Raptors face Spurs to cap back-to-back vs. West powers
The San Antonio Spurs, the hottest team in the NBA, will shoot for their 10th consecutive victory Wednesday night when they visit the Toronto Raptors.
The Spurs kept their streak alive on Monday with an impressive 114-103 win over the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons in the opener of a five-game road trip.
"We knew they were going to be a challenge," said Devin Vassell, who led the Spurs with 28 points against Detroit. "They're a great team with a great coach. We're super talented. We've got many great players. ... We all play for each other, we're super humble, and all we want to do is win."
They will catch the Raptors on the second half of back-to-back games against top opponents. Toronto gave a good but uneven effort on Tuesday against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, rallying from a 25-point third-quarter deficit to tie the game in the fourth before falling 116-107 at home.
The Raptors will have to deal with San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama, who can influence a game in many ways. He struggled from the field on Monday, shooting 6-for-16, but was 7-for-8 on free throws to finish with 21 points. He also had a big impact with 17 rebounds and six blocked shots.
"It was definitely a night where we confirmed progression and confirmed potential as well," Wembanyama said. "That was a good test."
The Pistons play a physical game, which Wembanyama termed as "bully ball." He said it was a good experience for him to play against Detroit's physical style.
"This is probably the team that is most capable of playing that ball," he said.
"They are going to test your toughness," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "Detroit just toes the line. I don't think they cross it."
Toronto's Scottie Barnes had 15 points, seven assists and four blocked shots on Tuesday. Late in the fourth quarter, he sustained bruised right quadriceps, and the team listed him as questionable for Wednesday.
"I did not get a chance to talk to medical, but he should be OK," Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said immediately after the game.
Barnes did not play in Toronto's win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday because he was dealing with a personal matter.
Jakob Poeltl, who is returning from back issues, was rested on Tuesday but is expected to play on Wednesday.
The Raptors, who won 103-101 at Oklahoma City on Jan. 25, were badly outplayed in the second and third quarters on Tuesday. The Thunder pulled away in the final minutes of the fourth quarter after Toronto tied the game at 101.
"Hopefully the film is going to help me to understand it better, but the second and third quarter, that was not us," Rajakovic said. "That was not our identity. That was not what we did in the first quarter to start the game, we were dictating and dominating on defense, creating a lot of turnovers which fueled our offense.
"And we took the foot off the gas. When that happens, usually we find it pretty quickly ... like a couple of minutes and find it back, but we could not find it for two straight quarters. And then, you know, credit to our guys, they found it in the fourth quarter."
Wembanyama posted 24 points and 15 rebounds on Oct. 27 when the Spurs defeated the visiting Raptors 121-103.