The Sports Xchange
Nov 9, 2017
TORONTO -- DeMar DeRozan scored 33 points and added eight assists Thursday night as the Toronto Raptors defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 122-118.
Serge Ibaka added 19 points and eight rebounds for Toronto (7-4), while Kyle Lowry had 18 points and seven assists. Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas contributed seven points and 13 rebounds.
Jrue Holiday had 34 points and 11 assists for the Pelicans, who had a three-game winning streak halted. DeMarcus Cousins added 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Anthony Davis had 18 points for New Orleans (6-6).
After the teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 92, the Pelicans jumped ahead by four after slightly more than two minutes.
The Raptors pulled ahead by two with three minutes to play, and Ibaka's 3-pointer boosted the lead to five with 2:06 left. The margin was trimmed to two with 46 seconds to go on Jameer Nelson's driving layup.
DeRozan's jumper got the lead to four, and the Pelicans turned the ball over with 20 seconds left. DeRozan made one of two free throws with 19.8 seconds left, and Toronto led by five.
The Raptors led by as many as 10 points before finishing the first quarter with a 34-32 advantage. DeRozan scored 12 points in the first quarter, and Holiday led the Pelicans with 10.
Holiday added 14 points in the second quarter, and the Pelicans led by as many as three points in the first minute. The score was tied three times after that as the teams swapped leads until DeRozan's buzzer-beater ended the first half with Toronto leading 66-60.
DeRozan led Toronto with 19 points before halftime. Holiday paced the Pelicans with 24 first-half points, and Cousins had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Toronto led by nine points after Norman Powell's running layup with 7:39 left in the third quarter. Holiday gave the Pelicans a one-point lead on a running jumper with 4:38 to go in the quarter that ended tied at 92.
Tony Allen's layup gave New Orleans a 98-94 lead with 9:42 to play in the fourth quarter.
Lowry put Toronto ahead by one point with a 3-pointer with 5:17 left. However, Holiday had the Pelicans on top by one with a two-foot layup with 4:15 to play. Lowry sank another 3-pointer to put Toronto up by two with 3:21 to go.
NOTES: Pelicans F DeMarcus Cousins was charged with a technical foul with 25.5 seconds to play in the second quarter shortly after being called for his third personal foul. ... In two games against the Pelicans last season, Raptors C Jonas Valanciunas averaged 22.5 points and 12 rebounds. ... Pelicans C Alexis Ajinca (right knee), C Omer Asik (Illness), F Solomon Hill (left hamstring tear), G Frank Jackson (fractured right foot) and G Rajon Rondo (left core muscle injury) remained out. ... The Raptors will visit the Boston Celtics Sunday. The Pelicans will host the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.