OKLAHOMA CITY: Kyle Lowry scored 22 points and passed off a game-high nine assists yesterday to spark the Toronto Raptors to a 104-98 NBA upset of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Thunder entered with the NBA’s best record but slid to 22-5, falling behind Portland (23-5) for the league’s top mark, while the Raptors improved to 11-14 and jumped ahead of the Boston Celtics for the Atlantic Division lead.
Amir Johnson had 17 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for the Raptors, while DeMar DeRozan added 17 points.
John Salmons came off the bench to score 14, while Lithuanian big man Jonas Valanciunas contributed 13 points.
Russell Westbrook scored 27 points and Kevin Durant added 24 points for Oklahoma City, but none of their other team-mates managed 10 points and Toronto outscored the Thunder 29-14 in the fourth quarter.
Durant and Reggie Jackson missed 3-pointers in the final seconds and the Raptors sank late free throws to complete the upset.
Paul George scored 24 points and Roy Hibbert added 15 points and 12 rebounds yesterday to power the Indiana Pacers to a 106-79 NBA rout of the Boston Celtics.
Indiana’s Lance Stephenson achieved his third “triple double” of the season with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
No other NBA player has more than one game with double digits in three statistical categories this season.
The Pacers, with the best record in the Eastern Conference at 22-5, also has 12 points off the bench from Danny Granger, who made his season debut Friday against Houston due to patellar tendinosis that limited him to only five games last season.
The Celtics, who fell to 12-17, lost their third game in a row despite 13 points from Avery Bradley and 11 each from Jeff Green and Courtney Lee.
The Pacers broke open a deadlocked game with a 19-3 run midway into the second quarter for a 42-26 edge. Granger hit two 3-pointers in the spurt and the Celtics never came so close again.
Agencies
