Toronto Jan. 10 (BUS): Pascal Siakam scored 29 points and 10 rebounds, Fred Vanfleet scored 32 and the Toronto Raptors continued their winning streak to a season high with six games with a 105-101 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Sunday night.
OG Anunoby scored 12 points as the Raptors took their fifth straight win and tenth of 12 at home. Toronto (20-17) Three games over .500 for the first time since the season opened 6-3.
“I feel like we’re getting better, we’re getting better as a team,” Siakam said. “It obviously translates to victories now.”
Wasakam, who missed the first 10 games of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery, had season-highs with three three-pointers and 10 free throws.
“He was more aggressive and facing people more than he did when he first came back,” said Raptors coach Nick Norse.
Jonas Valanciunas scored 20 points and had 17 rebounds, and Brandon Ingram scored 22 points for the Pelicans, who lost four out of five.
“We stayed in the match until the last minute,” Valancionas said. “We were there. It’s no excuse, but we have to do better to win those games. It’s very painful to lose by three or four points.”
Herbert Jones scored 13 points, and Defonte Graham and Nickel Alexander Walker each scored 11 points for New Orleans, the Associated Press reported.
Pelicans coach Willie Green said he was disappointed his team allowed Toronto 15 offensive rebounds, leading to a 24-6 lead on second-chance points.
“We were there, and we had chances to win the match,” Green said. “We’ve done a lot of good things to put ourselves in this situation. In the long run we just have to have the mindset to know when the shots are going up, we have to turn around and hit the bodies. We haven’t done a great job at that.”
Pelican keeper, Josh Hart, did not make the trip to Toronto. He replaced Garrett Temple Hart in the starting line-up.
Toronto goalkeeper Gary Trent Jr. has been scratched due to an infection in his left ankle. Ore Birch began the flight of birds of prey.
Valancionas scored in the paint to equalize 93-93 four minutes before the end of the match in the fourth quarter. After a timeout, VanVleet made a 3-point break, but Graham and Jones answered with three straight throws for the Pelicans.
VanVleet responded with a depth of 3 as the shot clock ended. Having forced Siakam to steal, VanVleet called from long distance again to give Toronto a 102-99 lead with 1:32 remaining.
“That’s what VanVleet has been doing lately,” Green said.
Vanfleet, who scored the first triple-double of his career in Friday’s win over Utah, has scored 30 or more points six times in his past eight games.
Ingram’s driving throw made it a one-point game, but Chris Boucher sent in Birch’s missed shot to restore the 3-point lead and then grabbed the rebound on a 3-pointer Temple.
Birch made one of two on the line 5.3 seconds left to extend Toronto’s lead. The Raptors made all 19 free throw attempts before Birch missed his second shot.
Graham missed the score 3 on the final possession of New Orleans.
Toronto led 27-26 after one and 49-48 in the first half. Siakam scored 13 points in third place, but the Pelicans closed the quarter 8-0. The Raptors led 79-77 for fourth.
Jonas’s return
Drafted fifth overall by the Raptors in 2011, Valancionas played for Toronto for the first time since December 9, 2018. After losing time due to a left thumb injury, Valanciunas was traded to Memphis on February 7, 2019.
“I miss her,” Valencionas said of the six seasons he spent in Canada. “It’s really good to see familiar faces.”
football talk
After the match, Cameroon’s Siakam was asked about his country’s 2-1 victory over Burkina Faso on Sunday in the opening match of the Africa Cup of Nations. Speaking French, Siakam proudly showcased a bracelet in the colors of Cameroon. The biennial tournament is held in five cities across Cameroon.
Hint
Pelicans: F Gary Clark signed a two-man contract and G Jared Harper waived. … G Tomas Satoransky (HSP) missed his fourth game in a row.
Raptors: F Yuta Watanabe (HSP) missed his fourth game in a row. … Siakam went 10 for 10 in the free throw line. He finished with seven assists.
next one
Pelicans: Host Minnesota on Tuesday.
Raptors: Host Phoenix on Tuesday.