(Field Level Media) DeMar DeRozan finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists for his record career triple-double as the San Antonio Spurs rolled to a 125-107 win over the visiting Toronto Raptors yesterday to win their third straight game and fourth in their past five.
The contest marked the return to San Antonio by forward Kawhi Leonard and guard Danny Green, who were moved to the Raptors in the offseason after Leonard demanded a trade from the Spurs.
In return, San Antonio received DeRozan and center Jakob Poeltl. DeRozan was disappointed at being traded from Toronto, and he let his former teammates and the Raptors’ management see his displeasure in his first game against them, racking up 19 points and 10 rebounds in the first half.
The Spurs’ LaMarcus Aldridge poured in a game-high 23 points, with Bryn Forbes adding 20 points, Derrick White recording 19, Rudy Gay scoring 13 points and Patty Mills hitting for 12 in San Antonio’s win, its 10th straight against the Raptors at home.
Leonard was loudly jeered and booed when he was introduced and every time he touched the ball. He finished with a team-high 21 points on 8 of 13 shooting.
Delon Wright scored 15 points for the Raptors, while Serge Ibaka and Norman Powell added 14 each, Fred VanVleet and Greg Monroe tallied 12 points apiece, and Pascal Siakam chipped in 10 points.
The Spurs jumped on Toronto from the start, leading by 19 points after the first period and by 26 early in the second before the Raptors cut the deficit to 67-51 at intermission.
The 16-point deficit at halftime was still Toronto’s largest of the season.
Aldridge and White added 11 points each over the first 24 minutes for San Antonio, which shot 59 percent in the half despite missing eight of 11 of its 3-point attempts.
The Spurs had 16 assists and just three turnovers in the first half.
Leonard and Powell led the Raptors with 11 points each in the first half as Toronto shot 50 percent from the floor and still were barely in the game.
Any chance of a Raptors’ comeback died early in the third quarter as the Spurs forged a 9-0 run over the first four minutes of the period, and canned 5 of their 6 treys in the period.
San Antonio carried a 96-75 lead into the final quarter.
Toronto star guard Kyle Lowry missed his ninth game in the last 10 with a lingering back injury.
The Spurs return to the floor on Saturday when they host Memphis. Toronto travels to Milwaukee on Saturday.
