Kyle Lowry, Raptors spoil DeMar DeRozan's return to Toronto with 120-117 win

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DeMar DeRozan finished with 23 points and eight assists in his return to Toronto, but it wasn't quite enough.

Led by Kyle Lowry, Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam, the Raptors came up with a 120-117 win over the Spurs on Friday night.

If you missed any of the action, check below for updates, stats and highlights.

Toronto Raptors vs. San Antonio Spurs

Preview | Box Score | Play-by-Play

End of 4th quarter: Raptors 120, Spurs 117

9:40 p.m. — That'll do it. The Raptors come up with the win in DeMar DeRozan's return to Toronto, beating the Spurs by a final score of 120-117.

DeRozan led the Spurs with 23 points, eight assists and four rebounds, but had a rough final minute that saw him turn the ball over and pass up a shot to win the game.

Kyle Lowry had a big game for the Raptors with 17 points, five assists and three rebounds. Kawhi Leonard scored a team-high 24 points for Toronto but shot only 8-for-23 from the field.

9:30 p.m. — Wow. Following a missed free throw from Serge Ibaka, the Raptors force a turnover on DeMar DeRozan at half court, leading to a dunk from Kawhi Leonard.

 

Toronto leads 118-117 with 15.1 seconds to go.

9:28 p.m. — And the Spurs take the lead with two free throws from Davis Bertans.

9:25 p.m. — Things are getting interesting. LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard exchange midrange jumpers, and DeMar DeRozan makes it a one point game with a pair of free throws. 2:36 remains.

9:13 p.m. — OG Anunoby hits a 3-pointer in transition to give the Raptors a 106-100 lead. They've now outscored the Spurs 18-9 in the fourth quarter. Is this when they pull away?

End of 3rd quarter: Raptors 88, Spurs 91

8:59 p.m. — Kyle Lowry scores in the final seconds of the third quarter to make it a one possession game. We have a close one, folks.

8:51 p.m. — Nick Nurse has been ejected from the game after picking up two technical fouls.

 

It's Adrian Griffin's time to shine.

8:42 p.m. — Kawhi Leonard is starting to heat up. He's up to seven points in the third quarter on 3-for-4 shooting.

8:32 p.m. — Pascal Siakam is putting together another great performance. He has all seven of Toronto's points so far in the third quarter, bringing his total to 18 for the game.

 

8:29 p.m. — Patty Mills is ... the Kawhi stopper?

 

End of 2nd quarter: Raptors 55, Spurs 56

8:12 p.m. — Weird first half for the Raptors, who shot 12-for-22 on 3-pointers and 5-for-30 on 2-pointers.

Kyle Lowry, Danny Green and Pascal Siakam are leading the way with a combined 34 points. Everyone else — including Kawhi Leonard, who has missed 10 of his 12 shot attempts — is struggling.

As for the Spurs, DeMar DeRozan and Patty Mills are tied for team-high honours with 11 points each. DeRozan also has three assists, two steals and one block.

Expect a competitive second half.

8:09 p.m. — The Spurs are making life very difficult for Kawhi Leonard by throwing multiple defenders at him whenever he touches the ball. He has six points on 2-for-11 shooting from the field.

7:54 p.m. — 😮

 

7:49 p.m. — These are the sorts of plays the Raptors brought Marc Gasol in to make:

 

There aren't many players Gasol's size who can pass like that.

7:48 p.m. It's Jakob Poeltl's turn for a tribute video:

 

End of 1st quarter: Raptors 26, Spurs 23

7:40 p.m. — Despite missing 19 of their 28 shot attempts, the Raptors lead 26-23 after one.

Kyle Lowry has a team-high eight points, setting the tone early for the Raptors. On the other side, DeMar DeRozan has five points, two assists and two steals for the Spurs.

Marc Gasol and Jeremy Lin have both logged some early minutes off the bench for the Raptors, but they're a combined 0-for-7 from the field. Kawhi Leonard is off to a similarly slow start with two points on 1-for-5 shooting.

7:30 p.m. — And here comes another familiar face: Jakob Poeltl checks into the game for the first time for the Spurs.

7:26 p.m. — Here it is, the tribute video the Raptors played for DeMar DeRozan during the timeout:

DeRozan received a well deserved standing ovation from the crowd.

7:23 p.m. — The Raptors lead 12-10 heading into the first timeout of the game. Kyle Lowry has a quick five points for the Raptors and after missing all seven of his shot attempts in his return to San Antonio earlier this season, Danny Green is 1-for-2 from 3-point range.

DeRozan, meanwhile, had three points and two assists for the Spurs.

7:18 p.m. — DeMar DeRozan makes his first shot of the game, an and-one layup over Serge Ibaka. The Toronto crowd showers him with applause on his free throw attempt, which he knocks down.

 

Pregame

6:56 p.m.  It didn't take long for DeRozan to get his first standing ovation of the night.

 

6:22 p.m. — Before the game starts, relive DeRozan's greatest plays during his time with the Raptors:

6:15 p.m. — Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka will start for the Raptors.

According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN, Nick Nurse said before the game that the starting spot at centre will "remain fluid" between Ibaka and Marc Gasol.

6:13 p.m. — DeMar DeRozan has arrived for his highly anticipated return.

 

Author(s)
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Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News