PORTLAND, Ore. — Deandre Ayton returned from a right hand sprain and had a season-high 30 points and 19 rebounds to help the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Toronto Raptors 128-118 in overtime on Saturday night.
Dalano Banton had 25 points and Anfernee Simons added 23 to snap a three-game Portland losing streak. The Blazers (18-45) were playing the second of a back-to-back after a 123-107 loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
Immanuel Quickley scored 29 points and Gary Trent Jr. added 23 for the Raptors, who have won just once in the last five games. Toronto (23-41) was coming off a 120 -113 loss at the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.
With just over a minute left in regulation, Quickley’s basket brought the score to 111-109 before Matisse Thybulle’s layup for Portland. Chris Boucher scored a pair of free throws for Toronto with 23.1 seconds remaining.
After a jump ball, Toronto fired off a flurry of shots until Boucher’s layup tied it with 0.7 seconds left. Portland inbounded the ball to Ayton under the net, but his effort rimmed out, sending the game into overtime.
Ayton dunked to start the extra period. Simons’ three extended the advantage to 120-113, and Toronto couldn’t stay up.
“I’ve been watching these guys play.” “We’ve been trending, playing good basketball, and competing,” Ayton stated. “I was just making sure my wheels were working and I could keep up with my team.”
Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic noted his team appeared fatigued heading into overtime.
“Offensively I thought Portland brought a lot of physicality and as the game was progressing were were trying to figure out how to play against that physicality,” Rajakovic said in a statement. “In overtime, I felt we took good shots, they didn’t fall.”
Ayton and rookie Scoot Henderson returned from extended absences. Ayton missed five games due to a hand strain, while Henderson was sidelined for eight with an adductor ailment.
Henderson was limited in minutes but managed to score nine points in his opening four minutes. He finished with thirteen.
However, Portland was still without Jerami Grant (right hamstring), Jabari Walker (right hip), and Malcolm Brogdon (right elbow). Shaedon Sharpe was out following core surgery.
Portland had a 22-8 lead after Simons’ three-pointer in the first quarter. Portland extended its lead to 38-18 in the second quarter.
Portland led 63-46 at halftime. Ayton led the team with 14 points and ten rebounds.
Portland’s large advantage, however, began to slip away in the second half.
“We were feeling ourselves just a little bit too much in that third quarter,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups admitted.
“We played as if the game had ended. This is the NBA; it never ends. It was a valuable lesson for us.”
Leave a Reply