Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23) jumps as he shoots against San Antonio Spurs forward Isaiah Roby (18) and forward Doug McDermott (17) during first half NBA basketball action in Toronto on Wednesday, February 8, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey
TORONTO – Pascal Siakam’s 37 points led all scorers in the Toronto Raptors’s 112-98 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
Siakam also pulled down 10 rebounds and added a team-best seven assists as Toronto (26-30) won its third straight.
It was his fourth 30-point double-double of the season and 22nd of his career.
Fred VanVleet had 16 points and four assists, while Gary Trent Jr. scored 15.
It was perhaps the last time this particular Raptors lineup played together as the NBA trade deadline loomed on Thursday and Toronto was expected to be a seller.
Keldon Johnson had 22 points as San Antonio (14-41) lost its 10th consecutive game.
Doug McDermott had 13 points, with Josh Richardson adding 14 and former Raptor Jakob Poeltl chipping in 12.
VanVleet drove to the net for a layup with 30.2 seconds left to play in the first and then sank a free throw to give the Raptors a 34-24 lead by the end of the quarter.
Siakam scored a season-high 18 points in the frame. His previous high was 17 points, a mark he set in both the second and third quarters of Toronto’s 113-106 victory over the New York Knicks on Dec. 21.
Richardson made a tight jump shot with 4:54 left in the second quarter to tie the game 45-45, prompting Raptors head coach Nick Nurse to call a timeout.
It barely slowed down San Antonio, with the visitors keeping the game close. Richardson drilled a three-pointer with 22 seconds left in the half before VanVleet’s layup gave Toronto a 57-54 lead heading into the intermission.
The Raptors were uncharacteristically irresponsible with the ball in the first half, coughing up eight turnovers for 11 points. Toronto entered Wednesday’s tilt with an NBA-best 11.7 turnovers per game.
They finished the win over San Antonio despite 16 turnovers.
The Raptors opened the third with a 10-4 run and continued to pull away throughout the quarter. Johnson made two free throws with nine seconds left in the third to cut Toronto’s lead to 88-75.
San Antonio could do little to further cut into that lead in the final 12 minutes of play. Siakam sank a 17-foot jumper to make it 110-98 with less than a minute left to play. Montreal’s Chris Boucher made two free throws for his sixth and seventh points of the quarter.
Siakam grabbed his 10th rebound of the game on the final play of the game, sealing the Toronto win.
INACTIVES – Raptors forward O.G. Anunoby and guard Otto Porter Jr. were both inactive for the game. Anunoby sprained his left wrist in the Raptors’ 129-117 loss to Golden State on Jan. 27. Porter is recovering from toe dislocation surgery.
KEEPING MOMENTUM – The Raptors earned a 4-3 record on a seven-game road trip, their longest of the season. Nurse said before Wednesday’s game that he and his coaching staff worked hard to avoid a post-trip letdown after the successful western swing.
“We got off the plane and had a super intense, fast, pacy practice yesterday,” said Nurse. “Normally we’re “˜let’s take the day off, let’s not have shootaround, recover from the trip.'”
UP NEXT – Toronto hosts the Utah Jazz on Friday night.
The Spurs travel to Detroit on Friday to play the Pistons.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 8, 2023.
