The Toronto Raptors put up a valiant effort against the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference the Oklahoma City Thunder, but fell short in double overtime 135-127.
RJ Barrett returned to the Raptors starting lineup and led Toronto with 23 points. Scottie Barnes, Jakob Poeltl and Dennis Schroder each scored 19 points. The Raptors made 14-of 35 three-pointers.
Toronto led by as many as 23 points after a fantastic first-half where their defense limited the Thunder. However, then OKC woke up in the second half erasing the deficit.
The Raptors had a chance to win it at the end of regulation but Barrett’s three-pointer over Chet Holmgren rimmed out.
Toronto also had a chance to win it at the end of the first overtime but Trent Jr. missed a shot off a pass from Barnes.
The Thunder went on to take control in the second overtime and pulled away with the eight point win.
For the Thunder Josh Giddey led the team with 24 points, MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 23 points and Chet Holmgren had 22. Lu Dort was also big for the Thunder scoring 22. The Thunder tied a team record with 23 three-pointers on 63 attempts.
The Thunder did get off to a slow start with their three ball. They missed 18 of 25 three-point shots in the first half and trailed by 16 points at halftime. The Raptors led 76-53 in the third quarter before the Thunder went on a 17-2 run to pull within 6.
OKC did a great job coming back in the game and hit timely shots.
This was a tough loss for the Raptors but there were a lot of positives they can take away from this one. Toronto is in a rebuild so going toe to toe with one of the best teams in the league will serve as a valuable experience for the younger players on the team.
Next on tap
The Raptors will get set to take on the New Orleans Pelicans on the second night of a back-to-back on Feb. 5. The Raptors are currently 1-3 on their six game road trip.
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