NBA: Spurs comeback to defeat the Raptors in the regular-season finale
The host San Antonio Spurs defeated the Toronto Raptors 125-118 on Sunday afternoon in the season finale. Keldon Johnson scored 23 points off the bench, while Stephon Castle added 20 points, including a late jumper and a free throw.
The Raptors (30-52) and Spurs (34-48) both missed out on postseason play. The Raptors missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year, and San Antonio hasn’t made it since 2019.
Before tying the game late in the third quarter and taking a 99-98 lead with 9:54 remaining, the Spurs had been down by 22 points early in the fourth. With 7:03 remaining, Malaki Branham made two free throws to put San Antonio ahead for good. With 1:28 left, Chris Paul’s jumper and Castle’s 3-pointer increased the lead to 118-111.
The Spurs were able to cling on thanks to it. While Paul scored 15, Julian Champagnie scored 14, Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 12, and Branham scored 11, Harrison Barnes added 18 points for San Antonio.
With 35 points, Scottie Barnes of Toronto topped all scorers. A.J. Lawson and Ochai Agbaji each scored 14, Jamal Shead scored 11, while Jamison Battle contributed 25 points. For the Raptors, Jonathan Mogbo recorded 10 assists and 14 rebounds, one point shy of a triple-double.
After 12 minutes of play, Toronto had a 37-32 lead. With 4:41 remaining in the second quarter, Scottie Barnes’ turnaround jumper increased the Raptors’ lead to 59-43 as they continued to keep their collective foot on the pedal.
San Antonio drew to within 13 points on Champagnie’s 3-pointer with 2:23 remaining before Toronto finished the half with an 11-4 run to carry a 74-54 margin into the break.
San Antonio leaned on its veteran players to get back into the game in the third quarter as Paul and Harrison Barnes combined for 14 straight points to drag their team to within 84-76. Mamukelashvili’s layup with 36 seconds left in the period tied the game at 96-96. — Field Level Media/Reuters
