Raptors slice 34-point deficit to just four points before losing to Portland

TORONTO - On an evening the Toronto Raptors wanted the best comeback in franchise historical past to win, they might have additionally used a crowd.

Pascal Siakam scored 28 factors because the Raptors scraped and clawed their approach from an early 34-point deficit to only 4 factors en path to a 114-105 loss to the Portland Path Blazers on Sunday.

And moments after, coach Nick Nurse lamented having to play in an empty Scotiabank Area.

“Sucks. It sucks,” Nurse mentioned. “We discuss it . . . we all know what the deal goes to be. We’re going to need to attempt to create this ourselves and simply couldn’t do it tonight . . . it’s actually disappointing. Proper, fallacious or detached. No matter your ideas are, it’s simply exhausting.

“However we’ve been by means of loads of exhausting stuff so we will’t cry about it. We’ve acquired to go play and we’ve acquired to play higher than we did tonight.”

Fred VanVleet added 19 factors and eight assists, whereas Gary Trent Jr. had 13 factors and OG Anunoby and Chris Boucher chipped in with 11 factors apiece for the Raptors (22-22) of their first sport at house after 5 straight on the highway.

Their weariness confirmed from the opening tip.

“We had actually tremendous low power and often we’ll attempt anyone and all people, maintain shifting guys round and attempt to discover a unit that works and we couldn’t actually get that accomplished both,” Nurse mentioned.

“The one factor I can say is give them a helluva lot of credit score for not quitting.”

Anfernee Simons had 19 factors, together with two huge three-pointers down the stretch for Portland (20-26). CJ McCollum had 19 factors and 10 rebounds, and Nassir Little additionally had 19 factors for the guests, who have been lacking each Damian Lillard (belly surgical procedure) and former Raptor Norm Powell.

The Raptors went 2-3 on their latest journey, ending with a hard-fought 109-105 win on Friday in Washington in opposition to a Wizards crew at full energy.

Two nights later, in an empty Scotiabank Area attributable to Ontario’s COVID-19 restrictions, the Raptors had misplaced all their momentum. Portland raced out to a 25-4 lead. Toronto’s 21-point gap had grown to a gaping 34 factors by late within the second quarter.

Siakam and VanVleet saved on their teammates, saying “Let’s maintain going, let’s maintain preventing,” Siakam mentioned. “Happy with the fellows for persevering with to battle. I really like our battle tonight.”

The Raptors buckled down on the defensive within the third quarter -- whereas the piped-in faux crowd chanted “De-fence!” -- and Boucher’s three-pointer with 2:15 left within the quarter capped a 30-16 Toronto run that sliced the distinction to 14 factors. The Blazers led 86-67 with one quarter to play.

The Raptors pressed once more and when rookie Dalano Banton drove to the ring with six minutes left, it capped a 12-0 run to slice the distinction to 12 factors.

“It’s everybody from the teaching employees to the gamers, we really feel like we’re by no means out of a sport till the sport’s over. So we really feel like simply how they go up, we will catch again up,” Banton mentioned.

Toronto saved chipping away on the distinction, and back-to-back three-pointers by Trent Jr. and VanVleet made it a four-point sport with 1:24 to play.

Simons replied with consecutive three-pointers to place Portland again up by 10 with 41.2 seconds left, after which Little’s dunk with 12.8 on the clock sealed the victory.

“It’s too dangerous that we had a type of video games, to be trustworthy, as a result of I feel we’ve performed actually exhausting and difficult and actually targeted and all that stuff,” Nurse mentioned.

The Raptors’ largest comeback ever was 30 factors in a 110-107 win over Dallas on Dec. 22, 2019.

Powell didn’t make the journey to Toronto, lacking his eighth consecutive sport, first for COVID-19 protocol after which what the crew listed as private causes.

Nurse and VanVleet had mentioned earlier that it feels unfair anyway for former gamers to return with no followers in attendance.

The Ontario authorities lowered crowd capability to 1,000 followers in late December because of the crush of COVID-19 circumstances within the province, and Maple Leaf Sports activities & Leisure Ltd., determined as a substitute to go one step additional and never host any followers beginning Dec. 31. The fanless interval was initially purported to final three weeks.

The Ontario authorities introduced final week it’s enjoyable restrictions to allow 50 per cent capability on Feb. 21, and full capability on March 14.

There was little to cheer for within the first half on Sunday.

VanVleet and Trent Jr., mixed for 1-for-14 taking pictures in a primary quarter that noticed Toronto shoot a horrible 19.2 per cent from the sector. The Path Blazers seemingly couldn’t miss, taking pictures 54.5 per cent from three-point vary. The Blazers led 33-15 to start out the second.

The second quarter was no higher. The Blazers acquired 11 three-pointers from 5 completely different gamers within the first half, and McCollum’s fadeaway jumper a minute earlier than halftime had Portland up by 34. The Blazers took a 64-34 lead into the break.

The Raptors host the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday then head on the highway for 3 in a row, at Chicago, Miami and Atlanta.

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Jan. 23, 2022.