Raptors comeback falls just short against Portland
Global News
The Toronto Raptors needed the greatest comeback in franchise history. They fell just short.
TORONTO – The Toronto Raptors needed the greatest comeback in franchise history. They fell just short.
Pascal Siakam scored 28 points as the Raptors nearly overcame a 34-point deficit with an excellent second half in a 114-105 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
Fred VanVleet added 19 points, while Gary Trent Jr. had 13 points and OG Anunoby and Chris Boucher chipped in with 11 points apiece for Toronto (22-22).
Anfernee Simons had 19 points, including two big three-pointers down the stretch for Portland (20-26). CJ McCollum and Nassir Little also had 19 apiece for the visitors, who were missing both Damian Lillard (abdominal surgery) and former Raptor Norm Powell.
The Raptors were coming off a five-game road trip that saw them win two, including a 109-105 win on Friday in Washington against a Wizards team that was playing at full strength.
Portland put a quick end to any momentum the Raptors might have had, opening the game with a 25-4 run. That 21-point deficit had grown to a gaping 34 points by late in the second quarter.
The Raptors buckled down on the defensive in the third quarter — while the piped-in fake crowd chanted “De-fence!” — and Boucher’s three-pointer with 2:15 left in the quarter capped a 30-16 Toronto run that sliced the difference to 14 points. The Blazers led 86-67 with one quarter to play.
The Raptors pressed again and when rookie Dalano Banton drove to the hoop with six minutes left, it capped a 12-0 run to slice the difference to 12 points. Toronto kept chipping away at the difference, and back-to-back three-pointers by Trent Jr. and VanVleet made it a four-point game with 1:24 to play.
