On Nov. 3, 1995, the Toronto Raptors played their first ever NBA game.
Toronto's opponent? The New Jersey Nets, who were led by one-time All-Star Kenny Anderson.
The Raptors got off to a strong start in their NBA debut, outscoring the Nets 21-17 in the first quarter. They built on that lead in the second quarter and went on to record the franchise's first ever win, doing so in front of 33,306 fans at the SkyDome.
23 YEARS AGO (Nov. 3, 1995) the @Raptors played their 1ST EVER NBA game! 🇨🇦
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) November 3, 2018
33,000+ fans watched as the Raptors took on & beat the Nets at the SkyDome. pic.twitter.com/tUzS4FlbM0
The starting five for the Raptors was Damon Stoudamire, Alvin Robertson, Carlos Rogers, Ed Pinckney and Zan Tabak. Robertson was the team's leading scorer with 30 points on 11-for-14 shooting from the field. He got some help from Stoudamire, who had a 10-point, 10-assist double-double.
The only other Raptors to score in double figures was Acie Earl, who chipped in with 16 points off the bench.
Kenny Anderson and Armen Gilliam led the Nets in scoring with 13 points each. Both struggled with efficiency, combining to shoot 10-for-31 from the field.
Unfortunately for Toronto, the next time the Raptors would win another game was two weeks later, when they snapped a seven game losing streak with a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Raptors finished their inaugural season with a 21-61 record and ranked near the bottom of the NBA in both offensive rating (26th out of 29) and defensive rating (28th out of 29).
Even so, they finished behind only the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls in attendance on the season.
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