(Toronto) Pascal Siakam had 39 points and the Toronto Raptors erased a 23-point deficit on Monday, scoring a 111-107 victory at the expense of the Washington Wizards.
Siakam provided seven points in his team’s 21-1 surge late in the game with 7:13 left in the game.
By overcoming this 23-point deficit, the Raptors recorded the fourth largest comeback in their history.
It was their second such late wake-up call this season after November 5 in San Antonio. On this occasion, they overcame a 22-point margin and won 123-116, in overtime.
Siakam also had 11 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
“We didn’t have too much energy at the start,” said the Cameroonian. We can’t be nonchalant like that at the start of the match. The key for us is to display energy and focus from the start. »
Scottie Barnes had 19 points, nine rebounds and five steals.
Jakob Poeltl added 13 points, three more than Precious Achiuwa.
Toronto won despite going 4 for 21 on three-pointers.
OG Anunoby missed the match due to a laceration to a finger on his right hand. He was injured at home on Sunday while doing domestic chores.
Gary Trent missed a second game in a row due to a problem with his right foot.
Kyle Kuzma had 34 points for the Wizards, who lost their third straight game.
Former Raptors Delon Wright was out with a left knee injury.
The Wizards started strong, building an 18-9 cushion in 4:14. This also led the Raptors to take a timeout.
At the half, the visitors’ lead was 64-45. Among the reasons, Toronto’s two-for-11 performance on three-point shots (both coming from Gradey Dick).
Washington built a 71-48 lead early in the third quarter, but the Raptors began to chip away at the deficit.
The Queen City team narrowed the gap to 107-101 with 4:34 left in the final quarter.
Chris Boucher then stood out with a dunk and a defensive rebound.
“He was exceptional,” Siakam said of the Montrealer. It provided the energy we needed. »
Toronto had momentum that could have dissipated when Siakam committed a turnover, but the club didn’t give up.
Barnes made a stride shot then made a block that led to Boucher’s tying basket, coming off a pass from Siakam. There were now 51 seconds left on the clock.
The visitors missed a shot, then Siakam lifted the fans with a 10-footer with 7.6 seconds left. The ball had just enough velocity to swing to the right side of the ring.
Kuzma then cut short a possession by putting his foot off the field, following pressure applied by Barnes.
Dennis Schroder then put the finishing touches with free throws.
The Wizards missed their last 10 shots in continuous play.
The Raptors began a four-game trip at home.
The Bucks, Celtics and Pistons will also be visiting between now and Sunday.
Darko Rajakovic’s group will host Milwaukee on Wednesday (TSN3, TSN4 and RDS2, at 7:30 p.m.).
