• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Raptors hold off Timberwolves

Apr 6, 2013 - 7:32 AM Minneapolis, MN (Sports Network) - Rudy Gay poured in a game-high 26 points and DeMar DeRozan added 25 as the Toronto Raptors held on for a 95-93 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.

The Raptors trailed 90-89 with 2:35 left, but DeRozan's 3-point play at the 2:13 mark gave Toronto a two-point edge.

Ricky Rubio then split a pair of free throws, and Gay buried a turnaround jumper to put the visitors up 94-91 with just over 1 1/2 minutes to go.

Rubio bricked a trey, but Andrei Kirilenko stripped Gay and was quickly fouled. Kirilenko missed the first try, but knocked down the second to make it a two-point game with less than a minute remaining.

Kyle Lowry missed a short jumper, but Landry Fields grabbed the rebound and the Raptors called a quick timeout. Gay dribbled the clock down to five seconds, but missed a tough turnaround.

Dante Cunningham grabbed the rebound and quickly passed it to Rubio, who drove the length of the court before he was fouled attempting a layup with 1.7 seconds to play.

Rubio knocked down the first free throw, but his second attempt rimmed out and the Wolves were forced to foul Amir Johnson with 0.1 seconds showing. Johnson made the first free throw to put Toronto ahead 95-93, but missed his second attempt.

"Great team win tonight by us," said Gay. "We gotta keep taking steps in the right direction."

Nikola Pekovic led Minnesota with 24 points and eight rebounds and Kirilenko scored 20 in the setback.

The Wolves used an 11-4 run take a 19-11 lead with just over five minutes to play in the first, and held a 24-18 lead entering the second frame.

Minnesota pushed its spread to 30-22 early in the second, but the Raptors pulled within 37-36, The Wolves pushed their spread to six, 48-42 with 48.9 seconds left in the first half, but Toronto scored the final four points of the frame to go into the break trailing 48-46.

The Raptors took a brief two-point lead in the third following a DeRozan jumper, but the Wolves scored 13 in a row to go up 61-50 with just under eight minutes remaining.

Toronto came back with a 17-5 run to put the visitors ahead by one, but the Wolves held a slim 73-71 edge entering the final frame.

Game Notes

Toronto outscored Minnesota 18-9 in second-chance points ... Jonas Valanciunas, who was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for March, scored 12 points ... Lowry had 11 points and seven assists ... Rubio finished with 13 points and 12 assists.