A late rally by the Portland Trail Blazers and the ageless skills of Carmelo Anthony proved enough to secure a gritty two-point victory over the Toronto Raptors.
The reigning champions were entitled to feel confident after dominating most of the night, but the visitors outscored the Raptors 32-21 in the fourth quarter to turn the tables.
It took a special effort from Carmelo Anthony – who notched a game-high 28 points after joining the Blazers following a year spent out of the league – to tie the game with a triple.
CARMELO ANTHONY. GAME WINNER! pic.twitter.com/STOu2UXagz — Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) January 8, 2020
With just seven seconds left, the 17-year veteran took a pass, put his head down and charged towards the paint, pulling back to nail a mid-range bucket for the win.
Elsewhere, the Sacramento Kings went 114-103 over the Phoenix Suns, the Memphis Grizzlies were 119-112 against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder finished 111-103 at the Brooklyn Nets.
The Los Angeles Lakers beat the New York Knicks 117-87 while the visiting Detroit Pistons won 115-113 over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
