Raptors beat Jazz 104-94 for 11th straight home win

TORONTO -- A rested and refreshed Kyle Lowry was too much for the Utah Jazz.
Toronto's All-Star point guard scored 32 points, DeMar DeRozan added 31 and the Raptors beat the Jazz 104-94 on Wednesday night for their club-record 11th straight home win.
Lowry had five assists, four rebounds and three steals in 40:13 of playing time. He sat out Sunday's loss at Detroit after scoring a career-high 43 points in a victory over Cleveland on Friday night.
"It made me a little bit fresher," Lowry said. "It's just making sure my body was right and making sure my mentality was right.
"It's a long season, it's a grind and we put our bodies through a lot. We get paid really good money to do it, so I know the resting thing is not too popular with everyone, but in the end we want to be able to put out the best product possible."
Toronto (40-19) opened a seven-game homestand by leading the entire second half on the way to its fifth win in six games.
The Jazz (28-32) were led by Gordon Hayward, who had 26 points and six assists. Derrick Favors added 15 points and seven rebounds for Utah, which has lost four straight and seven of 11.
Utah led by as many as 12 points in the second quarter but the Raptors closed the first half on a 16-5 run and then pulled away in the third, led by DeRozan's 14 points.
"I felt like we didn't keep them out of the paint," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "You look around and that's Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, they're pretty good at getting in there.
"A couple of spurts, and you can't have those spurts against a team as good as they are."
The Jazz lost starting guard Rodney Hood with 8:23 to go in the second quarter. He was helped off the floor following a collision and did not return with what was described as a minor head injury. He will be further evaluated as Utah prepares for Friday night's game in Memphis.
"It's huge," Hayward said. "He's another guy who can make plays for himself, make plays for our team, and the defense has to respect him.
"It was a bad loss for us."
Hood had three points and four assists in nearly 13 minutes.
There were 11 lead changes and nine ties in the first half before Toronto took control. The Raptors are 22-6 at the Air Canada Centre this season.
Utah twice cut its deficit to four points in the final 3 minutes, but got no closer.
DeRozan had a layup on an assist from Lowry with 1:27 left to make it an eight-point game. After the Jazz couldn't convert on their next trip down the court, Lowry widened the lead to 10.
"Our guys compete until the last possession, but give Toronto credit, too," Snyder said. "There's a reason they're as good a team as they are and have the record they have."
DeRozan said defense was the key to the Raptors getting back into the game in the second quarter and widening their lead in the fourth.
"We were letting them get into their sets (in the first half) and to get where they wanted to go, and we had to disrupt that the best way we could in the second half if we wanted to be successful," DeRozan said. "That's what we did."
TIP-INS
Jazz: Utah has lost five straight on the road and is 9-20 away from home. ... Utah is 13-12 against Eastern Conference opponents. . The Jazz had five players score in double figures.
Raptors: C Jonas Valanciunas had 10 points, the 12th straight game he has scored in double figures. ... Toronto had a 56-42 edge on points in the paint. ... Toronto won for the 27th straight game when holding opponents under 100 points.
STRETCH STRUGGLES
The Jazz went 8 for 24 (33 percent) from the field in the fourth quarter after shooting 45 percent or better in each of the first three.
HOMERS
Last month, the Raptors became the third team in the past 20 years to finish with a perfect record on a homestand of seven games or more. The Lakers and Hawks are the others.
UP NEXT
The Jazz continue their four-game road trip at Memphis on Friday night.
The Raptors host Portland on Friday night.