Sitting idly on the bench! Yang Hansen was benched, Avdiya posted a double-double in vain, Barnes scored 28 points, Raptors beat the Trail Blazers

On December 3rd Beijing time, during the NBA regular season, the Raptors played at home against the Trail Blazers. Yang Hansen was left out of the rotation. The Trail Blazers fell far behind in the first three quarters but erupted in the fourth quarter almost overturning the result. Yet, in the final minute, repeated mistakes ended their chances. Ultimately, after four intense quarters, the Raptors edged the Trail Blazers 121-118.

Statistics:

Trail Blazers: Avdiya with 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 14 assists; Kamara scored 21 points and grabbed 7 rebounds; Klingen recorded 11 points and 11 rebounds; Sharpe added 23 points; Grant contributed 19 points.

Raptors: Barnes posted 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists; Quickley scored 23 points; Ingram had 21 points; Dick contributed 14 points; Boyles added 10 points.

Game progress:

At the start of the first quarter, the Raptors quickly found their rhythm with a 7-2 run. The Trail Blazers soon responded with an 8-0 run to take the lead. Quickley hit a three-pointer to stop the bleeding, leveling the score. The teams battled to a 17-17 tie before the Trail Blazers pushed ahead with an 8-2 run. Ingram made both free throws to slow the momentum, but the Trail Blazers extended their lead with a 7-2 run, approaching a double-digit advantage. Then the momentum shifted as the Raptors responded with two scoring runs of 8-3 and 9-2. At the end of the first quarter, the Trail Blazers led the Raptors 39-37 by 2 points.

In the second quarter, Grant started with two free throws, making one, trying to widen the gap, but the Raptors countered with an 0-8 run to take the lead. They kept up the pressure, extending their lead to double digits. The Trail Blazers woke up and answered with an 8-0 run, cutting the deficit to 2 points. The teams then engaged in a back-and-forth battle, with the Trail Blazers tying the game at 58. However, the Raptors finished the half strong with a 7-2 run. At halftime, the Raptors led the Trail Blazers 65-59 by 7 points.

The third quarter began with Grant hitting a three-pointer to start closing the gap, but the Raptors responded with an 8-2 scoring run to pull ahead again. Grant added two points to slow the Raptors' momentum, but they quickly pushed the lead back to double digits. Klingen scored on a put-back, and Quickley nailed an open three-pointer. The game then became tightly contested, with the Raptors maintaining a double-digit lead. Later in the quarter, the Raptors extended their lead to as much as 16 points. Grant made one of two free throws. At the end of the third quarter, the Raptors led the Trail Blazers 97-82 by 15 points.

In the final quarter, Klingen scored a three-point play early, but Barnes responded with a powerful dunk. The Trail Blazers scored five straight points, but Dick answered with five consecutive points to force a timeout for the Trail Blazers. After the break, the Trail Blazers went on a 10-0 run, narrowing the gap to just 4 points. Barnes made both free throws to stop the bleeding. The two teams then battled back and forth. In the last three minutes, the Trail Blazers cut the lead to only 2 points. With one minute left, the Trail Blazers made critical defensive errors; Ingram slammed home a dunk, and Barnes blocked Avdiya to seal the game. The Raptors narrowly won 121-118.

Starting lineups of both teams:

Trail Blazers: Grant, Kamara, Klingen, Avdiya, Sissoko

Raptors: Ingram, Barnes, Poeltl, Walter, Quickley