By Canadian Press

Siakam, Raptors top Thunder 117-98 for seventh straight win

Feb 9, 2022 | 11:41 PM

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Pascal Siakam had 27 points and 16 rebounds, Fred VanVleet made six 3-pointers and added 21 points, and the Toronto Raptors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-98 on Wednesday night for their seventh straight victory.

Siakam started quickly en route to a 13-for-17 shooting performance. He had 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting in the first nine minutes of play.

The spark led the Raptors to outscore the Thunder 34-22 in the opening quarter, shooting 68.4% from the field while the Thunder shot just 31.8%.

Aleksej Pokuševski and Theo Maledon scored 18 points apiece for the Thunder. Lu Dort had 15, while Darius Bazley, Josh Giddey and Ty Jerome all had 13.

The Thunder made a push in the second quarter with Jerome knocking down three consecutive 3-pointers. Oklahoma City’s bench outscored Toronto’s 22-7 in the first half but the scoring difference didn’t matter as Siakam answered with 21 first-half points.

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The Thunder ended the half on a 9-3 run but the Raptors led by eight points.

VanVleet began to find his rhythm in the second half, outscoring the Thunder 7-2 to open the third quarter. He finished with 10 points in the period and the Raptors’ lead grew to 87-72.

The Thunder beat the Raptors 110-109 on Dec. 9, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 26 points and Mike Muscala hitting a go-ahead 3-pointer. But neither Gilgeous-Alexander (right ankle sprain) nor Muscala (right ankle soreness) suited up on Wednesday night.

TIP-INS

Raptors: Scottie Barnes scored 17 points and Gary Trent Jr. had 16. … OG Anunoby finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Thunder: Tre Mann missed all six shots. … Kenrich Williams had 12 rebounds and six assists but was 0 for 5 on 3-pointers.

UP NEXT

Raptors: Visit the Rockets on Thursday.

Thunder: Visit the 76ers on Saturday.

James D. Jackson, The Associated Press