NBA: Raptors' Kyle Lowry undergoes thumb procedure

Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry underwent a procedure to repair a tendon in his left thumb, but he still plans on being available for the upcoming FIBA World Cup, ESPN reported.

Lowry is not expected to miss USA Basketball's mini-camp to be held Aug. 5-9 at Las Vegas. He last played for Team USA at the 2016 Olympics and is one of 20 players invited to the mini-camp for the current team.

Lowry, 33, scored 14.2 points with 8.7 assists for the Raptors in the 2018-19 season and scored 15.0 points with 6.6 assists in 24 games during the postseason on the way to an NBA title.

The 32-team FIBA World Cup is scheduled for Aug. 31-Sept. 15 in China.

--Field Level Media

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Raptors rally past Bucks for first Finals appearance

TORONTO  -- The Toronto Raptors made history the hard way Saturday night, reaching the NBA Finals for the first time after rallying past the Milwaukee Bucks 100-94 in Game 6.

Trailing by 15 points with 2:18 remaining in the third quarter, the Raptors scored the final 10 points of the frame. Then, with Kawhi Leonard on the bench for the first 3:30 of the fourth quarter, they took a two-point lead.

Leonard returned, and the game was in good hands. He finished with 27 points -- seven in the fourth quarter -- a career-best 17 rebounds and seven assists.

"Just one possession at a time," Leonard said, describing the comeback. "We kept fighting the whole game."

The Raptors, who lost the first two games of the Eastern Conference finals before winning four straight, will open the NBA Finals at home on Thursday night against the Golden State Warriors.

"It's still surreal to me right now," Leonard said. "But this is what we've been striving for all season. It's not over yet."

Pascal Siakam added 18 points, Kyle Lowry had 17 and Fred VanVleet scored 14 for the Raptors.

"Kawhi stays level-headed all the time," Lowry said. "He brought that pedigree with him."

"He inspired us tonight with monster rebounds," Raptors coach Nick Nurse added. "It wasn't going well for us, it was kind of a frustrating night. ... But we kept playing."

Lowry has been through many playoff failures in seven years with the Raptors.

"It means a lot to me," Lowry said. "We beat a really good team in Milwaukee. But I'm not satisfied yet. Our goal is to win the NBA championship."

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Bucks, who had the NBA's best record (60-22) during the regular season. Brook Lopez added 18 points with nine rebounds and three blocks, Khris Middleton had 14 points, Ersan Ilyasova 13, and Malcolm Brogdon and George Hill 10 each.

"This hurts," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "But what they did in the playoffs tonight against a really good Toronto Raptors team, and to get to get the Eastern Conference finals, the regular season, a special season for us. We feel like we're just getting started."

"We have to get better as a team and get better as individuals," Antetokounmpo said. "This is the beginning of a long journey for us."

"We had a great season, we just fell short of our goals," Middleton said.

Antetokounmpo was asked about Leonard's playoff experience.

"You can tell from the way he plays," Antetokounmpo said of the 2014 Finals MVP. "He has so much patience, he knows what we wants to do, he has faith in himself and he has been in the Finals before."

Serge Ibaka's dunk tied the game at 78 with 10:31 to play in the game, and Siakam's jumper and VanVleet's 3-pointer capped a 10-0 run to give Toronto a five-point lead.

A key play was Lowry's steal and his handoff to Leonard, who dunked to increase the lead to eight with 6:46 remaining.

The Bucks came back with a 7-0 run to pull within one point on Antetokounmpo's layup with 5:19 to play.

Marc Gasol's 3-pointer had Toronto ahead by four, but Lopez reduced it to two with a layup at 3:29. The Raptors went up by five on Siakam's tip-in with 2:06 to play.

Lopez made two free throws with 29.6 seconds to play, cutting the lead to three, but Milwaukee never had the ball within one possession in the closing minutes. Siakam and Leonard finished the game off with free throws.

The Bucks were 6-for-9 from 3-point range to earn a 31-18 lead after one quarter.

Ilyasova's 3-pointer with 7:48 to play in the first half put the Bucks ahead 38-23.

VanVleet's 3-pointer with 2:28 to play in the half cut the lead to seven.

Ibaka's dunk with 1:32 left had the Raptors within five points, and VanVleet's jumper reduced the lead to three with 1:07 left.

The Bucks scored the final four points of the half to lead 50-43.

Middleton's second 3-pointer in three minutes had the lead at 14 with 3:46 left in the third. The Bucks worked the lead to 15 before the Raptors went on a 10-0 run, with Leonard scoring eight. The Bucks led 76-71 after three quarters.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Raptors dominate third quarter, top Wizards

Pascal Siakam scored 19 of his career-best 44 points in the third quarter and grabbed 10 rebounds Wednesday night as the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Washington Wizards, 129-120.

The Raptors trailed by as many as 12 points in the third quarter, but scored 44 points in the quarter to take a 10-point lead entering the fourth.

OG Anunoby had 10 points in the third quarter and finished with a career-best 22 points for the Raptors, who were without Kawhi Leonard because of a sore left knee.

Kyle Lowry had 14 points and 13 assists, Serge Ibaka added 10 points and 13 rebounds, Norman Powell had 11 points and Danny Green 10 as Toronto entered the All-Star break with a six-game winning streak.

Jeremy Lin had eight points, five rebounds and five assists in his Raptors debut.

Bradley Beal led Washington with 28 points and 11 assists, Jeff Green added 23 points, Jabari Parker had 22 points and nine rebounds, Trevor Ariza scored 19, Thomas Bryant had 13 points and Bobby Portis 12.

The Wizards trimmed the Raptors' lead to two points on Parker's dunk and three throw with 7:50 left, but Toronto expanded the lead to eight with 3:43 left after a 9-3 run.

Toronto led 30-26 after the first quarter.

With 5:02 left in the first half, Green converted a free throw after making a 3-pointer and Washington led by two. Ariza made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Washington a 65-59 halftime lead.

Beal had 16 first-half points and Green added 15 for the Wizards, who shot 51.2 percent from the field in the half. Siakam had 14 for the Raptors, who shot 38.8 percent in the first half.

Ariza started the second half with a 3-pointer. The Wizards led by 12 on Bryant's running dunk with 8:48 left in the third quarter.

The Raptors regained the lead with a 15-0 run, capped by Lowry's 3-pointer and Lin's layup. Powell's free throw increased the lead to 12 at 101-91 with less than a minute left in the third quarter. Toronto led 103-93 entering the fourth quarter.

The Raptors also were without Patrick McCaw (shoulder). Fred VanVleet (left thumb ligament) will be out at least five weeks after surgery Wednesday.

The Wizards were without Tomas Satoransky (personal) for the second straight game.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Raptors rout Warriors to cap season sweep

Kyle Lowry scored eight of his team-high 23 points in an early runaway Wednesday night as the Toronto Raptors completed a season-series sweep over the Golden State Warriors with a 113-93 romp in Oakland, California.

Lowry (12 assists) and Serge Ibaka (20 points, 12 rebounds) recorded double-doubles, helping Toronto snap a 13-game losing streak at Golden State that dated back to 2004.

The Raptors had recorded a 131-128 overtime win over the two-time defending champs when the teams met in Toronto late last month.

Kevin Durant led all scorers with 30 points on 13-for-22 shooting for the Warriors, who were held to their third-lowest output of the season.

Lowry scored eight points, Ibaka had six points and Danny Green and Fred VanVleet added 3-pointers as Toronto ran out to a 22-9 lead in the first 6:18 of the game.

In running their road record to 12-3 overall, including 7-0 against Western Conference teams, the Raptors built a 57-41 halftime advantage. The Warriors never got closer than 12 in the second half.

Green finished with 15 points, Pascal Siakam 13 and VanVleet 10 for Toronto, which was playing the night after opening a four-game trip with a 123-99 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Raptors improved to 6-0 on the second night of back-to-backs, doing so despite not having Kawhi Leonard, who sat out both games due to a sore right hip.

Early in the second quarter, Toronto center Jonas Valanciunas suffered a dislocated left thumb and did not return after getting slapped in the hand by Draymond Green. No foul was called on the play.

Klay Thompson was held to 14 points and Stephen Curry 10 for the Warriors, who had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Thompson missed all five of his 3-point attempts and Curry went just 2-for-8 from beyond the arc as Golden State shot just 23.1 percent (6-for-26) on 3-point tries.

The Warriors had made at least 18 3-pointers in each of their previous three games.

Quinn Cook had 13 points for the Warriors.

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NBA: Raptors rally from 17 down, beat Grizzlies

Kyle Lowry scored 24 points, including 15 in the second half, and the visiting Toronto Raptors overcame a 17-point deficit to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies, 122-114, Tuesday night.

Kawhi Leonard added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, who won their sixth game in a row.

Fred VanVleet was 6-for-6 from the field for 18 points off the bench -- 14 in the second half -- for the Raptors. Serge Ibaka added 16 points, Danny Green had 14 and Pascal Siakam 10.

Marc Gasol led Memphis with 27 points. Mike Conley added 20 points, Kyle Anderson and JaMychal Green had 13 each and Garrett Temple contributed 12. Omri Casspi and Shelvin Mack chipped in with 10 apiece.

After the Raptors came back to take the lead in the fourth quarter, Anderson's cutting layup tied the game at 107 with 5:32 to play. Lowry and VanVleet answered with consecutive 3-pointers put the Raptors ahead by six with 4:02 left.

Conley missed two free throws and Temple missed a 3-point attempt before VanVleet made a 3-pointer with 2:03 to play, putting Toronto ahead by seven. Conley's trey lowered the lead to five with 45 seconds to play.

The Raptors scored the first eight points of the game before the Grizzlies slowed the pace down to produce a 9-2 run. JaMychal Green gave Memphis its first lead, 17-15, by making a hook shot and a free throw with 4:13 to play.

Mack's 16-foot jumper ended the first quarter with Memphis leading, 32-31.

Memphis scored the first five points of the second quarter and improved the lead to 12 on Mack's 12-foot floating jumper with 2:59 left.

Aided by nine Toronto turnovers, Memphis led, 71-59, at halftime, the most points allowed by the Raptors in a half this season.

Gasol nailed a 3-pointer and Anderson tipped in a rebound to open the third quarter, and Memphis led by 17 points. Toronto trimmed the lead to five when Leonard made two of three free throws with 4:43 to play in the third.

The Raptors drew within one point on Lowry's 3-pointer with 1:25 to play. The Grizzlies led 97-93 after three quarters.

Memphis increased the lead to seven on Conley's 17-foot floating jumper with 9:27 to play in the fourth. Delon Wright and VanVleet made consecutive 3-pointers to tie the game at 105-105 with 6:48 to play. Lowry put the Raptors ahead by two on an 8-foot bank shot 35 seconds later.

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Raptors rough up Heat for 5th win in row

Kawhi Leonard scored 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Toronto Raptors defeated the visiting Miami Heat 125-115 for their fifth win in a row.

Toronto also received double-doubles from Jonas Valanciunas, who had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Kyle Lowry, who had 12 points and 10 assists.

Pascal Siakam added 21 points while Fred VanVleet, CJ Miles and Delon Wright each scored 10.

Dwyane Wade scored a season-best 35 points off the bench for the Heat, losers of seven of the past nine games. Bam Adebayo added a double-double with 16 points and 21 rebounds, Josh Richardson scored 19 points, Kelly Olynyk had 11 and Wayne Ellington 10.

The Raptors led by as many as 26 points during the third quarter, but the Heat twice cut the deficit to eight on Wade's 3-pointers early in the fourth.

The Heat could not get closer than eight points, and when Lowry knocked down a 32-foot 3-pointer with 4:54 to play, the lead was 15.

Richardson's 3-pointer with 19 seconds to play cut the margin to 10.

The Raptors led 36-29 after the first quarter in which they twice led by as many as 11 points while shooting 75 percent from the field.

The Heat reduced the deficit to two on Ellington's 3-pointer with 7:11 to play in the second quarter. Lowry's driving layup restored Toronto's 11-point advantage with 2:13 to play in the half. Toronto led 63-54 at halftime.

The Raptors held a 17-point advantage with 10:20 to play in the third quarter when Lowry made a 3-pointer on an assist from Leonard on a play set up when Siakam's snared a defensive rebound.

Toronto's lead reached 26 when Valanciunas tipped in a pass from Lowry with 7:12 to play in the third.

The Heat used a 10-2 rally finished by Olynyk's 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 15. Wade completed the third-quarter scoring with two free throws to pull the Heat to within 101-89.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Ibaka drops 34 as Raptors pound Lakers

Serge Ibaka scored a career-best 34 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the visiting Toronto Raptors defeated the Los Angeles Lakers, 121-107, Sunday night.

Kyle Lowry added 21 points and matched his season best with 15 assists to set a club record of eight straight games with 10 or more assists. It was his seventh double-double this season.

Ibaka shot 15-for-17 from the field as the Raptors played without Kawhi Leonard, who has a jammed left foot. The Raptors are off to a franchise best start at 9-1.

Pascal Siakam had 16 points and 13 rebounds for his third double-double of the season, Danny Green had 15 points, Jonas Valanciunas 14 and Delon Wright had 11 points for the Raptors.

Kyle Kuzma had 24 points for the Lakers, while LeBron James had 18 points, Brandon Ingram 16, Lonzo Ball 12 and Rajon Rondo 10.

The Raptors led by as many as 31 points in the first quarter and took a 21-point lead into the fourth quarter.

The Raptors led by 19 with 7:02 to go in the fourth quarter after Valanciunas made two free throws. The Lakers went on a 10-0 surge to climb to within 12 with 4:14 left.

The Raptors had a furious start. Ibaka hit his eighth field goal in eight attempts while Lowry picked up his ninth assist when the Raptors took a 34-10 lead with 3:45 to play in the first quarter.

The lead reached 31 after Fred VanVleet converted two free throws with 2:21 left.

Ibaka finished the first quarter with 20 points and the Raptors led 42-17. Toronto shot 15-for-22 from the field, while the Lakers went 7-for-21.

The Lakers had a 6-0 run to cut Toronto's lead to 20 with 5:44 left in the second quarter.

But the Raptors had a 69-38 lead when Siakam made a driving dunk.

Ibaka's 26 points led the Raptors to a 71-49 halftime lead. Lowry had nine points and 12 assists in the first half. James had nine points for the Lakers.

Ibaka's dunk with 8:01 left in the third quarter had the lead at 85-58.

The Lakers made an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 17 with 3:18 to play on Ingram's 16-foot shot.

The Raptors led, 101-80, at the end of the third quarter.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Raptors move to 8-1 after eclipsing Suns

Kawhi Leonard scored 19 points, grabbed six rebounds and added five assists as the visiting Toronto Raptors defeated the Phoenix Suns 107-98 Friday night.

Kyle Lowry added 11 points, 12 assists and six rebounds for the Raptors, who have won eight of their first nine games this season. The Suns have lost seven in a row after winning their season opener.

It was the seventh consecutive game in which Lowry has had 10 or more assists, matching a team record. It was his sixth double-double of the season.

Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points, seven rebounds and four blocks for Toronto while Serge Ibaka added 14 points and Pascal Siakam had 10.

Leonard left the game and went to the dressing room with 2:42 to play with what was described as a jammed foot.

Isaiah Canaan had 19 points for the Suns, while Deandre Ayton had 17 points and a career-best 18 rebounds. Devin Booker added 18 points, Josh Jackson 11 while Trevor Ariza and T.J. Warren had 10 apiece.

The Raptors took a six-point lead into the fourth quarter that increased to 16 with 8:30 to play when Norman Powell hit a 3-pointer to complete an 8-0 surge.

Canaan's 3-pointer trimmed Toronto's lead to 13 with 4:31 left.

After the Suns led 26-23 after the first quarter, Ryan Anderson's 3-pointer with 5:39 to play in the second quarter gave the Suns a seven-point lead. The Suns regained a three-point lead on a 3-pointer by Ariza with 44.1 seconds left and Phoenix led 52-48 at halftime.

Ayton had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Phoenix in the first half and Canaan had 12 points. Leonard led the Raptors with 12 points in the first half.

Toronto took a seven-point lead on a 3-pointer by Danny Green with 9:45 to go in the third quarter, capping a 10-0 run.

The Suns responded with a 7-0 run to tie the game at 61 with 7:53 on Booker's 18-foot jumper.

The Raptors reeled off an 8-0 surge to take a 69-61 lead with 3:26 to play in the third on OG Anunoby's dunk.

Fred VanVleet's 3-pointer bumped the lead to 10 with 2:04 left in the third.

Jackson nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut Toronto's lead to 77-71 after three quarters.

Booker was back with the Suns after missing three games. Meanwhile, VanVleet returned to the Toronto lineup after missing four games and Anunoby returned after missing three games.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Raptors surge in 4th quarter, eliminate Wizards in Game 6

Kyle Lowry scored 24 points, and the Toronto Raptors got a big lift from their bench in a clinching 102-92 win over the Washington Wizards on Friday in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series at Capital One Arena in Washington.

The Raptors, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, outscored the Wizards 29-14 in the fourth quarter. Toronto will face the winner of the series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers in the next round.

"We're not satisfied," Lowry told ESPN after the game. "This is another step in our journey. We're happy right now, but we'll be able to focus on the next task at hand."

DeMar DeRozan scored 16 points, and Jonas Valanciunas added 14 points and 12 rebounds to help Toronto notch the only road win of the six-game series with the Wizards.

Bradley Beal scored 32 points, and John Wall added 23 points to lead the Wizards.

Toronto's bench outscored Washington's reserves 34-20.

The Raptors took their first lead of the night on an alley-oop dunk by DeRozan from Lowry with 6:22 left in the third quarter, but were unable to build on it. The Wizards quickly regained the lead and got a last-second tip in from Tomas Satoransky that gave Washington a 78-73 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Wall and Beal combined for 20 of Washington's 25 points in the third quarter.

Toronto opened the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer from CJ Miles that gave the Raptors an 84-80 lead. The Raptors' bench accounted for Toronto's first 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Washington led the entire first half, including by double digits during several stretches. A pair of Mike Scott baskets capped a 30-point first quarter for the Wizards, who led by 10 heading into the second quarter.

Wall hit a pull-up jumper that gave Washington a 47-37 lead with three minutes left before halftime. Lowry and OG Anunoby hit 3-pointers to help bring the Raptors back in the final minutes of the half. Washington led 53-50 at halftime. Lowry had 15 points to lead all scorers in the first half.

The Wizards were without forward Otto Porter, who underwent a minor procedure on his left leg. Kelly Oubre Jr. started in Porter's place.

Fred VanVleet returned for the Raptors and provided a spark. VanVleet, who had missed the majority of the first five games while dealing with a shoulder injury, scored five points, including a 3-pointer that tied the score 78-78 early in the fourth quarter.

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Lowry, DeRozan lift Raptors past Spurs

Kyle Lowry scored 24 points and DeMar DeRozan added 21 as the Toronto Raptors defeated the San Antonio Spurs 86-83 in a defensive battle on Friday at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Toronto led just 70-69 with 6:53 to play but ran away with a 10-2 run over the ensuing four and a half minutes to build enough of a cushion to hold off the Spurs' late surge, which included a last-second missed shot by Bryn Forbes that could have tied the game.

The Raptors outshot San Antonio 40 percent to 33. 3 percent and outlasted the Spurs despite being outrebounded 55-50.

Jonas Valanciunas scored 15 points and took 12 rebounds for the Raptors, who won their second straight game. It was Toronto's lowest scoring game of the season; the Raptors average more than 112 points per game.

LaMarcus Aldridge led San Antonio with 17 points and 13 rebounds while Pau Gasol added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Spurs, who played without injured forwards Kawhi Leonard and Rudy Gay and injured guard Manu Ginobili.

Patty Mills pumped in 13 points for San Antonio but was just 1 of 9 on his 3-point shots. Kyle Anderson pulled down 11 rebounds for the Spurs in the loss.

Aldridge's double-double was his 19th of the season, more than he had in all of the 2016-17 season.

The Raptors shrugged off a ragged start to forge a 44-37 lead at halftime. Toronto's defense took center stage in the half, limiting San Antonio to 32.6 percent shooting and a 2-for-7 showing on 3-point shots.

Lowry paced all scorers with 11 points while DeRozen hit eight for Toronto in the first half. The Raptors shot 41.7 percent over the first two quarters, with seven of their 18 made shots coming from beyond the arc.

Gasol led the Spurs with 10 points and Mills poured in nine; Aldridge, San Antonio's leading scorer in 36 of the 45 games he has played this season, was limited to five points on 2-of-11 shooting from the floor in the first 24 minutes.

Toronto's lead grew to 61-52 on a turnaround jumper from Valanciunas with 3:02 to play in the third quarter. But that's when Aldridge kicked his game into gear, scoring eight straight points on two free throws and three baskets to bring the Spurs to within 61-60 with 1:17 left in the period.

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NBA: James scores 35 as Cavaliers put Raptors on brink

LOS ANGELES, United States - LeBron James scored 35 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors 115-94 Friday to take a 3-0 stranglehold lead in their second round NBA playoff series.

James also tallied eight rebounds and seven assists as Cleveland looks ahead to clinching the series with a win in game four on Sunday in Toronto.

The Raptors played without star point guard Kyle Lowry who sprained his ankle in Wednesday's loss in Cleveland.

Toronto led by three points at halftime but the Cavaliers kept pressing in the third and then seized command in the fourth.

James was instrumental in the comeback, scoring 13 points in the final quarter.

Lowry took part in the warm-up and was listed as active for the game, but Cory Joseph started in his place. Lowry remained on the bench for the whole game.

Kevin Love delivered 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Cavaliers, and Kyrie Irving also scored 16 while Kyle Korver had 14 points. Tristan Thompson added nine points and 12 rebounds.

DeMar DeRozan rebounded from a poor performance in game two to lead Toronto with 37 points.

Jonas Valanciunas added 19 points and eight rebounds, with Norman Powell chipping in with 13 points and Serge Ibaka scoring 12.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Warriors spoil DeRozan's record achievement

Klay Thompson scored 12 of his 21 points in Golden State's 42-point first quarter on Wednesday, which propelled the Warriors to a 121-111 victory over the Toronto Raptors.

Despite seeing a seven-game road winning streak end, the Raptors experienced a historic moment when DeMar DeRozan became the franchise's all-time leading scorer, surpassing Chris Bosh with the 15th of his team-high 29 points.

DeRozan, currently in his eighth NBA season, finished the game with 10,290 career points, 15 more than Bosh, who played his first seven seasons for Toronto.

Kyle Lowry recorded a 27-point, 11-assist double-double, and Terrence Ross dropped in 24 points off the bench, but it was not nearly enough firepower.

Kevin Durant had a 22-point, 17-rebound double-double, and Stephen Curry poured in 28 points for the Warriors, who were coming off a 109-108 loss at Cleveland on December 25.

Draymond Green had 14 points and 10 assists for Golden State. Durant added seven assists and six blocked shots.

The Warriors' win was never seriously in doubt after they buried nine of their first 10 shots en route to a 22-4 lead just 4:41 into the game. Thompson connected on a pair of three-pointers and eight points in all during the burst.

Durant and Curry also hit three-pointers in the flurry.

The Raptors rallied within five in the second quarter on the strength of 13 points from Lowry and 12 from Ross.

Golden State countered with a 14-2 run to finish the half, getting a pair of three-pointers from Durant while pushing the advantage back to 72-55 before the intermission.

Toronto closed within 10 in the third quarter and then to 114-109 with 3:01 to play with a 15-2 run capped by a DeMarre Carroll layup.

However, Carroll and Ross misfired on three-pointers with a chance to cut the deficit to two, and Curry, fouled after grabbing an offensive rebound, hit a pair of free throws with 2:04 to go, extending the lead to 116-109.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Dwyane Wade, Bulls hand Spurs first road loss

MANILA, Philippines — Dwyane Wade scored 20 points and Rajon Rondo flirted with a triple double registering 12 points, nine assists and 10 rebounds, as the Chicago Bulls edged the San Antonio Spurs 95-91 in the NBA on Thursday.

It was the first road loss by the Spurs, who played behind most of the game before closing the gap in the fourth quarter and faltering.

Jimmy Butler added 13 points and nine rebounds for Chicago (12-10), which saw all its starters score in double digits.

Kawhi Leonard led San Antonio (18-5) with 24 points. The Spurs entered the game with a 13-0 record on the road.

In Toronto, DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points and Kyle Lowry tallied 25 points and 11 assists as the Toronto Raptors rallied to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-110 in Andrew Wiggins' homecoming game.

Wiggins scored 11 of his 25 points in the first quarter but the Timberwolves were no match for the offensive firepower of the Raptors (14-7) at home.

Wiggins, who was the first overall draft pick in 2014, is from the Toronto area and receives plenty of attention each time he crosses the border to play.

Zach LaVine scored 29 points and Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 17 points and 11 rebounds for Minnesota (6-16).

In Salt Lake City, the Golden State Warriors raced out to a massive lead but needed to quell a second-half rally by the Utah Jazz to win 106-99.

It was 29-5 at one point for the Warriors (20-3), but the Jazz clawed their way back into the game, coming as close as 84-79 in the fourth quarter.

Kevin Durant scored eight straight points to grow the Warriors' lead back to double digits and secure the win.

Steph Curry scored 26 points, while Durant added 21 points and 11 rebounds.

Rudy Gobert finished with 20 points and 17 rebounds for Utah (14-10), which were without four starters dealing with injuries.

In other games, Washington beat Denver 92-85, Memphis defeated Portland 88-86 and Philadelphia downed New Orleans 99-88.

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Raptors pummel Hawks, extend win streak to 6

TORONTO -- DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined for 38 points as the Toronto Raptors routed the Atlanta Hawks 128-84 on Saturday to stretch their winning streak to a season-best six games.

Lowry also had eight assists and Patrick Patterson tallied 17 points for Toronto who moved into a tie with Cleveland for first place in the NBA's Eastern Conference.

It was the sixth loss in a row for the Hawks (10-11), who also have dropped nine of their last 10 games.

The Raptors (14-6) led by as many as 21 points during the first half, were ahead by 15 points at halftime and by 16 after three quarters before running away with the contest in the fourth quarter.

Pascal Siakam contributed 12 points and DeMarre Carroll and Cory Joseph each had 10 for the Raptors.

Dennis Schroder and Tim Hardaway each scored 15 points for the Hawks, whose biggest lead was five points. Dwight Howard and Kris Humphries both had 10 points.

Howard said the Hawks have been blaming each other during the losing skid.

"We just have to stop getting frustrated at each other. We need to get out of our own heads," he said.

There were only two lead changes and three ties in the game.

A dunk by Lucas Nogueira gave Toronto a 23-point lead with just under 10 minutes remaining.

The Raptors got the lead to 34 with 5:57 to play on a three-pointer by Terrence Ross, who finished with 15 points.

Ross then hit a field goal to give Toronto a 38-point lead and Siakam's dunk extended the lead to 44 late in the game.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

NBA: Lowry leads Raptors past Lakers for fifth straight win

LOS ANGELES - Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combined for 40 points on Friday as the Raptors clobbered the Los Angeles Lakers 113-80 in Toronto to stretch their NBA winning streak to five games.

Lowry finished with 24 points and seven assists while DeRozan tallied 16 points and six assists in a wire-to-wire victory for the Raptors, who didn't allow the Lakers to get within 17 points in the final quarter.

Toronto, who improved to 13-6 on the season, led by six points after the first quarter, by 21 after the first half and by 22 after the third quarter.

Norman Powell added 16 points and seven rebounds for the Raptors and Cory Joseph contributed 14 off the bench while Lucas Nogueira had 13.

The Lakers are one of the most successful franchises in NBA history but they have fallen on hard times. They are 10-11 this season after winning just 17 games last season.

Los Angeles has failed to make the playoffs since being swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2012-13 postseason.

"We didn't make anything we threw up," coach Luke Walton said of the Lakers, who have lost for the second time in their last three games. "On nights like this you've got to be able to rely on your defense and our defense could have been better."

The Lakers were without shooting guard Nick Young, who suffered a strained right calf muscle in the loss to the Pelicans in New Orleans on Tuesday. He will be out from two to four weeks.

Point guard D'Angelo Russell was also sidelined with a knee injury.

"We've got two of our best scorers out and guys that play big minutes so that puts more of a load on other guys," Walton said. "We still expect them to play hard and compete and it doesn't feel like we did a good job of that tonight."

Brandon Ingram led the Lakers with 17 points, with Jordan Clarkson adding 14 and Lou Williams 13.

After opening a 15-4 lead, the Raptors held a 28-22 advantage after the first quarter with Lowry scoring nine points.

Joseph's layup with 8:53 to play in the second quarter gave the Raptors a 40-28 lead.

Lowry made his fifth three-pointer in six attempts during the first half to boost the lead to 16 and Joseph's jumper just before the buzzer gave Toronto a comfortable 69-48 margin at the intermission.

Lowry led Toronto with 18 first-half points.

The Raptors went up by 28 with 7:30 to play on Lowry's field goal and the ensuing free throw, and the lead reached 33 points.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Raptors get on the board with Game 3 win over Cavaliers

The Toronto Raptors got their first win of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday with DeMar DeRozan scoring 32 points in a 99-84 Game 3 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Raptors led by as many as 18 in the second quarter, were ahead by 13 at halftime, and were up by 15 early in the fourth.

The Cavaliers, who did not lose a game in the first two rounds of the playoffs, cut the deficit to eight before Raptors center Bismack Biyombo made six successive points to increase the lead to 14 with 3:38 to play.

Kyle Lowry added 20 points for the Raptors, Cory Joseph had 14, DeMarre Carroll 10, and Patrick Patterson 10. Biyombo grabbed a franchise playoff record 26 rebounds and added seven points and four blocks.

LeBron James scored 24 points for the Cavaliers, who won the first two games of the series in Cleveland. J.R. Smith added 22 for Cleveland while Kyrie Irving had 13 and Channing Frye 11.

DeRozan's apparent 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first quarter was waved off after a review showed time had expired. Toronto settled for a 27-24 lead entering the second quarter.

Lowry picked up his third foul of the game with 8:07 left in the second quarter.

Joseph's 3-pointer with 4:09 to play in the second quarter gave the Raptors a 49-37 lead. After a Cavaliers' miss, Carroll made a 3-point shot for a 15-point Toronto lead. Patterson's layup with 1:22 to play boosted the advantage to 18.

James closed the half with a 3-pointer and the Raptors led 60-47.

Biyombo had no points but grabbed 16 first-half rebounds for Toronto. DeRozan led all scorers in the first half with 21 points. James led Cleveland with 14.

The Cavaliers opened the second half on a surge and had the lead down to six with 9:44 to play in the third quarter when James made a free throw after he was fouled making a layup.

After the Raptors went up by 11, Smith hit two straight 3-pointers to trim the lead to five with 4:20 to play in the third.

Joseph hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the third quarter to give Toronto an 80-70 lead.

The Raptors scored the first five points of the fourth quarter to go up by 15.

Richard Jefferson made a layup with 6:38 to play to cut Toronto's lead to 10.

Biyombo's hook shot put Toronto ahead by 12 points with 4:39 to play and his layup extended the lead to 91-77.

Biyombo was called for a flagrant foul on James and the two free throws cut the lead to 12 but the Cavaliers could not take advantage of their possession awarded after the foul shots.

Joseph's pullup jumper with 1:38 to play restored Toronto's 14-point lead.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Stephen Curry to defend NBA three-point crown at all-star showcase

Stephen Curry, who is on pace to shatter his single-season three-point record, will attempt to defend his long-range shooting title at next week's NBA All-Star Game weekend in Toronto.

The announcement Thursday comes less than 24 hours after the Golden State superstar Curry finished one three-pointer shy of matching the one game NBA record of 12 three pointers in the Warriors' 134-121 win over Washington.

Reigning league Most Valuable Player and current NBA scoring leader Curry has made 232 three-pointers in 49 games this season, putting him on track to break his own record of 286 which he established last season.

The NBA also announced that Zach LaVine will attempt to become the first repeat champion in the popular slam dunk contest since Nate Robinson did it in 2009 and 2010.



Curry highlights an eight-player three-pointer field that also includes Warrior teammate Klay Thompson and Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors.

Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks and JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Clippers are expected to take part in the Skills competition on February 13 at Air Canada Centre arena.

Curry, who is averaging 29.8 points per game, has led the league in three-pointers in each of the past three seasons. He is the first player in league history to sink 200 in four straight seasons.

LaVine is hoping to join Michael Jordan (1987-88), Jason Richardson (2002-03) and Robinson as the only back-to-back slam dunk winners.

The 20-year-old LaVine is also the lone player from last year's competition willing to take part again as Denver's Will Barton, Detroit's Andre Drummond and Orlando's Aaron Gordon are making their slam dunk debuts.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Raptors hold off Pistons to stretch record streak to 11 wins

DeMar DeRozan scored 29 points as the Toronto Raptors held off a late charge by the Detroit Pistons to improve their franchise-record winning streak to 11 games with a 111-107 home victory on Saturday.

The Raptors (32-15) concluded a seven-game home stand with the triumph over a Pistons team coming off a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday to move further clear of their previous best winning streak of nine set in 2002.

"This was positive, the whole thing, taking care of business at home," Raptors coach Dwane Casey told reporters. "That's very important. As much as the winning streak or anything like that, we have to make sure we treat our fans to quality basketball, but that last quarter wasn't quality."

Guard Kyle Lowry added 18 points for Toronto and guard Cory Joseph provided 16 points off the bench.

Raptors reserve center Bismack Biyombo scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked three shots, forward James Johnson added 11 points and forward Luis Scola had 10.

"We took advantage of (the homestand)," guard DeRozan said. "Now it's time to go on the road and do what we have to do there. We dropped a couple of home games early in the season and the coaching staff stressed that we have to be more conscious of taking advantage of home court."

Never led
Guard Brandon Jennings scored a season-best 22 points off the bench to lead Detroit (25-23).

Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 15 points, forward Marcus Morris and guard Reggie Jackson each contributed 13 points, while reserve forward Stanley Johnson scored 12 and forward-center Aron Baynes had 11.

Pistons center Andre Drummond scored 11 points and nabbed 12 rebounds before fouling out of the game with 6:37 left in the fourth. It was his league-leading 39th double-double.

The Pistons, who are only the fourth team in a playoff position the Raptors have played on their winning streak, never led but did get as close as two points during the second and third quarters.

The Raptors opened a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter before the Pistons cut it to six on a three-pointer by Jennings with 8.9 seconds left.

Swingman Darrun Hilliard trimmed the lead to four after a steal but DeRozan hit two free throws with 5.5 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

"It's definitely frustrating, a couple of calls didn't go our way," Jennings said. "We fought."

Jennings had eight points in the fourth quarter, in which he made two of his five three-pointers.

"The toughest thing is coming off the bench," Jennings added. "I've got to try and find that rhythm. Usually in those first two minutes, I'm kind of passive but I was trying to be more aggressive."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Lowry inspires Raptors to record extending 10th win

Point guard Kyle Lowry scored 26 points and dished out 10 assists to help the Toronto Raptors extend their winning streak to a franchise-record 10 games with a 103-93 victory over the New York Knicks on Thursday.

Toronto's' previous record winning streak was nine games from March 22-April 9, 2002.

The Raptors (31-15) led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter and by 10 entering the fourth quarter before the Knicks crept to within seven before Toronto stretched the lead out to 11 on a three-pointer by Lowry with 1:45 to play.

Lowry scored 10 points in the fourth quarter.

Guard DeMar DeRozan also had 26 points for the Raptors.

Center Jonas Valanciunas added 11 points and grabbed a season-best 18 rebounds, and reserve forward Patrick Patterson chipped in with 10 points while reserve guard Cory Joseph added 11 points.

Guard Arron Afflalo scored 20 points and for the Knicks (22-26), who have lost four in a row.

Guards Sasha Vujacic and Jerian Grant added 13 points each for New York and guard Langston Galloway had 12.

The Raptors led 27-21 after the first quarter sparked by nine points from DeRozan. Afflalo had seven points for New York.

A three-pointer by Lowry with 3:54 to play in the second quarter put the Raptors ahead by 14 points.

Led by 12 points from DeRozan, the Raptors took a 53-43 advantage into the intermission. Lowry added 10 points and seven assists in the first half and Valanciunas nabbed 11 rebounds and scored six points.

Afflalo scored 11 points in the first half and Galloway added eight points.

The Knicks trimmed the Raptors' lead to one point on a driving, floating jumper by forward Lance Thomas with 6:39 to play in the third quarter.

The Raptors came back to get their lead to nine points on a jump shot by Patterson.

DeRozan's jumper raised the lead to 11 with two minutes to play in the third. Toronto led 73-63 after three quarters.

The Knicks got to within seven points of the Raptors early in the fourth quarter. The Raptors led by 12 points with 6:01 to play in the fourth on a hook shot by reserve center Bismack Biyombo. (Editing by John O'Brien)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Snell comes on strong as Bulls topple Raptors

CHICAGO -- Tony Snell scored 16 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Chicago Bulls improved to 12-5 at home with a 104-97 win over the Toronto Raptors on Monday.

Pau Gasol, Derrick Rose and Snell combined for 64 points as five players reached double figures for the Bulls who collected their second NBA victory in three games.

Forward Gasol scored 22 points and pulled down seven rebounds while Rose contributed 20 points and four assists for Chicago (17-12). Rose has now registered back-to-back 20 points games for the first time this season.


Raptors guard Kyle Lowry led all scorers with 28 points on nine-for-15 shooting. Guard DeMar DeRozan added 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for Toronto, who dropped to 19-13.

Toronto dropped its sixth consecutive contest against the Bulls. The Raptors have not beaten Chicago since December 2013.

Snell helped the Bulls pull ahead by double digits in the final quarter. He drove past guard Terrence Ross and forward Luis Scola for a layup to make it 84-74 with 9:22 left in regulation time.

On the next possession, Snell made a three-pointer to give Chicago a commanding 87-76 lead.

Jonas Valanciunas played his first game for the Raptors after missing 17 contests with a broken hand.

Valanciunas finished with nine points on four-of-seven shooting in 21 minutes of playing time.

Elsewhere, guard Monta Ellis scored a season-high 26 points, and the Indiana Pacers snapped Atlanta's six-game winning streak with a 93-87 win at Bankers Life Fieldhouse arena.

Pacers centre Ian Mahinmi, who scored 13 points, tipped in a missed Ellis shot with 16.3 seconds remaining to give Indiana a 92-87 lead.

Solomon Hill and Chase Budinger each added 10 points for Indiana.

"Everybody's willing to learn and ready to step up when their names called," said Hill, who played 26 minutes on Monday with CJ Miles injured.

The Pacers six game win streak was the longest active streak in the NBA.

Paul Milsap led the Hawks with 24 points, Jeff Teague tallied 18, Thabo Sefolosha netted 14 and Al Horford finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Hill's driving layup with 6:21 to play pushed the Indiana lead back to nine at 86-77.

After the Hawks cut the Pacers' lead to 76-73, Budinger and Hill scored consecutive field goals to give Indiana an 80-73 advantage with 8:46 left in the fourth.

Indiana won despite being without Miles (sore back) and not getting much production from all-star Paul George, who scored just nine points on three-of-14 shooting from the field.

Indiana shot 43.7 percent, and Atlanta shot 41.9 percent while the Pacers' bench outscored the Hawks' reserves 14-10 in the opening 24 minutes.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com