Thunder annihilate woeful Raptors
Written by on Friday, March 19th, 2010 in Latest News.
Toronto’s Chris Bosh, right, tries to get by Oklahoma City’s Nick Collison during Friday’s game at the Air Canada Centre. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)
The Toronto Raptors’ drive for the playoffs stalled once again, as the Oklahoma City Thunder came into town and blasted the home team 115-89 on Friday night.
Turnovers and second-chance points killed Toronto from the opening tip, a storyline that has become all too familiar for Raptor fans.
The Raptors turned the ball over early and often, coughing up the ball four times in the first five minutes, and recording 20 turnovers in the game. Oklahoma City took advantage of the Toronto miscues and their soft play on the glass.
The Thunder slashed through the paint untouched for most of the night, and when they did miss a shot, they outworked the Toronto defenders for the rebound, grabbing 19 offensive boards. Oklahoma City had 27 second-chance points, compared with four for the Raptors.
The game was out of reach early on, with the Thunder outscoring the Raptors 39-25 after the first quarter, building an insurmountable 71-44 lead at halftime.
Oklahoma’s Kevin Durant led the way with 31 points. Chris Bosh had 22 points for Toronto.
The Raptors have lost six of their last seven games, with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread.
Toronto entered the day with a 2 1/2 game lead over the Chicago Bulls for the eighth and final playoff spot.
An area west of the central B.C. town of Revelstoke, above, was the scene of another fatal avalanche Friday. (Alan Silvester)
Former Alberta premier Ralph Klein is featured in a new game show that airs on the Crossroads Television System network this weekend. (John Ulan/Canadian Press)