Pascal Siakam scored 26 points including two big three-pointers down the stretch Sunday and the Toronto Raptors clinched the second seed in the Eastern Conference with a 108-99 victory over Memphis.
For the fifth consecutive season the Raptors (50-19) have won at least 50 games, after going their first 20 seasons falling short of that mark. They improved to 4-1 in the NBA restart in the Walt Disney World bubble after the COVID-19 hiatus.
Norman Powell had 16 points, while Kyle Lowry finished with 15, Fred VanVleet chipped in with 14, and Serge Ibaka added 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Marc Gasol had 10 points and six boards in his first game against Memphis since the Raptors acquired him in a trade for beloved Raptor Jonas Valanciunas in February of 2019.
The move paid off as Gasol, who'd spent parts of 11 seasons in Memphis, was a key part of Toronto's NBA championship run.
Dillon Brooks of Mississauga, Ont., had 25 points to top the Grizzlies (33-38), who are trying desperately to hang onto a playoff spot in the jam-packed Western Conference.
Vancouver-born Brandon Clarke had 16 points, while Valanciunas, who played nearly seven seasons for Toronto, had zero points but 10 rebounds.
The Raptors led by as many as 17 points before some sloppy play down the stretch allowed the Grizzlies back into the game.
OG Anunoby committed Toronto's 22nd turnover leading to a Brooks driving layup that was part of a Memphis 19-4 run, and when Allen floated in a jumper it was a five-point game with 4:10 left to play.
with files from (The CanadIan Press)