Raptors inch closer to securing spot in play-in tournament
Pascal Siakam scored 36 points, Fred VanVleet added 20 points and a career-high 20 assists and the Toronto Raptors beat the undermanned Charlotte Hornets 128-108 on Sunday to inch closer to securing a spot in the NBA play-in tournament.
O.G. Anunoby added 23 points for the Raptors, who will clinch a spot if the Brooklyn Nets beat the Utah Jazz later Sunday.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Svi Mykhailiuk scored a career-high 26 points and Mark Williams added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the injury-riddled Hornets, who played without all five of the team's anticipated starters this season. James Bouknight added 21 points and Theo Maledon had 14 assists.
The Raptors outscored the Hornets 90-44 in the paint in the opener of a two-game series. The teams meet again Tuesday night in Charlotte.
The Raptors (39-39) entered Sunday tied with the Atlanta Hawks for eighth place in the Eastern Conference and looking to move up in the standings to secure a better chance of advancing out of the play-in tournament. The team finishing eighth needs just one victory; the team finishing ninth would need two to reach the postseason as the No. 8 seed.
The Raptors dominated from the start.
VanVleet made his impact felt early, scoring 11 points and assisting on six other baskets in the first quarter as Toronto built a 35-25 lead.
The Hornets (26-53) had nine turnovers in the first half leading to 18 Raptors points, the highlight coming when Scottie Barnes came up with a steal and provided an alley-oop lob to a cutting Precious Achiuwa for a fast-break dunk.
Charlotte cut Toronto's 18-point lead to 10 midway through the fourth after JT Thor knocked down a corner 3 but Siakam helped the Raptors push the lead safely back to 16 with eight points down the stretch.
TIP INS
Raptors: Turned 18 Charlotte turnovers into 28 points. ... Bench was outscored 40-21.
Hornets: Were missing a number of key players including all three point guards in LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier and Dennis Smith Jr., along with Gordon Hayward, P.J. Washington and Cody Martin. ... Bouknight now has 11 3-pointers in the last two games.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian team told Trump's tariffs unavoidable in short term in surprise Mar-a-Lago meeting
During a surprise dinner at Mar-a-Lago, representatives of the federal government were told U.S. tariffs from the incoming Donald Trump administration cannot be avoided in the immediate term, two government sources tell CTV News.
Toronto man accused of posing as surgeon, performing cosmetic procedures on several women
A 29-year-old Toronto man has been charged after allegedly posing as a surgeon and providing cosmetic procedures on several women.
Saskatoon priest accused of sexual assault says he meant to encourage young girl with hug and kiss
A Saskatoon priest accused of sexual assault says he meant to encourage and reassure a young girl when he hugged and kissed during his testimony at Saskatoon Provincial Court Friday.
Bob Bryar, drummer for rock band My Chemical Romance, dead at 44
Bob Bryar, former drummer for the band My Chemical Romance, has died. He was reportedly 44.
Trump threatens 100% tariff on the BRIC bloc of nations if they act to undermine U.S. dollar
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump on Saturday threatened 100 per cent tariffs against a bloc of nine nations if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar.
W5 Investigates 'I never took part in beheadings': Canadian ISIS sniper has warning about future of terror group
An admitted Canadian ISIS sniper held in one of northeast Syria’s highest-security prisons has issued a stark warning about the potential resurgence of the terror group.
'Disappointing': Toronto speed camera cut down less than 24 hours after being reinstalled
A Toronto speed camera notorious for issuing tens of thousands of tickets to drivers has been cut down again less than 24 hours after it was reinstalled.
Bruce the tiny Vancouver parrot lands internet fame with abstract art
Mononymous painter Bruce has carved a lucrative niche on social media with his abstract artworks, crafted entirely from the colourful juices of fruits.
Poilievre suggests Trudeau is too weak to engage with Trump, Ford won't go there
While federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has taken aim at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week, calling him too 'weak' to engage with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, Ontario Premier Doug Ford declined to echo the characterization in an exclusive Canadian broadcast interview set to air this Sunday on CTV's Question Period.