ο»Ώ(Associated Press) β SAN ANTONIO The Toronto Raptors were able to win for the first time on the road this season despite facing a significant obstacle in the form of a deficit as well as an even greater presence in the form of the San Antonio Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama.
On Sunday, Toronto rallied a 22-point deficit to upset San Antonio 123-116 and force overtime because to the efforts of Scottie Barnes, who scored 17 of his team-high 30 points in the fourth quarter alone and grabbed 11 rebounds.
The Raptors defeated the Spurs, putting an end to their two-game winning streak, with both Dennis Schroder and O.G. Anunoby scoring 24 points.
“We didn’t run different plays in the second half,” stated Darko Rajakovic, the head coach of the Raptors. “It was just our intentions and how aggressive we were doing that in the second half that gave us a chance,” the player said. “It was just our intentions.”
Keldon Johnson led the Spurs in scoring with 26 points, Zach Collins added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Victor Wembanyama finished with 20 points.
After two consecutive nail-biting victories in Phoenix, San Antonio was riding high.
In the first game, which the Spurs won on October 31, they overcame a 20-point deficit and didn’t take the lead until the final basket with 1.2 seconds left to play. After nearly giving up a 27-point lead against Phoenix on Thursday, San Antonio prevailed and won the game.
Sunday wasn’t helped by the previous week’s experience of playing with and against significant leads.
Gregg Popovich, the head coach of San Antonio, stated that his team did not have as much scoring opportunity down the stretch. “We had a little bit more trouble with their length, their aggressiveness, and their ability to get in passing lanes,” the coach said. I believe that it slowed us down to the point where our offensive wasn’t as fluid as it normally is because of it. Because of these two factors, then, they were allowed to return. They did an excellent job.”
Because the game began in the afternoon, the National Basketball Association was able to broadcast it live at prime time in 132 different countries across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Wembanyama shot 7-for-16 from the field and blocked five shots in addition to his stat line.
“Pop often says that it’s important to play for the whole 48 minutes, and even relaxing for a couple of seconds is too much,” Wembanyama remarked.
After providing a shoulder to clear space under the basket, Anunoby appeared obviously shocked when Wembanyama quickly closed the gap to stop his floater before the ball had even left his hand.
“He’s just too tall for me. “He’s way too tall,” Anunoby added with a giggle as he recounted the play that had just occurred.
After entering the fourth quarter trailing by 15, Toronto opened the term with a 23-10 scoring advantage over San Antonio. At this point, there are seven minutes left on the clock, and Barnes has narrowed the deficit to 96-91 with back-to-back 3-pointers and a slam.
Rajakovic remarked that he does not run away from challenging situations. “He longs for those fleeting times. I count myself really fortunate to have a player on my team like Scottie, who can put him in those kinds of predicaments. In the second half, he completed everything.”
Another three-pointer from Barnes knotted the game at 108. After Johnson had made his two free throws, Anunoby collected a loose ball, drove to the basket, and sank a floater to tie the game at 110 with 1.2 seconds left on the clock.
As a result of a strained groin that he sustained on Thursday in Phoenix against the Suns, starting guard Devin Vassell was not available for the Spurs. It is anticipated that Vassell will return either Monday against Indiana or Wednesday against New York.
After being sent back to Toronto on February 9, Jakob Poeltl played in San Antonio for the first time since being traded there. He finished the game with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Poeltl was initially acquired by the Spurs in a deal that occurred in July 2018 and involved the trade of Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors.