Raptors eager to regain footing against spiraling Jazz

The Toronto Raptors will be intent on avoiding another second-half collapse Sunday evening when they host the Utah Jazz in the opener of a five-game homestand.

The Raptors have lost the past two games because they have faltered after leading at halftime.

Toronto led by seven at halftime and took a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter Friday night before their 130-120 road loss to the Orlando Magic. The Magic dominated on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, 44-21.

That outcome followed a 119-92 home loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night after the Raptors led by four points at halftime and by 11 with eight minutes left in the third quarter.

Meanwhile, the Jazz are coming off a 109-99 home loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night. Utah has dropped five straight games entering a five-game road trip.

The Jazz and Raptors are meeting for the first time this season. Toronto won both meetings last season.

Despite the loss on Friday, the Raptors still have a better record on the road (16-10) than at home (13-11). They aim to bring their results at home up to their away level.

The past two losses, home and away, were alarmingly similar, with the Raptors offering little resistance when their opponent made a strong run. The disappointing efforts came after a gritty 103-101 win over the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 25 to complete a 4-1 road trip that gave the Raptors optimism coming home.

"We stepped up our defensive intensity in the third quarter, got some stops in transition," said Toronto forward Brandon Ingram after scoring 35 points at Orlando. "Fourth quarter, they just competed, they battled back, they found some openings in transitions, and they drove to the lane and drew a lot of fouls."

Ingram shot 13-for-23 from the field, including 4-for-8 in 3-point attempts.

"We played with a lot of force in that third quarter, and we were not able to replicate it in the fourth quarter," Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. "We did not do a good job defensively."

Scottie Barnes had 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and four blocked shots for Toronto.

The Jazz were without Lauri Markkanen (rest) and Jusuf Nurkic (illness) against the Nets on Friday when Utah completed a 1-5 homestand.

"The biggest thing defensively tonight was our physicality with our switching," Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "They were able to get us in rotation. But there were some things defensively that gave us a chance to win."

Keyonte George had 26 points and seven assists for the Jazz, who trailed by two points going into the fourth quarter.

George shot 9-for-11 from the field before leaving the game with a sprained left ankle late in the fourth quarter. X-rays were negative.

"I think he's demonstrated that he's an elite scoring guard," Hardy said. "He's not just shooting, he's facilitating a lot for our team. His efficiency this year has been great."

The Jazz are 5-17 on the road.

"As always, there's a lot to learn from the game, and now we hit the road," Hardy said.

The Jazz will need to improve their free-throw shooting after going 11-for-19 (57.9%) against the Nets.

"A few uncharacteristic things in the game in terms of free throws," Hardy said. "I felt like we missed a lot of layups tonight. A couple of bobbled gathers around the basket."