Warriors hold off charging Raptors to win on road

LOS ANGELES – Agence France-Presse

Klay Thompson delivered 26 points and Kevin Durant tallied 25 as the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors held on to defeat the Raptors 127-125 in Toronto on Jan. 13.

The Warriors recorded their league-best 19th road win of the season as they won the battle against a Raptors team lying second in the Eastern Conference.

They didn’t make it easy, however, blowing a 27-point halftime lead before hanging on for the victory.

DeMar DeRozan helped spark Toronto’s rally with a 42-point performance for the Raptors, who lost to Golden State for an eighth straight time.

Two-time league MVP Stephen Curry scored 24 points for the Warriors after missing the last two games with an ankle injury.

Durant came up with some clutch baskets down the stretch to secure the win.

Elsewhere, Zach LaVine scored 14 points in his first game in 11 months, rookie Lauri Markkanen added 19 points and the host Chicago Bulls edged the Detroit Pistons 107-105.

Chicago made 17 three-pointers to win for the 13th time in its last 20 games.

In Washington, John Wall scored 23 points and added 16 assists as the Washington Wizards beat the Brooklyn Nets 119-113 in overtime.

Bradley Beal added 24 points and Marcin Gortat had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards, who needed their first overtime victory of the season to avoid being swept by the Nets in the season series.