Raptors hold off Thunder rally

Norman Powell scored 23 points, and the Toronto Raptors held off a furious rally and beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 130-121 on Wednesday night.

Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby each added 21 points for the Raptors, who shot a season-high 61.2 per cent from the field.

Dennis Schroder scored 25 points, Danilo Gallinari scored 23 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexader added 21 for the Thunder, who cut a 30-point deficit to three before Toronto held on.

Toronto led 73-43 in the second quarter before the Thunder closed the first half on a 12-0 run. GilgeousAlexander hit a 3-pointer as time expired in the second quarter to cut Toronto’s lead to 73-55. Former Thunder player Serge Ibaka scored 13 points on 6-for-6 shooting before the break. The Raptors led 97-83 heading into the fourth, and had a 21-point lead with 6:39 to play.

Oklahoma City made a huge comeback try late. Gallinari threw down a monster dunk and was fouled with 2:39 to play. The free throw cut Toronto’s lead to three, but Toronto closed the game on an 8-2 run.