Raptors, Thunder trade big leads in OKC victory

Rudi Schuller

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Raptors, Thunder trade big leads in OKC victory image

The Toronto Raptors traded haymakers with the big guns of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, but Canada's lone NBA team fell 124-107.

Paul George and Russell Westbrook combined for 63 points to lead the Thunder to the 17-point victory, but the contest wasn't as straightforward as the lopsided score suggests.

Toronto actually held a large advantage of its own in the first half, but the team's most prominent players were not much of a factor offensively. With DeMar DeRozan scoring just 15 points and the slumping Kyle Lowry racking up 13, it was on the lesser lights to carry the scoring load.

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However, despite positive signs in the first half and a good showing by Jonas Valanciunas (16 points) and C.J. Miles (20 points), Toronto simply could not keep pace with the high-powered Thunder offence that has been the catalyst for Oklahoma's current six-game winning streak.

With the loss, Toronto falls to 23-10. The Raptors will face the Atlanta Hawks at Air Canada Centre on Friday.

Here are three takeaways from the Toronto Raptors' 124-107 loss to the Oklahoma Cty Thunder.

Wild swings

Both teams have shown throughout the season that they know how to score in bunches, and Wednesday's game was an extreme example of how both the Raptors and Thunder could never truly be counted out of a game.

Oklahoma City jumped out to an early 12-point lead in the first quarter, with Toronto responding with a run that saw the Raptors eventually claim a 12-point lead of their own. That swing was just a sign of things to come, as each side traded big leads throughout much of the contest.

The Thunder eventually pulled away for good in the second half, building up a 17-point advantage in the fourth quarter that proved too big for Toronto to nullify.

Miles from distance

C.J. Miles has missed several games recently, and the Raptors have subsequently missed his considerable ability from long distance.

On Wednesday, the 30-year-old showed why he was an important offseason acquisition for Toronto when he hit six three-pointers en route to a team-leading 20 points in 22:06 of play.

None was more impressive than his first-quarter buzzer beater, which was a team effort that resulted in the ball moving from one end of the floor to the other in less than two seconds.

Miles' viral circus shot was one of the few high spots in the game for the Raptors.

Westbrook dominant

Unsurprisingly, Westbrook put up massive individual numbers to lead the Thunder to victory.

The 29-year-old finished with 30 points, eight rebounds and 13 assists — just shy of yet another triple-double. Toronto had no answers for Westbrook's dominance, and the reigning NBA MVP combined with George to give the Raptors a two-headed nightmare all game long.

Rudi Schuller