But behind 33 points and 10 assists from Kyle Lowry, who made the go-ahead jumper with 4.3 seconds to play, the Raptors rallied to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 108-106 on Tuesday night for their first overtime victory of the season.
"It was like a funeral in here," Lowry said of the halftime mood in the Raptors' locker room. "We were all down and out of it but DeMarre Carroll came out in the second half with some energy and I give a lot of credit for that game win to him."
Carroll provided what Lowry called the intangibles, leaving the scoring to the likes of Jonas Valanciunas, who had 20 points and 12 rebounds, and Norman Powell, who chipped in with 18 points.
Lowry tied his season high for 3-pointers, going 6 of 14 beyond the arc as the Raptors beat the Pelicans for the third straight time and ninth time in the teams' last 11 meetings.
Toronto won for just the second time in eight games, a slump that has allowed Boston to pass the Raptors for second in the Eastern Conference.
Jrue Holiday scored 30 points and Anthony Davis had 18 points and 17 rebounds for his 30th double-double as the Pelicans lost their second straight.
Down 106-102 with just over a minute to play in OT, New Orleans tied the game on Davis' floating jump shot with 29 seconds to go. But Lowry worked the shot clock at the other end, finally putting the Raptors in front for good on his step-back jumper.
E'Twaun Moore, who tied a career high with five 3-pointers, had a chance to win it from beyond the arc for the Pelicans with 1.9 seconds to go, but his shot missed.
Coach Alvin Gentry said his team needed to be more disciplined at the start of the second half in particular, when the Raptors opened on a 12-1 run to erase most of the 14-point deficit.
"We started the second half with three turnovers in our first four possessions and you just can't do that," he said. "You play with the understanding that you know the home team is going to make a run back at you, but it's got to be because they are playing well."
Davis took some responsibility after going just 4 of 18 from the field and missing a couple of important free throws in OT.
"I missed a ton of shots and played bad," he said. "But there is nothing that we can do about it, we have to look forward to tomorrow's game and try and get a win."
TIP-INS
Pelicans: After playing 18 consecutive games, G-F Tyreke Evans was given the night off for rest. ... G-F Quincy Pondexter (left knee) did not play. ... F Dante Cunningham (right wrist) left the game with six minutes remaining in the first quarter and did not return.
Raptors: DeRozan (right ankle) was sidelined for both Tuesday and Wednesday's games, the team announced, after swelling reappeared in the ankle he sprained last week, keeping him out of three games. ... Toronto has swept the season series with New Orleans in four out of the last five years. ... For the sixth time in their last nine games, the Raptors trailed at halftime.
STEPPING UP ON D
Toronto held New Orleans to 18 of 52 (.346) shooting from the floor in the second half and overtime after allowing the Pelicans to connect on 22 of 42 (.524) in the first half.
NEW LOOK FOR THE NEW YEAR
For the second and last time this season, the Raptors wore their red Chinese New Year uniforms to pay tribute to Chinese culture. One of four NBA teams to sport the alternate uniforms, alongside Golden State, Houston and Washington, the Raptors had a number of themed events during the game, such as rooster toy giveaways and dance recitals.
RISING HIGH
The 6-foot-4 Powell brought the home crowd to its feet 4:12 into the second half, driving at the 6-10 Davis, before rising above him to throw down a one-handed dunk.
PAYING RESPECT
Before the game, both teams and the rest of the Air Canada Centre observed a moment of silence in memory of the six victims of Sunday's shooting at a Quebec City mosque.
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Visit Detroit on Wednesday aiming to extend an eight-game winning streak over the Pistons.
Raptors: Visit Boston on Wednesday, looking for a third straight victory over the Atlantic Division-leading Celtics this season.
Check out the team sites for the New Orleans Pelicans and the Toronto Raptors for more game coverage.
Regular Season Series
TOR leads 1-0
2016-2017 Southwest Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio | 39 | 11 | .780 | 0 | W3 |
| Houston | 37 | 17 | .685 | 4 | W1 |
| Memphis | 31 | 22 | .585 | 9.5 | W1 |
| Dallas | 20 | 30 | .400 | 19 | W4 |
| New Orleans | 19 | 32 | .373 | 20.5 | L4 |
2016-2017 Atlantic Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 33 | 18 | .647 | 0 | W7 |
| Toronto | 31 | 21 | .596 | 2.5 | W1 |
| New York | 22 | 30 | .423 | 11.5 | L1 |
| Philadelphia | 18 | 32 | .360 | 14.5 | L3 |
| Brooklyn | 9 | 42 | .176 | 24 | L9 |
+/- denotes team's net points while the player is on the court
No comments:
Post a Comment