Raptors Get Big Win Against Grizzlies On The Road, 106-103

The Toronto Raptors ended their road trip with a win over the Memphis Grizzlies, 106-103, improving their NBA regular season record to 25-30. The Raps are now tied with the Indiana Pacers for the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference, just half a game out of a play-in spot. This was Toronto’s second consecutive win, after beating the Houston Rockets 117-111 on Friday night.

The Raptors were able to overcome the Ja Morant-less Grizzlies with a balanced scoring attack which saw seven players hit double figures.  Pascal Siakam led the way, putting up 19 points, 6 boards and 5 assists. Scotty Barnes and Fred VanVleet chipped in with 16 and 15 points respectively.

The big improvement for the Raps over the past couple games has been in their bench production. Toronto’s bench was able to score 36 points, behind a 17 point game from Chris Boucher and 14 from Thaddeus Young. The Raps outscored the Grizzlies bench 36-23.

On the Grizzlies side of the ball, Desmond Bane had a solid game, scoring 27 points on 10-17 shooting which included 4 from deep. He also had 4 assists and 4 steals. Jared Jackson Jr. had 18 points and 4 blocked shots.

Memphis led the way most of the game but fell apart in the fourth quarter without their leader, Ja Morant. The score was 86-78 in favor of the Grizzlies after 3 but they only managed to put up 17 in the final period, as the Raps took control, dropping 28 in to eke out the win. Scotty Barnes hit a couple of clutch buckets in the final minute and Siakam iced the game at the free throw line.

With the trade deadline looming on the 9th of Feb, the Raptors will likely be looking to make some changes. The team has a wealth of talented tongue players who would plug holes in many other top teams. With these types of bargaining chips the Raps may have the chance to pull a big name going into All-Star break.

Up Next for the Toronto Raptors

The Raptors will be traveling back home to take on the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night at the Scotiabank Arena. The Spurs have lost 8 in a row and are sitting one before the last in the West, above the Houston Rockets. The Raptors will look to take care of business at home and get closer to a play-in spot.

If you’re thinking about betting on the upcoming Raptors games, take a look at our list of the best NBA betting sites for top online sportsbook picks in the province.