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Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry peels away from San Antonio Spurs guard Bryn Forbes during NBA action on Jan. 19, 2018.Chris Young/The Canadian Press

In his highest-scoring effort since New Year's Day, Kyle Lowry put up 24 points to lead the Toronto Raptors as they toppled the San Antonio Spurs 86-83 at Air Canada Centre on Friday night.

In a remarkably low-scoring game, the Raptors held the Spurs to just 34-per-cent shooting. DeMar DeRozan, fresh off the news he's been voted a starter in the NBA all-star game, contributed 21 points. Jonas Valanciunas had another double-double – 15 points and 11 rebounds – while LaMarcus Aldridge posted one for San Antonio, 17 points and 14 boards.

The last time the Raptors beat the Spurs was Dec. 9, 2015.

The Raptors and Spurs were meeting for the second time this season – the first had been a 101-97 win for San Antonio at home. Toronto had been severely out-rebounded in that October game, without Valanciunas, who had a sprained ankle.

The Spurs weren't at full strength. The third-place team in the Western Conference was missing Manu Ginobili, Rudy Gay, and Kawhi Leonard, all sidelined with injuries. Still, the Raptors knew better than to underestimate any team coached by Gregg Popovich.

"With Pop and the way he orchestrates out there, he could put five of y'all out there and still coach to some type of victory," DeRozan told reporters earlier Friday.

There were intriguing matchups to watch right off the tip: Valanciunas tangling with Pau Gasol in the post, Tony Parker chasing around Lowry, Serge Ibaka trying to out-muscle LaMarcus Aldridge.

Back-to-back threes by Lowry and a left-alone beyond-the-arc Valanciunas shot got the Raptors off to a hot start. But then they made just one of their next dozen shots as the Spurs went on a 14-2 run, led by a physical and hot-shooting Gasol.

The Raps snapped right back with a 9-0 run to keep it tight. They'd been averaging 114.5 points a game at home this season, yet they could muster just 17 by the end of the first quarter, and trailed the Spurs by one.

The unusually low-scoring affair continued through the second quarter.

Reserve point guard Fred VanVleet, still recovering from a sore knee, remained on the bench for a second successive game when Toronto's reserve unit came in. No one was shooting overly well by halftime, least of all the Spurs, who had made just 32 per cent of their attempts.

A trio of threes from Lowry, and a perfectly executed driving floater by DeRozan that just beat the half-time buzzer were the highlights of first hour on the court. The Raps took a 44-37 lead into the lockerroom, as Lowry lead all scorers with 11.

The Spurs continued a remarkable stretch of poor shooting. Together Parker and Danny Green had made just three of their combined 15 shots, while the Raptors built a healthy 14-point lead.

Just then, shots started to fall for Aldridge. The Spurs 6-foot-11 forward hoisted his team back into contention with eight straight points – capitalizing on Valanciunas being on the bench for a breather. It was part of a 12-2 San Antonio run. The Raps took just a slim 63-60 lead into the final quarter.

Aldridge, Gasol and Patty Mills all worked to keep it tight in the final few minutes, but the Raptors kept up the pressure. Two heart-stopping missed free throws by DeRozan in the final seconds made the finish unnecessarily dramatic.

The Raptors, who shot 40 per cent, improved to 31-13, still second in the Eastern Conference behind the Boston Celtics. The Spurs fell to 30-17.

Toronto plays the Timberwolves in Minnesota on Saturday, then in Atlanta against the Hawks on Wednesday, before returning home to take on the Utah Jazz next Friday.

Drake and the Toronto Raptors say they are donating $2-million to Canada Basketball and $1-million to refurbish local basketball courts. Team president Masai Ujiri says he gets some amusing texts from the hip-hop star.

The Canadian Press

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