Pascal Siakam scored 19 points, including a pair of free throws with nine seconds left, and the Toronto Raptors rallied from a 15-point deficit to beat the Grizzlies 106-103 on Sunday in Memphis.
Jaren Jackson Jr. missed a three-pointer with 5.2 seconds left that would have tied the game for the Grizzlies, who played without star Ja Morant because of right wrist soreness.
Toronto won its second straight game and went 4-3 on its season-long seven-game road swing. Memphis has lost three straight and eight of nine.
Desmond Bane led Memphis with 26 points, while Jackson had 18 points and four blocks. In addition to Morant, the Grizzlies were missing centre Steven Adams (right knee) and forward Dillon Brooks, who served a league-assessed one-game suspension for his confrontation with Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell on Thursday.
The Grizzlies led 81-66 with 4:44 left in the third quarter and had a 86-78 advantage entering the fourth.
Precious Achiuwa got free for a baseline dunk with 2:32 left that gave the Raptors a 100-99 lead. From there, the teams traded baskets until Barnes hit a pair of shots, the latter with 20.1 seconds left for a 104-103 advantage.
WATCH | Raptors complete comeback against Grizzlies:
Pascal Siakam led all Toronto players with nineteen points as the Raptors came back late in the game to defeat Memphis Grizzlies 106-103.
Raptors small forward O.G. Anunoby, whose name has been mentioned in trade rumors, missed his fifth straight game with a left wrist sprain.
Fred VanVleet handed out his 2,000th career assist in the first quarter, while Scottie Barnes had his 100th career block in the third quarter.
The loss prevented Memphis from sweeping the series with Toronto. It hasn’t won both games against the Raptors in the regular season since 2012-13.
Morant tweeted that a friend of his has been banned from games at FedExForum for a year. The punishment stems from a confrontation on Jan. 29, when the Grizzlies hosted Indiana.
During the game, there was barking between Pacers players and friends of Morant seated along the sideline. The talking apparently continued into the players’ parking area after the game, leading to an investigation by the league.
Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said he was aware of the league’s investigation and that the team addressed the matter internally. He did not elaborate further.
The Raptors host San Antonio on Wednesday.
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