(Toronto) Pascal Siakam had 29 points and Gary Trent 26 on Friday as the Toronto Raptors inflicted a 117-115 loss to the Houston Rockets.
Updated yesterday at 10:33 p.m.
Trent scored nine points in the final eight minutes of the game.
Siakam added 12 rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Scottie Barnes added 16 points, two more than backup Thad Young.
Fifth in the East, the Raptors (48-33) won for the third time in a row and deserved an eighth win in nine games.
With Toronto assured of a top-six finish in the East, Fred VanVleet got a break in a second game in a row, following recent right knee issues.
OG Anunoby missed their fourth game in a row, the result of a bruise on the back of their right thigh.
The Raptors will wrap up the regular season Sunday night in New York against the Knicks.
Kevin Porter had 35 points for the Rockets, who have the NBA’s worst record (20-61).
The visitors were without their first and fourth scorers, Christian Wood and Eric Gordon.
They are injured in the back of the left thigh and right groin, respectively.
The Raptors were slow to start, even trailing 24 points. They missed 10 shots in a row late in the first frame.
After three quarters, Houston was in control 95-85.
A three-point shot from Trent tied the score 105-105 and then the Raptors ended up having the upper hand.
A sweeping shot from Porter created the stalemate 115-115, with 29 seconds to go. Barnes calmly guided the next possession. He ended up handing it over to Trent, who cut to the basket for a six-foot pass.
There were then 4.8 seconds left. Houston had one last chance, via Alperen Sengun, but her shot from close range came short.
“We got the result we wanted, but it was a tough game,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.