Well, that was interesting.
Despite leading by as much as 30 points in the first half, the Toronto Raptors found themselves in a back-and-forth with the Oklahoma City Thunder late on Wednesday night.
Thanks to some big-time shots from Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell, however, they held on to record their 26th win of the season.
Powell finished with a team-high 23 points off the bench while Lowry scored 17 points and dished out a team-high eight assists in the win. Marc Gasol made an impact in his retun from injury, scoring 15 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists in his 31 minutes on the court.
For more on the game, check below for updates, stats, highlights and more.
End of fourth quarter: Raptors 130, Thunder 121
The Thunder made things interesting, but the Raptors hold on to victory, winning by a final score of 130-121.
Seven players scored in double figures for the Raptors, led by Powell, who had 23 points off the bench. Gasol was solid in his return, finishing with 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes of action.
The Raptors will be back in action on Friday, when the take on the Washington Wizards.
It's Kyle Lowry time
Back-to-back buckets from Lowry makes it a seven-point game with just over a minute to play.
Yup, Lowry time
- Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 16, 2020
Vote @Klow7 ⭐️ https://t.co/kQYeprYRUk pic.twitter.com/B1Zj2jGtCa
Some very timely shots by the five-time All-Star.
One possession game
Another Thunder run
Another all-around showing by Terence Davis
A big response from the Raptors
Well, this has been quite the response.
The Raptors have scored 19 points through five minutes of the fourth quarter. Their lead is back up to 19 points.
Did you call it, @MarcGasol? pic.twitter.com/oWOu03dERU
- Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 16, 2020
End of third quarter: Raptors 97, Thunder 83
Powell does it again with another tough shot to close the quarter, this time a double pump from just inside the 3-point line over Paul.
Once Oklahoma City cut Toronto's lead to eight points, the Raptors went on a much-needed 6-0 run to close the quarter. Their lead is back up to double figures going into the fourth.
Down to single digits
What was once a 30-point lead is now down to eight.
Strip.
- OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 16, 2020
Steal.
Swoop.
Score. pic.twitter.com/5YbYseAZIl
The Thunder have outscored the Raptors 28-20 in the third quarter.
An important couple of minutes coming up here for the Raptors.
Here comes the Thunder
Marc Gasol reaches double figures scoring
With a 3-pointer early in the third quarter, Gasol is up to 12 points in the game.
This is only the seventh time this season that Gasol has scored in double figures. His season-high? 17 points, which he did shortly before his injury.
Steven Adams won't return
Adams will reportedly be sidelined for the remainder of the game with a right knee contusion.
Steven Adams (right knee contusion) is out for the remainder of the game, per the Thunder.
- Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) January 16, 2020
Adams left the game with 10:35 to play in the second quarter.
End of second quarter: Raptors 73, Thunder 55
It wasn't close at all ... until the Thunder closed the quarter with four straight 3-pointers, making for a 12-0 run.
The Raptors still lead by 18 points, but it will be interesting to see if the Thunder can carry that momentum into the second half to make a game out of this.
🚨 At. The. Buzzer. 🚨@shaiglalex | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/jcOD6Ewjxo
- OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 16, 2020
The leading scorers at the half for the Raptors are Ibaka and Siakam with 13 points each. Ibaka scored all 13 of his points in the first quarter, while Siakam came alive in the second quarter with 11 points.
Ibaka and Siakam are two of five Raptors in double figures scoring. The others: Lowry, Powell and Anunoby, each of whom have 10 points.
For the Thunder, it's Mike Muscala who is leading the way with 12 points off the bench. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari aren't far behind with 11 points each.
It's been a quiet game for Paul so far, but he usually saves himself for the fourth quarter, where he's averaging 6.2 points per game this season. If Oklahoma City can continue to chip away at Toronto's lead, you can expect to see a lot of Paul down the stretch.
Raptors keeping their foot on the gas
Raptors are now up by 27 points, giving them their largest lead of the game. They're currently on a 14-0 run.
This has been a dominant showing on both ends of the court so far.
It's Marc Gasol's turn now
Gasol opens the quarter with five points to extend Toronto's lead to 16 points.
Good to have you back, @MarcGasol pic.twitter.com/5nDkiFF0Wg
- Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 16, 2020
Thunder head coach Billy Donovan calls a timeout less than two minutes into the period to stop the bleeding.
End of first quarter: Raptors 38, Thunder 25
Norman Powell hits a jumper in the closing seconds of the first quarter to put the Raptors ahead by 13 points.
It's been a team effort so far, with eight Raptors on the scoreboard. Ibaka leads all scorers with 13 points.
Let the big dawg EAT. @sergeibaka: 13 Pts, 6/6 pic.twitter.com/RTEZQ9oPR8
- Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 16, 2020
Turnovers have been a problem for the Thunder early in this one. They've already handed the ball over seven times, leading to 14 points for the Raptors.
Serge Ibaka keeps it rolling
Make that 13 points for Ibaka, who has played every second of this quarter. He's yet to miss a shot.
You think he's enjoying playing against his former team?
An aggressive start from Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka
Eight points and three assists already for Lowry. He's been in attack mode since the opening tip.
Blow the whistle
- Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 16, 2020
Vote @Klow7 ⭐️ https://t.co/kQYeprYRUk pic.twitter.com/8oKPeTe1jk
Same goes for Ibaka. He's up to seven points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting from the field.
Raptors lead 28-21 following a free throw from Ibaka.
First substitution for the Raptors
In comes Norman Powell for Marc Gasol at the 6:52 mark.
Gasol exits with one turnover and one steal in his first stint in almost a month.
‼️ That's an ambush by @CP3 #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/JbXgom11zS
- OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) January 16, 2020
Danilo Gallinari picking up from where he left off
After scoring a season-high 30 points in Oklahoma City's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, Gallinari starts the game with eight quick points. With his ability to space the floor, he's going to be a tough cover for Ibaka as long as he's playing power forward.
Thunder lead 14-13 heading into the first timeout of the game.
Pregame
Marc Gasol will start alongside Kyle Lowry, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka in his return.
That's ... quite a large lineup.
Tonight's @Invisalign starting lineup. #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/lOwzq19hxt
- Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 16, 2020
According to Eric Smith, Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said pregame that he wants to give Ibaka the start against his former team. Ibaka spent the first seven seasons of his career with the Thunder, posting averages of 11.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks over 524 games.
Starting for the Thunder: Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Terrance Ferguson, Danilo Gallinari and Steven Adams.
