The New Orleans Pelicans had a chance to leave Toronto with a victory over the Raptors after Herb Jones drained a 3-pointer with 2:26 remaining in regulation.
After all, they were ahead 99-96 and riding some serious momentum after trailing for much of the contest. Then Fred VanVleet — who absolutely needs to be named to this season’s Eastern Conference All-Star team — drilled two consecutive 3-pointers. The Pelicans never recovered, falling 105-101 at the buzzer.
New Orleans shot the ball well enough to win, but mistakes prevented that outcome. In the first half, turnovers kept Toronto in the driver seat.