TORONTO (AP) - For the second time in two weeks, Kyle Lowry took down the Utah Jazz.
The Toronto point guard scored 16 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Raptors to a come-from-behind 101-93 win over the Jazz on Thursday night.
Back on Dec. 23, Lowry had 19 of a season-high 36 points in the final period of a comeback victory at Utah.
“Kyle’s been doing a great job,” said Raptors forward DeMarre Carroll, who had eight points and four rebounds. “He starts the game trying to get other guys involved and then he knows at the end either him or (DeMar DeRozan) have got to close it.
“Kyle stepped in and really took it on his shoulders and kind of willed us to that win.”
Lowry, who went 5 for 6 from the field in fourth quarter, including 2 for 2 from 3-point range, also made four of five free throws in the period and added six rebounds and five assists on the night for the Raptors (24-11).
DeRozan had 23 points and seven rebounds, while Jonas Valanciunas added 18 points and 13 rebounds as Toronto rallied from a deficit of 11 points in the second quarter.
The Jazz (22-15), who led for the first 44-plus minutes, were paced by Rudy Gobert’s 15 points and 16 rebounds. Shelvin Mack added 17 points and Gordon Hayward scored 16.
It was the second straight loss for Utah, which committed 19 turnovers that led to 27 Toronto points.
“That was a huge part of the game - that and the offensive glass,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “It’s tough to win when you turn the ball over and that’s what happened.
“We weren’t tough enough with the ball.”
DeRozan’s 18-foot jumper with 3:44 left gave the Raptors their first lead, 89-88. It was an advantage they never relinquished.
DeRozan then took Lowry’s feed down the lane for a dunk to extend the lead to three. After a Jazz turnover, Lowry drilled a 3-pointer to put the Raptors ahead by six with 2:43 to go.
“I don’t want to get into analyzing how we could guard Kyle Lowry differently. We have to do a better job on him,” Snyder said. “Same thing happened to us at home. He’s good.”
Hayward’s 3 and a pair of foul shots by Gobert cut the lead to one before Lowry’s driving layup widened the margin.
Lowry bounced back from a season-low six points in a 110-82 loss at San Antonio on Tuesday.
“I’ll tell you what, if it’s a loose ball down there, he’s like a little pit bull,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “That’s why he’s who he is. He’s been that way since high school and that’s not going to change.
“He took over the game down the stretch.”
Lowry hit a 3 with five minutes remaining to cut Utah’s lead to 85-84. But on the next trip up the court, Rodney Hood answered with a 3 as the shot clock expired.
Utah led 73-71 going into the fourth quarter as the defenses tightened at both ends in the third.
Each team barely cracked 30 percent from the field in the quarter. Utah was 7 for 19, the Raptors 6 for 17 as Toronto tied the game for the first time since the opening period.
The Jazz took a 52-48 lead into halftime as Mack set the pace with 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting. Gobert added eight points and 10 rebounds in the half.
Utah led by as many as 11 early in the second quarter but the Raptors took advantage of some sloppy Jazz play to score 13 points off seven turnovers in the period to cut the margin to 47-46. DeRozan scored Toronto’s final six points of the half.
“They got offensive rebounds, they did their job, everybody got in and people just hustled,” Gobert said. “We weren’t playing good defense. They could just get loose balls and go.”
TIP-INS
Jazz: G George Hill missed his third straight game due to a lip laceration and concussion-like symptoms. … Mack scored 10-plus points for the seventh time in his past 12 games. … Gobert extended his franchise-record streak of games with at least 10 rebounds to 22.
Raptors: F Lucas Nogueira had four points, six rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes. He made his second career start in place of rookie Pascal Siakam, who had started all 34 games this season. … F Patrick Patterson missed his third straight game with a strained left knee. … Valanciunas had his team-leading 13th double-double of the season and the 90th of his career.
RUDY’S REJECTIONS
Gobert blocked three more shots to give him 95 this season, tops in the NBA.
SCORING SALUTE
Raptors fans gave DeRozan a standing ovation during the game’s first TV timeout after a scoreboard video montage paid tribute to him surpassing Chris Bosh to become the team’s career scoring leader during Toronto’s recent six-game road trip.
PAINT PRESENCE
Toronto outscored the Jazz 12-2 in the paint during the fourth quarter.
HE SAID IT
“Turnovers aren’t something you work on. You can’t go to the gym and practice. We just have to be tougher and more secure with the ball,” Snyder said.
UP NEXT
Jazz: Utah continues a five-game road trip Saturday night by visiting Minnesota. The Jazz beat the Timberwolves 112-103 in November during their only meeting so far this season.
Raptors: Toronto travels to Chicago for a Saturday night game against the Bulls, who have defeated the Raptors nine straight times dating to Dec. 31, 2013.
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