EditorsNote: fixes date of Toronto's last loss in 2nd graf; fixes VanVleet in 5th graf; fixes DeRozan's run of points in 4th graf
Pascal Siakam scored 35 points, 30 of them in a dominating first half, and Fred VanVleet hit the decisive 3-pointer in the final minute as the visiting Toronto Raptors earned a 110-106 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday afternoon.
It was Toronto's seventh straight win, tying its season best. The last team to beat the Raptors was San Antonio, which defeated the Raptors 105-104 in Toronto on Jan. 12.
Toronto led by 19 points in the first quarter, by a dozen at halftime but by just a point heading into the final period. The Spurs then scored 12 of the first 15 points of the period to take an eight-point advantage before the Raptors answered with a 14-0 run.
San Antonio rallied again, tying the game at 105 with one minute remaining after eight straight points by DeMar DeRozan. That set the stage for VanVleet, who hit a 3-pointer with 41.3 seconds left to break the tie and then sank two free throws with 15.9 seconds left to secure the decision.
Kyle Lowry scored 16 points, VanVleet ended with 13, Serge Ibaka added 12 points and 10 rebounds, OG Anunoby scored 10 points for Toronto. Marc Gasol grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for the Raptors.
DeRozan and Derrick White paced the Spurs with 14 points each.
Bryn Forbes and Dejounte Murray scored 13 points apiece, Marco Belinelli added 12, Jakob Poeltl tallied 11, and LaMarcus Aldridge hit for 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for San Antonio, which has lost two consecutive games.
Siakam lit up the Spurs in the first half for 30 points on 10-for-13 shooting that included hitting 5 of 7 from 3-point range. The Raptors led by 63-51 at halftime after outshooting San Antonio 49 percent to 40 percent and hitting 11 of 27 from beyond the arc.
Aldridge and White paced San Antonio with 10 points after the first two quarters as the Spurs were 6 of 19 from long distance.
A moment of silence was held before the game for legendary NBA star Kobe Bryant, who died Sunday along with his daughter in a helicopter crash. Bryant was 41. The two teams let the 24-second shot clock run out at the start of their game to honor Bryant.
--Field Level Media
