The San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors got things underway at the AT&T Center tonight and in the first half, the Spurs knew this Raptors team was not going to play like their record suggests heading into tonight's contest.
Thanks to some timely defense down the stretch of the first-half by Matt Bonner and Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs took a 44-37 halftime lead.
First Quarter:
Stat Leader: Tim Duncan with 7 points, and 2 rebounds.
Recap: The Spurs looked strong out of the gates which led to a quick Raptors timeout. But after the timeout, Toronto close the gap with great ball movement, shots at the rim and outside shooting. Raptors clawed their way back to tie the game at 16 with two minutes left in the quarter. Spurs turnover kept the Raptors in the game. Spurs had six turnovers in the first which led to seven Raptors points.
Score: Spurs 22, Raptors 18.
Second Quarter:
Stat Leader: Danny Green with 8 points, and 4 rebounds.
Recap: Raptors continued to stay within striking distance for most of the second quarter. Landry Fields drove to the basket to tie the game at 27 which led to a Spurs timeout. Turnovers were allowing the Raptors to stay in the game. Spurs had 8 turnovers leading to 9 Raptors points. Not only that, Toronto was outrebounding San Antonio in the game, 23-16. But timely defense by San Antonio kept Toronto at bay.
Halftime Score: Spurs 44, Raptors 37.
