The Sports Xchange
Dec 17, 2017
TORONTO -- DeMar DeRozan led a balanced offense with 21 points Sunday as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Sacramento Kings 108-93.
The Raptors (20-8) also defeated the Kings (9-20) last Sunday in Sacramento.
Kyle Lowry scored 16 points and added seven assists and five rebounds for the Raptors, who have won nine of their past 10 games.
Norman Powell contributed 14 points off the bench for Toronto while Jonas Valanciunas had 13 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. OG Anunoby scored 11 points and C.J. Miles had 10.
Garrett Temple and Bogdan Bogdanovic led Sacramento with 18 points each while George Hill scored 16 points and Willie Cauley-Stein 12.
The Raptors took a six-point lead after the third quarter and increased the lead by 12 when Powell and Delon Wright opened the fourth quarter with 3-pointers.
DeRozan made one of two free throws with 4:04 to play and Toronto led by 10 points.
The Raptors led 35-30 after the first quarter.
The Kings crept to within one point with 5:49 left in the second quarter on a 3-pointer by Bogdanovic.
The Raptors quickly pulled out to a six-point advantage before the Kings came back to tie it on a 3-pointer by Hill with two minutes left in the first half.
DeRozan gave Toronto a one-point lead on his pullup jumper with 1.5 seconds to play in the half, but Hill put Sacramento a 63-61 lead on a half-court 3-pointer that beat the buzzer. Miles hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 4:38 to play in the third quarter to give Toronto a 71-68 lead.
The Raptors led 83-77 after three quarters.
NOTES: Kings rookie PG De'Aaron Fox (bruised right thigh) missed a game for the first time this season. Fox was injured in the first quarter Thursday in the loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Kings F Zach Randolph (rest) also did not play Sunday. ... Raptors F Serge Ibaka (sore left knee) did not play Sunday, but F/G C.J. Miles (sore left shoulder), who missed the win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, started a game for the first time this season on Sunday. ... Kings G/F Vince Carter, a former Raptors star, made his first start of the season Sunday. He finished with four points and received a standing ovation when he was replaced late in the game. ... The Kings will visit the Philadelphia 76ers Tuesday and the Raptors visit the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday.