George, Westbrook lead Thunder past Raptors 124-107

Toronto entered the game as the hottest team in the Eastern Conference, but lost its second game in as many nights and fell to 10-3 in December. Miles went 6 of 12 from 3-point range but the Raptors otherwise struggled from behind the arc, finishing 11 of 38.

The Thunder posted a sizable 52-34 edge in rebounding.

Oklahoma City rallied to take a 66-63 halftime lead and outscored Toronto 18-10 over the final 5:41 of the third quarter. The Thunder went up 102-88 on a late 3-pointer by Raymond Felton, then pulled away in the fourth quarter, their lead peaking at 117-96 with 4:47 left on a 3-pointer by George .

Oklahoma City jumped to a 32-23 lead with 2:30 left in the first quarter, but the Raptors seized control with a 23-2 run and led 46-34 after Deion Wright’s three-point play with 9:55 left in the half. The Thunder rebounded to take a seven-point lead before settling for a 66-63 halftime lead.

TIP-INS:

Raptors: Serge Ibaka, a fan favourite during his seven seasons for the Thunder before being traded in June 2016, received a hearty ovation during pre-game introductions and waved to the crowd. . The Raptors went 24 of 26 from the free-throw line, with Jakob Poeltl responsible for both misses. . Lucas Nogueira got in the game late in the fourth quarter, after missing the previous 11 games with a right calf injury.

Thunder: Westbrook and Valanciunas each received a technical foul after a second-quarter skirmish, and later in the quarter, Adams and Valanciunas were called for a double foul after getting tangled up under the Toronto basket. . The Raptors’ 38 points were the most in the first quarter by a Thunder opponent this season. . The game was delayed about 3 minutes in the third quarter after a small electrical fire by one of the catwalks at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

NEXT UP:

Raptors: Host Atlanta on Friday.

Thunder: Continue their four-game home stand, hosting Milwaukee on Friday.

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More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball

Murray Evans, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

George, Westbrook lead Thunder past Raptors 124-107

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