TORONTO – Canadians Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort made the most of their trip home on Wednesday.
Hamilton’s Gilgeous-Alexander scored 16 of his 26 points in a pivotal third quarter, while Montreal’s Dort scored 22 points and was a defensive brick wall in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 110-109 thrilling victory over the Toronto. Raptors.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 24 points in a game the Raptors thought they won with a Justin Champagnie touch at the bell. The Raptors invaded the little-used Champagnie before the shot was nullified; video review showed the ball was still in his hands when the bell rang.
Fred VanVleet had 19 points and nine assists for the Raptors (11-14), while Scottie Barnes had 18 points and eight rebounds. Chris Boucher finished with 11 points.
The Raptors led by 13 points in the second quarter, but their offense came to a halt in the third. The Raptors could only muster 12 points in the fourth, while the Thunder finished the frame with a 25-3 run for an 87-76 lead to start the fourth.
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When Derrick Favors scored a Raptors fumble early in the fourth quarter to increase the visitors by 13 points, some boos were heard from the 19,800 crowd at Scotiabank Arena.
The Raptors came back to six points on consecutive 3s from VanVleet. Then Siakam, Trent and VanVleet connected on three straight to tie the game with 59 seconds to tie the game, causing fans to rise from their seats.
Champagnie moved to the basket for a basket with 18 seconds to play for a two-point lead, pounding his chest in celebration. But Mike Muscala hit a three with 8.9 seconds left, which would turn out to be the deciding factor when Champagnie’s tip was waived.
Injuries continue to plague the Raptors. OG Anunoby missed his 10th game with a hip injury, while Khem Birch missed his sixth straight game and 10th this season with a swollen knee. Coach Nick Nurse said the two will be sidelined for “the foreseeable future.”
And Precious Achiuwa (shoulder tendonitis) was left out of Thursday’s game, diminishing Toronto’s already depleted front court.
“Hopefully it’s short term,” Nurse said of Achiuwa.
Siakam was a perfect 4 of 4 for nine points in the first quarter. The Raptors shot 68.2 percent into the frame and VanVleet hit a 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left for a 36-26 lead to start the second.
Trent had 12 points in a second quarter in which the Raptors rose 13 points on a 3 by Yuta Watanabe with 1:03 left. The Raptors entered the halftime break leading 64-54.
Gilgeous-Alexander and Dort combined for 58 points in the Thunder’s 114-103 victory at Detroit on Monday that halted Oklahoma City’s eight-game losing streak. That victory came one game after Memphis crushed Oklahoma City 152-79, the largest margin of victory in NBA history.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault expected big nights from his two Canadian players.
“They are very proud of where they came from,” said Daigneault. “I am happy for them that they were able to return home. . . I think it’s great every time a player can play close to home, but being from this country, I think he has that extra layer. “
The Raptors host another Canadian in RJ Barrett and the New York Knicks on Friday. They closed out a seven-game home run of the season and Monday against Sacramento.
This Canadian Press report was first published on December 8, 2021.
© 2021 The Canadian Press
Reference-globalnews.ca