TORONTO – Jonas Valanciunas had 20 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 100-81 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
Kyle Lowry added 20 points, while DeMar DeRozan had 15 points to go with 11 assists.
DeMarre Carroll, in his first game back after missing three straight with a heel injury, added 11 for Toronto (7-3).
Eric Gordon scored a game-high 30 points for the struggling Pelicans (1-8), while Jrue Holiday added 19.
New Orleans centre and Frenchman Alexis Ajinca _ who played with “Pray for Paris” written on his shoes, just hours after the horrific terrorist attacks across Paris _ finished with 10 points and nine boards.
Valanciunas _ with a newly-shaved bald head, and bushy beard _ was the lone bright spot in an otherwise poor first half for the Raptors.
But Toronto had turned things around by halftime, and took a 72-61 lead into the fourth quarter.
It was all Raptors down the stretch. And when Cory Joseph followed up his three with a fadeaway jumper, Toronto had pulled ahead by 22 points in front of a capacity Air Canada Centre crowd of 19,800 that included NBA hall of famer Dikembe Mutombo and Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who chucked autographed mini footballs into the crowd during a timeout.
Carroll, the Raptors’ most significant off-season acquisition, had been sidelined with plantar fasciitis _ an often-chronic injury to the ligament that runs along the bottom of the foot.
Valanciunas made his first three shots of the game to lead the way for Toronto in the first quarter. But Gordon exploded for 16 first-quarter points to put the Pelicans up 21-17 heading into the second.
Valanciunas continued to carry the Raptors through the second quarter, and when DeRozan banked in a three with just under four minutes to play, it sparked a 10-2 Raptors run, sending the game into the halftime break tied 40-40.
The Raptors shot just 32 per cent _ and just 20 per cent from three-point range _ in the first half.
Toronto started hitting its shots in a third quarter punctuated by a massive DeRozan one-handed alley-oop dunk from Lowry. The Raptors took an 11-point lead into the fourth.
The Raptors head west for a five-game road trip that opens Sunday in Sacramento, and sees them play Golden State, Utah, and both the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers. They’re back home to host Cleveland on Nov. 25.
