体坛英语新闻：Raptors finish homestand 5-1 with win over Timberwolves

TORONTO, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Toronto Raptors defeated Minnesota Timberwolves 124-110 in Thursday evening's NBA action to wrap up their season long six-game home trip with a five wins.

During the six-game period which started on Nov. 12, the 15-7 Raptors averaged 120.5 points a game while holding opponents to 99.3, an average margin of victory of 21.2.

Toronto also improves to 9-4 on the season at Air Canada Center, a venue that has been sold out for a franchise-record 104 consecutive regular season and playoff games.

In Thursday's victory, Toronto struggled in the first three quarters and trailed Minnesota 89-88 going into the final frame. In the fourth quarter, Raptors put the game out of reach with a 17-4 run and ultimately outscored Timberwolves 36-21 in the period.

"If we're serious about going anywhere, doing anything special, our defence, our attention to detail and our passion for defence has to pick up," said Raptors head coach Dwane Casey following the victory. "We finally woke up and played in the fourth quarter but we can't live like that and expect us to do anything special."

After allowing Minnesota to shoot 54.3 percent from the field in the first three quarters, Raptors defence came alive in the fourth and held them to 38.9 percent.

On the offensive end, reigning All-Stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan combined to score 19 points in the final frame where the team shot 55.0 percent as a whole.

In the end, DeRozan scored a team-high 27 points, grabbed eight rebounds ,and dished out five assists. Meanwhile, Lowry had 25 points, 11 assists, and was 5-for-7 from beyond the arc.

Center Jonas Valanciunas also chipped in with 20 points and 10 rebounds for team leading sixth double-double of the season. The 24-year-old native of Lithuania bounced back after averaging 4.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in his past four games.

Having played 13 of their first 22 games at home, Raptors will play 32 of their remaining 50 games away from the Air Canada Centre. Their longest homestand consists of four games scheduled between Jan. 7 and Jan. 22.