SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Keldon Johnson had 23 points, Stephon Castle added 20, and the San Antonio Spurs rallied from a 22-point deficit to beat the Toronto Raptors 125-118 on Sunday.
Scottie Barnes had 35 points as Toronto ended its season on a two-game skid. Jamison Battle had 25 points and Jonathan Mogbo added nine points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.
San Antonio veterans Harrison Barnes had 18 points and Chris Paul 15. Barnes and Paul along with Julian Champagnie played all 82 games this season.
Castle, a leading contender for rookie of the year, added eight rebounds and six assists.
Toronto missed the postseason for the third straight season and fourth time in five seasons. San Antonio has not made the postseason since 2019, when they tied an NBA record with 22 straight playoff appearances.
Takeaways
Raptors: Toronto wing Garrett Temple suffered a sprained left knee with 2:35 remaining in the second quarter. San Antonio guard Malaki Branham fell into the side of Temple’s knee after contact on a drive. Temple remained on the court for several minutes before exiting with assistance. Temple was scoreless and had one assist in 1:52.
Spurs: At 39 years old, Paul joins Michael Jordan and John Stockton as the second-oldest player to appear in all 82 games of the regular season. Stockton holds the record, playing 82 games at 38, 39 and 40 years of age.
Key moment
Following a driving layup by Johnson, Spurs guard Blake Wesley stole the inbounds pass and fed Johnson for another layup that tied the game at 91-91 with a minute remaining in the third quarter.
Key stat
San Antonio won for just the second time this season when trailing by 20 points. The Spurs trailed by 20 points in 34% of their games this season, finishing 2-26 when facing that deficit.
Up next
Raptors: Finish their season 30-52, 11th in the Eastern Conference.
Spurs: Finish their season 34-48, 13th in the Western Conference.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Raul Dominguez, The Associated Press
