Oklahoma City Thunder (45-14) beat Toronto Raptors (34-24) 116-107 on the road on Tuesday, February 24.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Raptors struck first, taking the opening quarter 32-25 and a 7-point lead after one. The Thunder moved in front with a 35-19 second quarter, carrying a 9-point lead into halftime.
The Thunder won the third 38-29 to create some separation, taking a 18-point lead into the fourth. The Raptors took the fourth 27-18; the Thunder held on for a 116-107 regulation win.
What decided it
The Thunder grabbed 30.8% of their own misses, while the Raptors recovered 15.9%. The Thunder made 10.5 free throws per 100 field-goal attempts, compared with 8 for the Raptors. The second chances kept adding up.
At roughly 103 possessions per team, the Thunder produced 112.3 points per 100 possessions to 103.6 for the Raptors.
Who made the difference
Cason Wallace was the game's biggest individual force for OKC: 27 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast on 11-16 shooting. His Game Score of 24.9 led everyone. His team was +5 with him on the floor.
RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 21 pts, 8 reb, 4 ast on 8-15 shooting, good for a 17 Game Score.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 57% for the Thunder.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Oklahoma City Thunder lead 2-1.
The Thunder are now 45-14, and the Raptors are 34-24. The Thunder last five before this game: W-W-L-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.