Rap to rs ground Pelicans
DeRozan scores 25, leads Toronto over New Orleans125-116
NEW ORLEANS — DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points and the Toronto Raptors kept hitting 3s to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 125-116 on Wednesday night.
The Raptors shot 16 for 34 on 3-pointers, with C.J. Miles going 5 for 9.
Kyle Lowry had 22 points, Jonas Valanciunas had 21 and Miles 17 for Toronto. Serge Ibaka added 12 points and Pascal Siakam and Fred Van-Vleet each had 10.
DeMarcus Cousins scored 25 points for the Pelicans and Anthony Davis had 19.
New Orleans had a 64-42 scoring advantage in the paint, but couldn’t match Toronto’s outside shooting. The Raptors shot 59 per cent overall and won for the fourth time in five games.
The Pelicans lost for the second time in their last seven games.
Toronto turned a one-point halftime edge into a 98-86 lead after three quarters, boosted by DeRozan’s 11 points.
Lowry scored on an offensive rebound and Miles made a 3-pointer as Toronto built the lead to 110-93 early in the fourth quarter.
The Pelicans led by as many as 14 points in the first quarter. Siakam scored 10 points, all on layups, as Toronto took a 45-42 lead early in the second quarter.
Jrue Holiday scored eight points as New Orleans regained the lead before Lowry made a 3-pointer that gave the Raptors a 64-63 halftime lead.
Tip-ins
The Raptors were playing the back end of their first set of back- to-back games this season, having won at Houston on Tuesday. ... The Raptors defeated the Pelicans 122-118 last Thursday in Toronto. ... G Norman Powell missed his second consecutive game because of a hip pointer. ... Toronto made all 14 of its free throws.
Up Next
The Raptors are at home versus the New York Knicks on Friday.