NBA Score: Toronto Raptors Beat San Antonio Spurs In Low-Scoring Affair, 87-82

The Toronto Raptors stymied the dreaded San Antonio Spurs’ offence and hacked out an 87-82 victory on Sunday. After losing back-to-back games to start February, the Canadian team has responded with back-to-back wins against quality teams. Forward James Johnson returned to the starting line-up and he stepped up his scoring leading the team with 20 markers on 8-of-10 field goal shooting.

DeMar Derozan had 18 points and 3 steals while Amir Johnson added 15 points and 8 rebounds for the Raptors, which blew out the visiting Los Angeles Clippers last Friday, 123-107.

The Spurs’ offence were in disarray most game and in the crucial parts of the game. San Antonio shot just 31-of-93 from the field or just 33.3%. They also shot 7-of-28 from behind the line for 25.0%. While they only had 14 turnovers for the game— same line as Toronto— the last one came with four seconds left when Tim Duncan threw away the ball as the Spurs failed at a chance to tie the game. DeRozan was fouled in the ensuing possession and hit both free throws to put the game out of reach.

Duncan ended up with a dozen points but missed 11-of-14 shots. Tony Parker had a similar line with 10 points on 4-of-13 field goal shooting while Kawhi Leonard struggled as well with 11 points on 5-of-17 shooting. The win would have given Spurs head coach Gregg Popovic his 1000th career win in the league— and that would have to wait in this road trip. The Spurs are in their annual “Rodeo Trip”— a long stretch where they play away from San Antonio and will be playing a road game in the next eight games. For Toronto, the win was an inspiring one as they salvaged a 2-2 record in this current five-game homestead to start February.

For Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, the win mattered more because they won through their defence against the defending champions.

Upcoming Schedule (Next 3 Games):

San Antonio Spurs: at Indiana Pacers, at Detroit Pistons, at Los Angeles Clippers

Toronto Raptors: vs. Washington Wizards, at Atlanta Hawks, at Houston Rockets

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