Even after the timeout, the gap kept widening.
With a minute and a half left in the fourth quarter, the lead had grown to 10 points.
In past seasons, a 10-point deficit with a minute and a half to go could sometimes be overcome.
But this season, with the intensity of play so high and both teams struggling from three-point range, that was a huge disadvantage for the team trailing. It was extremely difficult to come back.
What's more, the Raptors' Wang Yi and Zhang Yu had been unusually accurate from three tonight, making it even harder to catch up.
Then, in the final minute, Wang Yi and Zhang Yu each sank another three, putting an end to any remaining suspense.
The Raptors won the game, 147–133.
The Raptors winning by 14 points wasn't surprising.
What was surprising was how many times the game had swung back and forth.
It was also surprising that the score was so high.
As everyone knew, the increased intensity of play this season, along with the more lenient standard for calling fouls on the perimeter, had lowered offensive efficiency across the league. As a result, few teams were averaging more than 110 points per game.
Yet the Trail Blazers had scored 133 points in this game.
The Trail Blazers' offense had been so efficient partly because the Raptors were shorthanded, and their substitutes couldn't match the opposing players' level.
Without Baturu protecting the rim, they also couldn't stop the opposing team from repeatedly attacking the paint.
On top of that, their X had suddenly caught fire in the second half.
X had exploded for 57 points and 11 assists, scoring 49 of those 57 points in the second half.
Yang Hanson had also scored 24 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
His performance had not