Sandro Mamukelashvili poured in 22 points, and Brandon Ingram chipped in 20 as the Toronto Raptors pulled away late to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 110-98 on Friday night.
Toronto controlled much of the game and built a lead as large as 13, overcoming disadvantages from beyond the arc and in turnovers to secure its third straight victory. The loss snapped Portland’s four-game winning streak.
The Trail Blazers played without standout forward Deni Avdija, sidelined by a lower back strain. Jrue Holiday and Shaedon Sharpe each scored 21 points to pace Portland.
Toronto carried a slim 76-74 edge into the fourth quarter, where Holiday briefly pulled the Blazers even, and Donovan Clingan gave Portland a short-lived lead. The Raptors quickly answered with consecutive 3-pointers, followed by a Scottie Barnes dunk that pushed the margin to 84-78 with just under 10 minutes to play.
Holiday scored nine of Portland’s first 11 points in the final quarter, but Toronto responded with steady offense from multiple contributors. Mamukelashvili was fouled on a layup that made it 95-87, and although he missed the free throw, Ingram converted the rebound to stretch the lead to double digits.
A late 3-pointer by Caleb Love trimmed the deficit to four, but the Raptors shut the door from there.
Toronto led 50-43 at halftime after Portland struggled badly early, shooting just 4 of 26 from the field in the opening quarter. Despite that rough start for the Blazers, the Raptors held only a seven-point edge after one before pulling away with a 12-2 run in the second quarter.
Up next
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Raptors: Visit Oklahoma City on Sunday.
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Trail Blazers: Visit Boston on Monday.
