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Raptors edge Thunder on late bucket

Mar 21, 2011 - 4:31 AM Oklahoma City, OK (Sports Network) - Amir Johnson scored only five points, but his hook shot with 1.4 seconds remaining gave the Raptors a 95-93 victory over the Thunder at Oklahoma City Arena.

Andrea Bargnani paced the Raptors with 23 points. Leandro Barbosa posted 19 points in a reserve role and DeMar DeRozan scored 16 with eight rebounds for Toronto, which has won two in a row.

Russell Westbrook finished with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists while Kevin Durant scored 20 with five boards for Oklahoma City. Kendrick Perkins grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds in the loss, which snapped a six-game winning streak for the Thunder.

James Harden posted 23 points off the bench for Oklahoma City, which dropped both meetings with the Raptors this season.

"That was a tough loss tonight," Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said. "I thought they did a good job of executing down the stretch while we struggled executing down the stretch. But I think both teams fought hard."

The Raptors took a 48-44 lead into the half, and a Bargnani jumper with 8:16 remaining in the third quarter widened it to 58-48. A Barbosa three just inside the final minute gave Toronto a game-high advantage of 12, 74-62.

The Thunder faced a 76-66 deficit entering the fourth, but used a strong effort from Harden to stay close.

He scored eight of the Thunder's first 12 points in the final quarter, and his free throw with 7:57 remaining had Oklahoma City within 83-78.

A six-point run, capped by a Durant jumper with 4 1/2 minutes left, tied the game at 88. Those points began an overall 11-2 burst that Durant closed with two free throws, giving Oklahoma City a 93-90 edge with 1:31 to go.

But after Perkins missed a pair from the line, Barbosa tied the game at 93 when he canned a three-pointer with 38.5 ticks left.

Westbrook missed a jumper on the Thunder's next possession, and after a short Toronto timeout, Johnson's hook shot gave the Raptors their final advantage. Durant missed a jumper at the buzzer to end the game.

"It was a pick-and-roll play, but he (Barbosa) was supposed to take it all the way to the basket," Johnson said. "They double-teamed him, he made a great pass and I was able to finish."

Toronto held a 25-22 lead after a back-and-forth first quarter. Harden scored 13 of Oklahoma City's 22 second-quarter points, and even though the Raptors shot only 39 percent from the field, they led at the break.

Game Notes

The Raptors ended a 14-game road losing streak. They are 6-27 on the road and had not won away from home since January 5 at Cleveland...Oklahoma City made 28-of-35 from the line...James Johnson scored 12 with six rebounds for Toronto, while Reggie Evans added 13 with nine rebounds off the bench...The Thunder are 1-1 on a six-game residency that will feature visits from Utah, Minnesota, Portland and Golden State...Toronto won the previous meeting, 111-99, on December 3 in Toronto.