The Toronto Raptors used a late first-half run to swing the momentum in their favour against the Houston Rockets last night, and although the young Rockets didn’t go away, Toronto bent but didn’t break down the stretch and came away with a 116-109 victory.
The Raptors weathered some bench-heavy minutes to start the fourth — always a risky proposition, but a necessary one, with Pascal Siakam still sidelined. The team kept a small lead thanks mainly to Dalano Banton’s energy in transition and Chris Boucher’s effort on the glass, until Fred VanVleet could return to settle things down on offense.