The Toronto Raptors were beaten for the third time in a row on Monday, losing 99-91 to the Portland Trail Blazers in their fourth game of the season.
Scottie Barnes collected 16 of his 20 points in the second half, and 9 of his 12 rebounds. Pascal Siakam also collected 20 points.
In his return to action, OG Anunoby contributed 10. He missed Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers due to muscle cramps suffered the previous evening in a loss to the Chicago Bulls.
The Raptors made just 4 of 29 shots from the perimeter and had just 17 points off the bench.
Jerami Grant was the top scorer for the winners with 22 points. Malcolm Brogdon added 21 points as a substitute, while Deandre Ayton had 10 points and 23 rebounds.
The Raptors started the game scoring 8 of the first 10 points, with Siakam getting 6 of them just 1:48 into the game.
However, the Blazers responded to each Raptors attempt to increase their lead with five three-pointers on 11 attempts to end the first quarter trailing 25-21. Meanwhile, the Raptors managed just one three-pointer on seven shots.
The Trail Blazers took the lead for the first time at 1:31 of the second quarter, when Sharpe contributed to an unanswered eight-point spurt with a steal and a quick basket. The Raptors were able to tie the score on several occasions, but the Blazers answered with every basket.
After the Blazers took a 43-38 lead, Siakam completed a 12-4 run to allow the Raptors to return to the locker room with a 50-47 lead.
Barnes took control in the third quarter with 12 points. The Blazers nevertheless scored 11 unanswered points to overcome a 68-65 deficit.
After Gradey Dick scored four of the Raptors’ next six points, Brogdon ended the quarter with a basket that gave the visitors a 70-64 lead.
The Raptors started the final quarter scoring six of the first eight points, four of which went to Barnes, to cut the lead to two points.
Even though the Raptors kept the score close, the Blazers made a push late in the game. Brogdon and Grant made 11 of 15 points with 20.1 seconds left to seal the result.
Furthermore, Precious Achiuwa was not in uniform against Portland, having left Saturday night’s game with groin stiffness after playing only 18 minutes. He had six points and seven rebounds. This season, he averaged 7.3 points per game.
The Raptors will return to action on Wednesday at home against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Vucevic takes care of the Pacers
Nikola Vucevic scored 9 of his 24 points in the final quarter to help the Chicago Bulls come from behind and win 112-105 over the Indiana Pacers.
The Bulls trailed by five points before Vucevic sank three crucial stride shots, the third putting the lead up by one. The latter added 17 rebounds.
Zach Lavine had 23 points, and DeMar DeRozan 20 for the Bulls, who are 2-2.
Quebecer Bennedict Mathurin scored 24 points for the Pacers, while his teammate Myles Turner totaled 20 points and 11 rebounds.
The Pacers, who started the season with two wins, were their own worst enemy by stubbornly forcing shots from distance. They posted 26.1% efficiency from the perimeter (12 for 46).
Elsewhere in the NBA:
Brooklyn 133 – Charlotte 121
BRO : Cam Thomas had 33 points and Ben Simmons had ten rebounds and eight assists.
CHA : Terry Rozier had 23 points.
Boston 126 – Washington 107
BOS : Jaylen Brown scored 36 points.
WAS : Kyle Kuzma had 21 points.
Minnesota 113 – Atlanta 127
MIN : Anthony Edwards had 31 points and seven assists.
ATL : Dejounte Murray totaled 41 points.
Golden State 130 – New Orleans 102
GS : Stephen Curry had a 42-point game.
NO: Zion Williamson totaled 19 points.
Dallas 125 – Memphis 110
DAL : A hat-trick from Luka Doncic who totaled 35 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. Quebecer Olivier-Maxence Prosper did not see any action.
MEM : Desmond Bane got 30 points.
Miami 114 – Milwaukee 122
MIA : Tyler Herro had 35 points and eight rebounds.
MIL : Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points.
Detroit 112 – Oklahoma City 124
THAT: Jaden Ivey had 20 points.
OC : Shai Gilgeous-Alexander totaled 32 points. Quebecer Luguentz Dort had seven points and two rebounds.
Utah 102 – Denver 110
UTA : Lauri Markkanen dominated under the ring with 27 points and 14 rebounds.
THE : Nikola Jokic had a hat-trick of 27 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.
Orlando – LA Lakers
ORL :
LAL :
2023-10-30 23:35:00
#NBA #difficult #start #season #Raptors #lost #time #row
