The Canadian Press
TORONTO–Pascal Siakam was mid-sentence, speaking to the media in Toronto’s post-game locker-room last night, when DeMar DeRozan rushed in and wrapped Siakam in a big bear hug.
DeRozan had just played spoiler in Siakam’s return from injury–and exacted a bit of revenge against his old team. The 30-year-old scored 22 of his 25 points in the second half to lift San Antonio to a 105-104 victory over the Raptors, his team for nine seasons before he was traded to the Spurs in the 2018 off-season for Kawhi Leonard.
Serge Ibaka had 21 points and 14 rebounds to top Toronto (25-14), becoming the third Raptor in history to record a double-double in eight straight games, along with Chris Bosh and Donyell Marshall.
The Raptors led for most of the night, and had cobbled together an 18-point advantage by midway through an entertaining third quarter that saw Kyle Lowry and Derrick White go crashing out of bounds battling for a loose ball. The Raptors led 82-69 to start the fourth, but it was virtually downhill from that point.
The Spurs would go up by nine before Lowry, Powell and Ibaka responded with back-to-back-to-back three-pointers to tie the game with 1:17 to play, whipping the Scotiabank Arena crowd into a frenzy.
But Marco Belinelli knocked down an open three with 28 seconds left, Siakam missed on a layup, then DeRozan sprinted downcourt chased by Lowry, who fouled his friend and old backcourt partner. DeRozan connected on his two free throws, but Lowry drained a long three with four seconds left to cut the Spurs’ lead to a point. LaMarcus Aldridge breathed a bit of hope into the Raptors when he missed two free throws, but there were no last-second heroics as Siakam’s long shot at the buzzer bounced off the glass.
DeRozan arrived in Toronto playing some of the best basketball of his career–he’d scored 20-plus points in each of his 10 previous games, becoming the first Spurs player in history to do so.
It took him until 1:25 left in the first half to score last night.
“You always want to start off fast, but they threw a different look at me that no one threw this year, kind of corralling me, trapping me, so it’s kind of like Floyd Mayweather: first couple of rounds you feel it out and attack after that,” DeRozan said.
It was his second game in Toronto since the blockbuster trade that also sent Jakob Poeltl to the Spurs. The Raptors beat San Antonio 120-117 last February in Toronto when Leonard stole the ball from DeRozan and scored on a go-ahead dunk. Leonard drained two free throws in the dying seconds while the Toronto crowd chanted “M-V-P!”
Raptors fans gave DeRozan a standing ovation during a tribute video last night.
“I don’t know anybody who gets two tributes in a row. Find somebody else,” DeRozan joked. “It’s amazing to be able to get that much recognition. It never gets old.”
DeRozan’s teammates were happy for him.
“He’s a great teammate, man,” Aldridge said. “He’s very unselfish, he wants to win, plays the right way. I was happy to see them give him that video [tribute] again because I feel like he definitely played his heart out, he gave everything he could to this city and I think he honestly deserves it. To come back here, play great and get a win, it just feels good.”
Siakam was clearly happy to be back on the floor, smiling widely when introduced in the Raptors starting lineup. He then went to work, connecting on his first four shots for nine points before the game was five minutes old. His three-pointer put the Raptors up by 12 midway through the quarter. Toronto took a 28-21 advantage into the second.
“I feel like I kind of lost my rhythm a little bit,” Siakam said on his second half. “I wasn’t able to get back into it. It’s just going to take a little bit, I’m sure . . . I felt I could have been way more aggressive.”
Powell’s three midway through the second saw Toronto go back up by 12, and the Raptors went into the halftime break up 51-43.
Toronto shot just 32 per cent from long distance in the first half, but San Antonio was even worse at 20 per cent.
The Raptors head to Oklahoma City on Wednesday then return home to host Washington on Friday.
In other NBA action yesterday, New York topped Miami 124-121; Utah dumped Washington 127-116; Brooklyn routed Atlanta 108-86; Memphis pounded Golden State 122-102; Denver dispatched the L.A. Clippers 114-104; and Phoenix upended Charlotte 100-92.
