Raptors at Spurs
Nothing is coming easy for the Toronto Raptors on their six-game road trip, but some brilliance from Kyle Lowry at least gave the team a chance to head home with a winning mark. The Raptors will try to pull off a winning trip when the competition ramps up in a visit to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.
Toronto beat Utah and Portland in tight games to begin the trip before falling at Golden State and Phoenix but kicked off 2017 with a 123-114 triumph at the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday to pull to 3-2 on the excursion and avoid its first three-game side of the campaign. Tuesday's contest presents another chance for the Raptors to prove they belong among the elite teams in the NBA after going 0-5 against the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Spurs suffered a rare road loss in a 114-112 overtime setback at Atlanta on Sunday but got Kawhi Leonard (illness) back from a two-game absence and let him work his way back into game shape. The star small forward admitted to being "weary" from all the medication he took while fighting the illness and was limited to 13 points on 3-of-12 shooting in 28 minutes.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One (Toronto), FSN Southwest (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (23-10): Toronto was in danger of suffering a third straight loss on Sunday before Lowry stepped up and delivered 20 of his season-high 41 points in the fourth quarter and finished 12-of-16 from the floor, including 6-of-7 from beyond the arc, to go along with nine rebounds and seven assists. Lowry averaged 24.4 points on 54 percent shooting - 50.4 from beyond the arc - in December and is improving steadily after a slow start. Backcourt mate DeMar DeRozan enjoyed his own strong start to 2017 with 31 points on Sunday after failing to reach 30 in the final five games in December.
ABOUT THE SPURS (27-7): San Antonio followed up each of its last four losses with a winning streak of at least four games and will play six of its next eight at home beginning with the Raptors. Spurs power forward LaMarcus Aldridge was held to eight points on 2-of-3 shooting in a win Friday as the Portland Trail Blazers made a strong effort to keep the ball out of his hands, but he bounced back with 27 points on 12-of-17 from the field in Sunday's triumph. Aldridge is 39-of-52 shooting in the last four contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Raptors PF Patrick Patterson (knee) sat out Sunday and is day-to-day.
2. Spurs PG Tony Parker is averaging 18.3 points in the last four games after putting up 8.6 in his previous nine contests.
3. The home team took each of the last five in the series.