MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- DeMar DeRozan scored 26 points, Serge Ibaka matched his season high with 21 and the Toronto Raptors pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 116-107 on Friday night.
Kyle Lowry added 16 points and eight assists, and Fred VanVleet had 12 points to help the Raptors win their fifth straight.
Tyreke Evans led the Grizzlies with 27 points, Marc Gasol had 20, and Chandler Parsons 15. Memphis lost for the 13th time in its last 14.
The Raptors outscored Memphis 24-14 in the fourth after the Grizzlies took a 93-92 lead into the quarter. The Grizzlies committed five of their 17 turnovers on the night in the fourth, helping Toronto with the closing rally.
Memphis relied on accurate shooting early, including outside the arc, to build a 17-point lead in the first half. The Grizzlies were connecting at a 56 per cent clip by halftime, including hitting 6 of 13 from outside the arc.
But the Raptors were benefitting from the 3-point shooting of Ibaka, who missed only one of his five shots from distance in the first half. That gave him 18 at the break.
Still, Memphis managed to hold on to a 62-57 lead at intermission.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Have scored at least 100 points in 11 straight games. ... C.J. Miles missed all four of his shots from outside the arc, ending his string of 11 straight games with a 3-pointer. ... Ibaka has at least one block in the last 12 games. ...Toronto has won seven of the last eight in the series.
Grizzlies: Memphis announced Friday that the team has hired Greg Buckner as an assistant coach. Buckner, who finished his 10-year NBA career in 2009 with the Grizzlies, fills the vacant spot on the staff that resulted from interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff taking over for David Fizdale, who was fired Nov. 27. ... The Raptors are one of only two NBA teams over which the Grizzlies have an all-time, better-then-.500 record. The Washington Wizards are the other. ... Memphis is 0-8 against the Eastern Conference.
UP NEXT
Raptors: Continue a four-game trip, travelling to Sacramento to face the Kings on Sunday.
Grizzlies: Enjoy a home back-to-back, facing the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.
