TORONTO — The last time they played Portland, the Toronto Raptors were at their worst. On Wednesday night, they showed just how much they have turned things around.
Terrence Ross scored a career-high 26 points, DeMar DeRozan had 24 and the Raptors snapped an eight-game losing streak against Portland by beating the Trail Blazers 102-79.
“This team beat us by a lot last time," Ross said. “We had to get our revenge."
Ross and the Raptors were bent on reversing what happened in their most recent meeting with the Blazers: an 18-point loss at Portland on Dec. 10, the final game in an 0-5 road trip in which starters Kyle Lowry and Andrea Bargnani left injured, Amir Johnson was ejected for throwing his mouthguard at a referee and the Blazers won despite setting an NBA record for shooting futility, missing all 20 of their 3-point attempts.
“They hit bottom when they came to Portland," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said before the rematch.
Things sure have changed. This was Toronto’s eighth win in nine games, a surge that has wiped out talk of coaching changes and locker room discord.
“That was one of our low points of the season," Raptors coach Dwane Casey said of the December blowout in Oregon. “Two star players getting hurt, everybody kind of looking at each other crossways, the whole organization, everybody talking about firings.
“That was a crossroads for us," Casey continued. “Our guys looked in the mirror, we all did, and decided ‘Hey, we can’t continue this way.’ We started playing the game the right way, sharing the basketball, putting more focus on the defensive end. “We’re a totally different team today, with our approach, than we were then."
Ed Davis had 19 points and Amir Johnson 17 in Toronto’s first victory over the Trail Blazers since a 116-109 double-overtime win on Jan. 13, 2008.
Ross had a career-best six 3-pointers as the Raptors opened their season-high six-game homestand in style, never trailing and leading by as many as 25.
“They were a lot more aggressive," Portland’s Damian Lillard said. “Guys were in attack mode from start to finish. They played with a lot of confidence. They’ve been on a streak and you can tell that they’re starting to believe."
Davis and DeRozan were the only two starters to score for the Raptors. Along with Landry Field (seven points), Johnson and Ross, no other Toronto player scored until the fourth quarter.
Jose Calderon had 13 assists and Kyle Lowry had nine for Toronto.
Lillard led Portland with 18 points while LaMarcus Aldridge had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Wesley Matthews had 12 points and Nicolas Batum scored 10 for the Trail Blazers, who were coming off a 105-100 victory at New York on Tuesday night.
“This is a different team," Batum said of the Raptors. “This is not the same team I saw (in December). It’s crazy when I watched the video this morning and then watched the game tonight. This is a new team."
Toronto jumped out to a 10-0 lead and led 24-17 after one thanks to 10 points each from Davis and DeRozan.
“We didn’t play well from the opening tip," Stotts said. “We were on our heels the whole night."
Ross hit 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions midway through the second, then made his fourth on a buzzer beating shot to give Toronto a 55-39 lead at the half.
Also on Wednesday:
Warriors 115
Clippers 94
OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry scored 25 of his 31 points in the first half, David Lee finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds and Golden State coasted past Los Angeles. Jamal Crawford scored 24 points off the bench for the Clippers.
Heat 119
Mavericks 109
MIAMI — LeBron James scored 32 points and finished one assist shy of a triple-double, Dwyane Wade scored 27 and Miami rallied both early and late before beating Dallas in overtime. O.J. Mayo scored 30 for the Mavericks.
Nets 110
Thunder 93
OKLAHOMA CITY — Joe Johnson scored a season-high 33 points, Deron Williams added 19 points and 13 assists, and Brooklyn snapped Oklahoma City’s 12-game home winning streak in a game featuring the first ejection of Kevin Durant’s career. Durant scored 27 points and Russell Westbrook had 26 points and 10 assists for Oklahoma City.
Grizzlies 93
Celtics 83
BOSTON — Mike Conley had 23 points and nine assists to help Memphis send Boston to its fourth consecutive loss.
Spurs 117
Bucks 110
MILWAUKEE — Tim Duncan had 28 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, and San Antonio beat Milwaukee for its seventh consecutive victory. Brandon Jennings paced Milwaukee with 31 points.
Suns 95
76ers 89
PHOENIX — Luis Scola scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half and Phoenix beat Philadelphia to end a six-game losing streak. Jrue Holliday had 16 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his second career triple-double for the 76ers.
Jazz 106
Timberwolves 84
SALT LAKE CITY — Gordon Hayward scored 17 points and Utah beat Minnesota to snap a three-game losing streak.
Rockets 104
Hornets 92
HOUSTON — James Harden had 31 points and seven assists to lead Houston over New Orleans.
Pacers 89
Wizards 81
INDIANAPOLIS — Paul George had 29 points and 13 rebounds, D.J. Augustin scored 18 points, and Indiana beat Washington.
Kings 97
Cavaliers 94
CLEVELAND — Jason Thompson scored 19 points and DeMarcus Cousins added 18, leading Sacramento over Cleveland for its second road win of the season.
Bulls 96
Magic 94
ORLANDO, Fla. — Carlos Boozer had a season-high 31 points and 11 rebounds, Luol Deng scored 23 points and Chicago beat Orlando. Jameer Nelson scored a season-high 32 points for the Magic.
