Raptors finally knock off Spurs
Kyle Lowry turned in his best game since returning from injury, turning it on in the fourth quarter to help his Toronto Raptors grind out another home win.
Lowry scored nine of his 24 points in the final period, DeMar DeRozan added 21 and the Raptors beat San Antonio 86-83 on Friday night to snap a four-game losing streak against the Spurs.
Jonas Valanciunas had 15 points and 11 rebounds as the Raptors improved to 17-3 at home, the second-best home record in the NBA behind San Antonio’s mark of 19-2.
Lowry made eight of 16 shots, going 4 of 9 from three-point range, in his third game after missing three games with a bruised tailbone.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey said Lowry looked stronger than he had in his previous two outings.
“I thought he had a lot of bounce,” Casey said.
Lowry got the Raptors off to a quick start, making a three-pointer on his first shot of the game.
“Just being aggressive,” he said. “It’s that time of year when everyone is kind of hitting a little bit of a rut, a little bit of a lull. We’ve got to continue to get better and take the step on the journey to making us a better team.”
LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 14 rebounds, Pau Gasol scored 15 points and Patty Mills had 13 as San Antonio lost for the fourth time in six road games. The Spurs are 11-15 away from home.
It had been more than two years since Toronto last beat San Antonio. The Raptors won 97-94 at home on Dec. 9, 2015.
“They’re a well-rounded group,” DeRozan said of the Spurs. “Everybody understands their roles and they play extremely hard.”
San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili missed his second straight game because of a sore right thigh. Ginobili returned to Texas after the Spurs won at Brooklyn on Wednesday.
The Spurs shot 34 percent, making 31 of 91 attempts. Their season worst was a 33.7 percent showing in an Oct. 27 loss at Orlando. Wizards 122, Pistons 112: Bradley Beal and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 26 points apiece and Washington scored 45 in the third quarter before holding off host Detroit. The Pistons cut a 20-point second-half deficit to four in the fourth quarter, but John Wall made a threepointer to put the Wizards up 107-100. Nets 101, Heat 95: DeMarre Carroll scored 26 points, Spencer Dinwiddie had 15 and Brooklyn beat visiting Miami. The Nets snapped a five-game skid at Barclays Center and a seven-game home losing streak to the Heat. Grizzlies 106, Kings 88: Dillon Brooks scored 22 points, Ben McLemore had 21 and host Memphis beat Sacramento for its third consecutive win. The game was Zach Randolph’s first in Memphis since spending eight years as a key figure in the Grizzlies’ success. Suns 108, Nuggets 100: Devin Booker scored 30 points, T.J. Warren had 25 and visiting Phoenix defeated Denver. Josh Jackson and Isaiah Canaan added 16 points apiece off the bench for Phoenix, which snapped a sevengame losing streak to the Nuggets. Lakers 99, Pacers 86: Jordan Clarkson scored 33 points to lead Los Angeles over visiting Indiana. The Lakers, missing three injured starters, snapped a two-game skid despite making just two of 14 free throws. Knicks 117, Jazz 115: Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 31 points, making 6 of 7 three-pointers, as New York beat host Utah.