Gary Trent Jr. keys late rally, Raptors beat Grizzlies

Published Nov. 24, 2021 10:47 p.m. ET

Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Gary Trent Jr. scored 17 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter and the Toronto Raptors rallied to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 126-113 on Wednesday night.

Fred VanVleet scored 23 points, and Precious Achiuwa, Pascal Siakam and Scott Barnes added 17 each. Barnes had nine rebounds.

Ja Morant led Memphis with 23 points and nine assists. Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks finished with 20 points each, and Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke added 16 points apiece.

Memphis squandered a 12-point halftime lead, first on the scoring of Achiuwa, then on Trent’s spree in the fourth.

Toronto used a third-quarter rush, fueled by Achiuwa hitting his first four shots in the quarter, getting the Raptors back in the game. Achiuwa had 17 points in the frame as Toronto outscored Memphis 32-21 in the quarter.

That cut the Memphis advantage to 92-91 entering the fourth. That’s when Trent started connecting, hitting five of his eight shots in the fourth, including all three 3-pointers as the Raptors pulled away at the end.

Memphis shot well throughout the first half but was hampered by ill-timed turnovers that kept the Grizzlies from building the lead beyond 14. Still, Memphis’ momentum established a 71-59 at the break with four players scoring at least 13 points.

Barnes already had 15 for Toronto.

TIP-INS

Raptors: Barnes swished a 50-footer as the horn sounded to end the first quarter. …Have won 13 of the last 16 over the Grizzlies. … OG Anunoby missed his fourth game with a left hip pointer. C Khem Birch was out with right knee swelling. … Both Achiuwa and F Yuta Watanabe were active for the game, the first of the season for Watanabe.

Grizzlies: G/F Dillon Brooks was listed as questionable with right hamstring soreness, but started for Memphis. … The Grizzlies 71 points in the first half were the most scored against Toronto in a half this season. … Outrebounded Toronto in the first halt 26-11, but ended the night with a 40-34 advantage.

UP NEXT:

Raptors: Close out a six-game trip Friday night at Indiana.

Grizzlies: Host Atlanta on Friday night.

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