TORONTO — Pascal Siakam matched a season high with 35 points, Chris Boucher scored 17 and the Toronto Raptors tightened the Eastern Conference playoff race by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 117-104 on Thursday night.
OG Anunoby returned from injury to score 14 points, Scottie Barnes had 11 and Fred VanVleet and Precious Achiuwa each added 10 as Toronto (41-32) snapped a three-game home losing streak and tied Cleveland for the sixth-best record with nine games to go in the regular season.
Cleveland had won all three previous meetings with the Raptors this season, meaning the Cavs hold the tiebreaker over Toronto and retain possession of the No. 6 seed in the East. .
Siakam’s six 3-pointers matched his career high. He shot 6 for 7 from long range.
Anunoby started for the Raptors, returning to the lineup after missing 15 games because of a fractured right ring finger.
BUCKS 114, WIZARDS 102: Jrue Holiday had 24 points and 10 assists to help short-handed Milwaukee withstand a late comeback attempt by visiting Washington.
Grayson Allen added 21 points and the Bucks never trailed despite playing without their two All-Stars – Khris Middleton and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Middleton missed a second straight game because of a sore left wrist. Antetokounmpo was out for the second time in three games because of a sore right knee.
GRIZZLIES 133, PACERS 103: Desmond Bane scored 30 points, hitting 12 of 15 shots, and Memphis clinched a playoff berth by coasting to a win at home.
Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 20 points, going 7 of 13 from the field, as the Grizzlies shot 54%. De’Anthony Melton added 19 and John Konchar matched his career high with 18. Bane was 5 of 7 from outside the arc as Memphis made a season-high 21 3-pointers.
PELICANS 126, BULLS 109: Devonte’ Graham hit five 3-pointers on his way to a season-high 30 points, CJ McCollum scored 25 and New Orleans defeated visiting Chicago.
Jonas Valanciunas added 16 points and 19 rebounds for the Pelicans, who won for the fourth time in six games as they try to solidify their hold on a Western Conference play-in spot.
Zach LaVine scored 39 points and Coby White added 23 for Chicago, which played without leading scorer DeMar DeRozan (left groin) and lost for the fifth time in six games.
NOTES
GRIZZLIES: Ja Morant is expected to miss at least the next two weeks because of right knee soreness.
Morant, the Grizzlies’ leading scorer at 27.6 points per game, has missed the last two games after tweaking the knee against Atlanta last Friday.
SUNS: Chris Paul returned from a broken thumb sooner than expected when NBA-leading Phoenix played Denver late Thursday.
Paul returned to the lineup roughly five weeks after he broke his right thumb in a game against Houston just before the All-Star break.
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