Fred VanVleet scored 16 of his 34 points in the third quarter as the Toronto Raptors jumped in front early in the second half and poured it on late for a 144-123 victory over the host Sacramento Kings on Friday.
It was the most points ever for the Raptors in a regulation game as they went 20 of 39 (51.3 percent) from 3-point range.
Chris Boucher added 23 points — including 10 in the third quarter — as the Raptors ended a three-game losing streak. Toronto won a road game for the first time and did it without veteran guard Kyle Lowry, who did not play because of undisclosed personal reasons.
Norman Powell, who started in place of Lowry, added 22 points, hitting 4 of 5 shots from 3-point range. VanVleet was 5 of 9 from long range.
De’Aaron Fox scored 23 for the Kings after leaving early in Wednesday’s victory against the Chicago Bulls because of a tight hamstring. Harrison Barnes scored 21 points for Sacramento, which lost for the fourth time in its past five games.
The Raptors came out hot in the second half, outscoring the Kings 40-29 in the third quarter to take a 111-103 lead. Toronto shot 16 of 26 (61.5 percent) from the field in the third quarter and made 6 of 8 3-point attempts.
The Raptors stayed on the gas to open the fourth quarter, going on a 14-3 run to take a 125-106 lead. Terence Davis hit two of his four 3-pointers in the early fourth-quarter run and finished with 18 points.
The Raptors pushed their lead to 24 points at 135-111 with 6:07 remaining on an OG Anunoby drive to the basket.
Toronto’s Pascal Siakam fell just short of a triple-double with 17 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds for Toronto, while Malachi Flynn scored 12 points.
Buddy Hield scored 15 points for Sacramento but continues to search for his touch from 3-point range, making 3 of 9 shots from distance. Sacramento rookie guard Tyrese Haliburton added 15 points as did Marvin Bagley III.
The Raptors controlled the inside game, with a 62-58 advantage on points in the paint. Toronto also had a 44-26 rebounding advantage.
–Field Level Media
