Lowry leads Raptors to 95-91 win over skidding Trail Blazers
December 27, 2016 | 5:25pm
Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum, right, dribbles around Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Monday, Dec. 26, 2016. | AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer
PORTLAND, Oregon — No matter what city they visit lately, the Toronto Raptors feel right at home.
Kyle Lowry scored 27 points and the Raptors won their franchise-best seventh consecutive road game Monday night (Tuesday in Manila) with a 95-91 victory over the skidding Portland Trail Blazers.
It was the second stop on Toronto's six-game swing out West, which will take the Raptors (22-8) to tough places such as Golden State and San Antonio.
But home or road these days, Toronto is proving a very difficult opponent. Though the Raptors' usually prolific offense was slowed by Portland's trapping defense, they found a way to pull out a highly competitive game in which neither team led by more than six points.
Toronto, which had reached 100 points in 16 straight games, used its defense and gritty play during the final five minutes to win its fourth in a row.
"A few years ago our guys would have kicked that one away by 15 or 20 points," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said.
Toronto ran into a short-handed but extremely motivated Portland team that ultimately lost its sixth straight.
The Blazers (13-20) were without star guard Damian Lillard, who sat out with a sprained ankle. Lillard, averaging 27 points per game, was injured last Friday against San Antonio.
"Dame not playing, that's a big chunk of potential 30-, 40-point game, but they're still a very talented team. It was a tough task for us either way," said Toronto guard DeMar DeRozan, who nearly had his first triple-double of the season with 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
C.J. McCollum scored 27 points to lead the Blazers, who have lost 10 of 11.
Toronto kept Portland's runs to a minimum. The Raptors were particularly effective down the stretch, when they took the lead for good at 82-81 with 5:50 remaining on two free throws by Jonas Valanciunas.
"We got every rebound that came off a long shot, and that gave us an opportunity to keep the game in our favor," DeRozan said.
Toronto, averaging 112 points per game this season, scored only 43 during the first half and had just 22 in the fourth quarter. Portland's blitzing, trapping defense made life difficult for the Raptors. Lowry and DeRozan combined to make 16 of 40 shots.
"Their defensive scheme was unbelievable tonight. Their bigs moved their feet well and I had a couple of turnovers trying to get around them," Lowry said.
Patrick Patterson scored 15 points for Toronto, while Valanciunas had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Neither team could find an offensive rhythm in the first half. Toronto grabbed a 43-42 halftime lead, then got it going in the third quarter, hitting seven 3-pointers, but Portland nearly matched the Raptors point for point and trailed 73-68 heading into the fourth.
Toronto finally put the game away at the free throw line, where Cory Joseph and DeRozan made four foul shots in the final 16 seconds.
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