THE NBA’s leading scorer DeMar DeRozan dropped another 30-point game as Toronto overcame a slow start to hand Oklahoma City its first home loss, 112-102, on Wednesday (Thursday, Manila time).
OKC zoomed to a 16-4 start before Toronto closed the gap at the end of the first, 27-20. Then DeRozan and DeMarre Carroll led the charge in the second quarter as the Raptors outscored the Thunder 42-28 in the period to take 62-55 lead at the break and never looked back. DeRozan had 22 at halftime.
Toronto had its biggest lead at 14 near the end of the third but Victor Oladipo led a late-game charge to bring OKC down by just 4, 95-99, with over four minutes remaining in the game. Then DeRozan and Lowry countered with a 12-2 run to seal the win and hand the Thunder their first loss at home.
The Raptors shot 51.8 percent from the floor to win its fourth game in five outings. DeRozan kept torching the nets as he finished with 37 points, hitting 13-of-22 shots and 11 free throws. Kyle Lowry almost had a triple double with 19 markers, 13 dimes, and nine boards. Patrick Patterson stepped up for the injured Jonas Valanciunas with 13 points.
Russell Westbrook had another stellar game, with 36 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists but had eight turnovers for OKC, who owned a 6-2 record after the loss. Oladipo added 18 markers while Steven Adams finished with a double double of 14 points and 12 rebounds.
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