(Toronto) Fred VanVleet had 33 points and the Toronto Raptors earned their third straight victory on Tuesday, winning 129-104 over the San Antonio Spurs.
As they led by a single point after a quarter, the Raptors turned to an easy win after a 14-1 streak in the second quarter.
The push began shortly after Justin Champagnie broke the tie at 39-39 with the first of four three-pointers in five attempts. The reservist finished the game with 14 points, a personal high.
VanVleet was 7 for 14 on long shots. He punctuated the charge 14-1 with a two-point basket, bringing the score to 56-42 Toronto.
As of late, the Raptors can count on essentially full roster. Recently, their regular players have all had to miss meetings, related to the COVID-19 protocol.
“Having everyone there helps us find our rhythm and our natural roles,” said VanVleet.
“For the opponent, it becomes a little more difficult to counter this or that guy. In addition, our players are aggressive in spotting a guy who will have the free field to take a good shot. These are good feelings. ”
Gary Trent had 21 points, while Pascal Siakam provided 18 points and 12 rebounds. OG Anunoby added 14 points, Scottie Barnes 11 and Precious Achiuwa 10.
Collectively, the Raptors have set a high this season with 30 assists. Chris Boucher went there by four points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
“He was limited to four points, but he delivered a great game,” said coach Nick Nurse. He had a real impact. ”
In connection with the protocol, the Raptors had to deal with the absence of reservists Yuta Watanabe and Svi Mykhailiuk.
The Raptors (17-17) reduced their record to .500 for the first time since Nov. 13, when they were 7-7.
Toronto will visit the defending NBA champions Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. The Bucks will be without Grayson Allen and Pat Connaughton, in connection with the protocol.
Jakob Poeltl collected 19 points for Spurs, who have lost their last four games.
San Antonio were playing without their leading scorer, Dejounte Murray. He has been on the sidelines in connection with the virus and he is working to get back in shape. Sixth pointer of his own, Lonnie Walker was unavailable in connection with the protocol.
19-year-old Ontarian Josh Primo had 15 points. Spurs drafted him at 12e rank this year.
Before the game, the Spurs (14-21) were fifth in the NBA with 111.5 points per game. They were, however, second to last with 10.9 three-pointers scored per game.
The game was a pretty faithful reflection of that. The visitors hit the target with 9 of 35 three-pointers (Toronto’s 18 of 44).
Gregg Popovich, who has led the Spurs since 1996-97, is not far behind the NBA record for regular season earnings. It totals 1324. The first two places are occupied by Don Nelson (1335) and Lenny Wilkens (1332).
Spurs were in Game 3 of a seven-game trip.
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