under 50, and Luka dropped to 51,” Darko Rajaković told reporters, according to Omer Osman. “So our goal tonight was to keep it at 39.”

Darko on Steph Curry dropping 39 tonight:

“I saw a video of coach Pop when they asked him what the game plan was for Luca, and he said to keep him under 50, and Luca dropped 51. So our goal tonight was to keep him at 39.”

😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/jKSViAtLn35

— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) December 29, 2025

Mission accomplished. If the all-time leading scorer had been just a little sharper, the Warriors would have left Toronto with a win (the same logic obviously applies to the rest of the team). Instead, the Raptors buckled down and limited both Curry and Jimmy Butler (19 points on 6-of-16 shooting).

They start their five-game stretch on the right track. Rajakovic and company will try to successfully contain another star when they take on Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic (18-14) on Monday night.