Lowry, DeRozan lead Raptors over Wiggins’ Timberwolves
TORONTO — Kyle Lowry scored 25 points with 11 assists as the Toronto Raptors spoiled Andrew Wiggins’ northern homecoming with a 124-110 win Thursday night in National Basketball Association play.
DeMar DeRozan added 27 points, including a nasty put-back jam over Ricky Rubio, while Jonas Valanciunas came out of his recent slump with a 20-point, 10-rebound performance for the Raptors (15-7).
Vaughan’s Wiggins scored 25 points after getting off to a scorching start, while athletic guard Zach LaVine poured in a game-high 29 for the Wolves (6-16).
With the Raptors donning their alternate blue Huskies jerseys, it was a tight, back-and-forth affair until the fourth. After the Timberwolves entered the period with an 89-88 lead, neither team led by more than three points, until Lowry managed a four-point play with 7:17 left. At that point, aside from an enthusiastically contested three by Wiggins on the next possession, the Raptors were off to the races.
Cory Joseph, of Pickering, chipped in 12 points on only eight shots for the Raptors, while longlimbed reserve Lucas Nogueira contributed eight points and nine rebounds in 19 valuable minutes.
Wiggins’ individual performance has mirrored the team’s inconsistency. The 21-year-old entered Thursday’s game averaging 22.2 points (buoyed by a new-found three-point shot), but his defensive intensity is fickle.