Trail Blazers hold off Raptors with balanced attack / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports Credit Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

CJ McCollum, Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little each scored 19 points and the visiting Portland Trail Blazers held on to defeat the Toronto Raptors 114-105 Sunday night.

Player of the Game EFF 26 C.J. McCollum Points 19 Accuracy 8-12 Rebounds 10 Assists 6

McCollum added 10 rebounds and Ben McLemore had 17 points for the Trail Blazers, who led by as many as 34 points during the first half as they completed their road trip with a 4-2 record. Jusuf Nurkic had 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Pascal Siakam scored 28 points for Toronto, Fred VanVleet added 19 points, Gary Trent Jr. had 13, and OG Anunoby and Chris Boucher had 11 points each.

Portland led by 30 points after the first half and had a 19-point advantage after three quarters.

Dennis Smith Jr. made one of two free throws to give Portland a 95-71 lead with 8:32 to play. The Raptors answered with a 12-0 run with seven of the points scored by Siakam. Robert Covington's 3-pointer worked the lead back to 14 with 4:35 left. But Trent's 3-pointer cut the lead to eight, at 101-93, with 3:10 to play.

Nurkic made a jumper to extend the lead to 10. VanVleet's 3-pointer cut the lead to four but Simons responded with two 3-pointers and Portland led by 10, 111-101, with 41.2 seconds to go. Siakam made two layups to trim the lead to six but Covington made one of two free throws with 26.5 seconds to play.

Portland led 33-15 after the first quarter.

Portland scored the first 10 points of the second quarter.

McCollum made a nine-foot floater with 1:03 remaining in the first half to increase the lead to 34 points at 64-30. Toronto's Gary Trent Jr. hit a 3-pointer to end the first half with Portland leading 64-34.

Toronto started the third quarter with an 11-4 surge. Covington's 3-pointer put the lead at 28, but Toronto answered with a 10-2 run. Boucher's 3-pointer with 2:15 left in the third trimmed the lead to 14. McCollum's jumper completed the third-quarter scoring and gave Portland an 86-67 lead.

Portland was without Damian Lillard (abdomen). Norman Powell (personal) and Larry Nance Jr. (knee).

Toronto was without Khem Birch (fractured nose).

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