The Portland trail Blazers defeated the visiting Toronto Raptors, 128-122, at Moda Center on Friday evening.
The home team got out to a strong start, as the Trail Blazers outscored the Raptors, 28-23, int he first quarter. They managed to keep their lead in tact through the second, and took a 58-50 lead into halftime. The Raptors came out strong in the second half and chipped away until they trailed by just two points, 91-89, by the end of the third quarter. The Trail Blazers managed to pull back ahead mid way through the fourth, but the Raptors kept fighting and cut it back to a two-point game with 1:25 to go. However, the Trail Blazers closed on an 8-4 run, to seal the win and end a two-game slide.
Damian Lillard led the Trail Blazers with 24 points, four assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block, in 29 minutes. C.J. McCollum followed up with 14 points, four assists, three steals and one rebound, while Al-Farouq Aminu added 13 points and seven rebounds. The Blazers shot 51 percent from the field, including 13-of-27 from long range.
Meanwhile, the Raptors were without Kyle Lowry (thigh) and Jonas Valanciunas (thumb). Fred Van Vleet got the start in place of Lowry, and finished with 21 points, eight assists and four rebounds, in 37 minutes. Kawhi Leonard led the team with 28 points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal, while Serge Ibaka finished with 18 points, six rebounds, one assist and one block.
The Raptors (23-8) will look to bounce back as they take on the Nuggets in Denver on Sunday. The Trail Blazers (16-13) take on the Clippers in Los Angeles on Monday.
