The first chants of “Let’s go, Raptors” began with the opening tip, a full Air Canada Centre house in full throat anticipating one of the marquee games of the NBA season.
Coach Dwane Casey had called it “supreme competition,” while DeMar DeRozan had tabbed it a “true test” and the showdown with the Houston Rockets ramped up the intensity to near playoff-like levels.
Then it turned into a battle of two of the NBA’s best teams that lived up to the hype.
In a delightfully entertaining contest, Toronto ended Houston’s 17-game winning streak by registering an exhausting and stirring 108-105 win against the NBA’s top team.