NBA: Thunder hold off Raptors after Isaiah Joe erupts in third quarter

Isaiah Joe scored 19 of his 22 points in the third quarter Tuesday night as the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder held on to defeat the Toronto Raptors 116-107.

Cason Wallace led all scorers with 27 points, adding eight rebounds and seven assists. Alex Caruso contributed 16 points, Luguentz Dort had 15, and Isaiah Hartenstein added 11 points with nine rebounds. The Thunder have now won three straight games and five of their last six.

RJ Barrett paced the Raptors with 21 points. Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram each scored 15 points, while Ja'Kobe Walter and Immanuel Quickley added 17 points apiece. Jamal Shead finished with 13 points. The teams split their two-game season series.

Oklahoma City led by as many as 25 points and carried an 18-point advantage into the fourth quarter. Toronto cut the lead to 10 on Barrett’s jumper with 10:20 remaining. Ingram scored five straight points to narrow the gap to five with 5:59 left. Shead’s 3-pointer tied the game at 101 before the Thunder pulled away again, with Wallace’s layups and Joe’s 3-pointer giving Oklahoma City an eight-point lead. Dort’s jumper extended the margin to 10 with 2:36 to play.

Toronto capitalized on seven Thunder turnovers to take a 32-25 lead after the first quarter. The Thunder adjusted to Toronto’s defense, improving ball handling, and took a five-point lead on Wallace’s 3-pointer with 5:06 left in the second quarter. The lead grew to eight before Toronto responded with four straight points. Caruso’s five consecutive points helped Oklahoma City finish the half ahead 60-51.

Joe was dominant in the third quarter, starting with Hartenstein’s 3-point play to give the Thunder a 12-point lead with 6:40 remaining. Joe’s 3-pointer pushed the lead to 16 with 3:44 left, followed by two four-point plays that extended the margin to 25. Oklahoma City led 98-80 after three quarters.

The Thunder played without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (abdominal strain), Jalen Williams (hamstring strain), and Ajay Mitchell (abdominal strain, ankle sprain). Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl was out for rest.

—Field Level Media/Reuters