Spurs Get Tired. Raptors Get Win

The teams began by trading buckets in the first quarter. San Antonio Spurs were hot from the three in the first quarter, connecting on 6 threes in the first period. Derrick White hit two three pointers in the first quarter, while Patty Mills had 11 at the end of the quarter, contributing three more three-pointers. The Raptors stayed tough however, and finished the quarter with a bucket from Yuta Watanabe to bring the total to 32-30 at the end of the first.

The Young upstart Freddie Gillespie entered the game and made an immediate impact. With an assist from Pascal Siakam, Freddy Gillespie had a beautiful dunk to start the second quarter. The second quarter was when the Raptors decided to make their move. After being nodded up 40 to 41, the Raptors started to pull away with the help from Khem Birch, the newly acquired acquisition from the Orlando Magic. The Canadian felt quite comfortable, moving fluidly and scoring 14 points in the matchup. He followed up a 3-ft dunk with a 3-ft layup that was assisted by Anunoby. Three-point attempts were flying on both sides, as both teams shot better than 40% from beyond the arc. At the half, the Raptors were up by only one point, but we’re taking control of the game by bringing pressure from down low. The undersized San Antonio Spurs did not have an answer. The score was 58-57.

The second half was more of the same. The Raptors started the fourth quarter up three points. The Toronto Raptors continued to hit three pointers from deep. Paul Watson made a 26 foot 3-pointer that was assisted by Yuta Watanabe. After a made Pascal Siakam shot, Paul Watson hit another 3-pointer to start to pull away from the San Antonio Spurs. Derrick White of the San Antonio Spurs did the best he could in his 34 minutes of play, connecting on six of 11 3-point attempts and being the lead scorer for the Spurs with 25 points. Patty Mills off of the bench offered 23, most of it contributed by his five of 11 shooting from beyond the Arc. Although the San Antonio Spurs did shoot 42.5% from the three-point line, they struggled from the perimeter, shooting 38 of 90 shots total (42.2%). The Spurs were outrebounded by the Raptors 48 to 65, which played a major role to the five-point victory from the Raptors.

In the 112 to 117 victory, Pascal Siakam had 20 points and 11 rebounds. Chris Boucher had a double-double, 12 points and 12 rebounds. OG Anunoby had 22 points off of 50% shooting. Malachi Flynn, the rookie from San Diego State, had 16 points, shooting three of seven from deep, but struggling from the field. The highlight of the night was the offensive explosion from Khem Birch. With 14 points and six rebounds, Birch shot six of nine from the field, and was an enforcer down in the paint. All of the Toronto Raptors starters scored in double figures, and one bench player had 11, that was Yuta Watanabe. Two additional bench players contributed 9 points, and the Raptors had 17 more defensive rebounds compared to their adversaries of the Spurs. 52-35. The 22-34 Toronto Raptors prepare for a long home stand, starting with Khem Birch’s old team in the struggling Orlando Magic. They then play the Oklahoma City thunder, before they eventually have to play the best team in the league; the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. The big lineup paid dividends for Coach Nick nurse, so expect more of the same on Friday.