Courtesy of RotoWire
The Toronto Raptors defeated the New Orleans Pelicans, 96-93, in the Las Vegas Summer League at Cox Pavilion on Friday.
This was the opening game of the Las Vegas Summer League and the 21 lead changes demonstrate just how competitive of an opener it was. It took a late surge from Toronto to pull out the victory, as the Raptors finished the game on a 7-0 run to come back and win. The key to victory for the Raptors (1-0) was rebounding, as they beat the Pelicans (0-1) 43-32 on the glass.
Second-year forward Pascal Siakam led the way for Toronto, as he tallied 24 points, four rebounds and two assists on 10-of-14 shooting. Fred VanVleet started at point guard and contributed 18 points, three rebounds, nine assists and two steals, while Kennedy Meeks led the bench with 15 points and nine rebounds.
Cheick Diallo was a force for New Orleans, totaling 27 points and 10 rebounds on 10-of-18 from the field. Quinn Cook amassed 16 points, two rebounds, three assists and three steals, and Jalen Jones dropped 11 points to lead the bench.
On deck for Toronto is a matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, while the Pelicans face off against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.
