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National Basketball Association
Toronto 101, Utah 93
When: 7:30 PM ET, Thursday, January 5, 2017
Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Officials: #5 Kane Fitzgerald, #51 Aaron Smith, #49 Tom Washington
Attendance: 19800

TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors took a while shake off the effects of a six-game, 12-day trip on their return home on Thursday night.

They almost waited too long.

The Raptors did not lead in their game at any point against the Utah Jazz until it counted, late in the fourth quarter.

That's when DeMar DeRozan hit an 18-foot pull-up jumper with 3:44 to go in the game, giving the Raptors an 89-88 lead and they never looked back in defeating the Jazz 101-93.

It was not complacency, Raptors coach Dwane Casey said it answer to a question.

"Complacency is the last thing on my mind," he said. "We should have been humbled by (losses to) San Antonio, Phoenix, Golden State on the road. Some of it is scheduling and some of it is our doing. I don't see complacency at all. I feel fatigue a little bit, but no complacency."

Kyle Lowry scored 33 points -- 16 in the fourth quarter and 28 in the second half overall-- as the Raptors defeated the Jazz for the second time this season, including the opener of their 3-3 road trip on Dec. 20.

Lowry again seized the moment.

"He did," Casey said. "I'll tell you what, if it's a loose ball down there, he's like a little pit bull. That's why he is who he is. He's been that way since high school and it's not going to change. He took over the game down the stretch."

DeRozan finished with 23 points on 8-for-26 shooting from the field and also pulled in seven rebounds.

Jonas Valanciunas added 18 points and 13 rebounds for Toronto (24-11) and Terrence Ross provided 12 points off the bench.

The Jazz shot 46.6 percent from the field on the game and the Raptors 39.6 percent. The Jazz committed 19 turnovers leading to 27 points while Toronto turned over the ball four times leading to five points.

"That was a huge part of the game," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "That and the offensive glass. It's tough to win when you turn the ball over and that's what happened tonight. We weren't tough enough with the ball and that's what happened."

Shelvin Mack led Utah with 17 points and Gordon Hayward added 16. Rudy Gobert contributed 15 points and 16 rebounds for the Jazz (22-15), who lost their second straight.

"They got offensive rebounds (21 against Utah's 12), they did their job, everybody got in and people just hustled," Gobert said. "We weren't playing good defense, they could just get loose balls and go."

Trey Lyles closed out the scoring in the first quarter with his second 3-pointer of the game and the Jazz led 27-18.

Gobert completed the first-half scoring with a driving dunk and the Jazz led 52-48 after being ahead by as many as 11 points.

"It was tough, we've been all over the road," said DeMarre Carroll, who had eight points. We flew back early (Wednesday) morning and you can see a lot of guys jet-lagged, fatigued but we got the win."

Two free throws by Valanciunas tied the game at 64 with 4:58 left in the third quarter. Joe Johnson's jumper completed the scoring in the third quarter and provided a 73-71 lead for Utah.

The Jazz shot 46.6 percent from the field on the game and the Raptors 39.6 percent.

in the first three quarters and the Raptors shot 36.2 percent.

Johnson opened the scoring in the fourth quarter to bump the Jazz lead to four points. The lead became six on a pair of free throws by Mack and it was eight on Johnson's jumper.

Lowry's 3-pointer with five minutes remaining cut the lead to one, but Rodney Hood answered with a two-pointer and Utah led by four with 4:32to play.

Lowry banked in a shot with 4:21 to play and made the free throw to again cut the lead to one.

After DeRozan gave the Raptors the lead, he came back with a dunk to increase the lead to three points with 3:08 to play and Lowry followed with a 3-pointer.

Hayward's 3-pointer and Gobert's two free throws cut Toronto's lead to one before Lowry responded with a layup for a 96-93 Toronto lead.

The lead was five after a Valanciunas layup with 58 seconds remaining.

Lowry made one of two free throws with 43 seconds left and the lead was six.

"We picked it up at both ends," DeRozan said. "Tonight was a fight and a big test for us. Fighting all game, we just picked it up and took it to the next level when we needed to."

NOTES: Utah G George Hill (concussion protocol/cut lip) missed the game Thursday with no date set for a return from concussion symptoms. He needed 21 stitches in his lower lip after being elbowed in the face Saturday during the win over the Phoenix Suns. He has missed 24 games to injury this season, including the past three. ... Utah G Dante Exum (left knee tendinitis) was available to play Thursday after missing six games. ... Raptors F Patrick Patterson (strained left knee) did not play Thursday for the third straight game. ... The Raptors' next game is Saturday when they visit the Chicago Bulls. ... The Jazz play the fourth of five road games in a row Saturday when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Top Game Performances
 
Utah   Toronto
Shelvin Mack 17 Scoring Kyle Lowry 33
Rodney Hood 3 Assists Kyle Lowry 5
Rudy Gobert 16 Rebounds Jonas Valanciunas 13
Rudy Gobert 9 Free Throws Made Kyle Lowry 9
Derrick Favors 1 Steals Kyle Lowry 3
Rudy Gobert 3 Blocks Lucas Nogueira 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Utah 93 46.6 7-20 18-21 16 46 4 2 19
Toronto 101 39.6 8-21 21-28 14 45 6 10 4
Upcoming Games
  • Toronto will play their next game on the road against Chicago. The Raptors have a W/L % of .652 after a win and .750 after a loss.
  • Utah will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Jazz have a W/L % of .636 after a win and .533 after a loss.