The San Antonio Spurs overcame a 22-point third-quarter deficit to defeat the Toronto Raptors 125-118 on Sunday at Frost Bank Center, closing their 2024-25 season with a 34-48 record.
Keldon Johnson scored 23 points off the bench, and rookie guard Stephon Castle added 20 points, eight rebounds, and six assists to lead the comeback.
Toronto, which led 74-52 early in the third quarter, was paced by Scottie Barnes’ 35 points, along with 25 from Jamison Battle and a triple-double effort by Jonathan Mogbo, who tallied nine points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.
San Antonio trailed 76-54 before erupting for a 39-point third quarter, capped by a two-possession sequence where Johnson tied the game with back-to-back layups, the second coming off a steal from Blake Wesley.
The Spurs outscored the Raptors 71-44 over the final 20 minutes of play, improving to 2-26 in games where they trailed by 20 or more.
Chris Paul finished with 15 points and six assists, becoming just the third player in NBA history to appear in all 82 games at age 39 or older, joining John Stockton and Michael Jordan.
Harrison Barnes added 18 points, while Julian Champagnie contributed 14; all three were the only Spurs to play in every game this season.
Toronto dropped to 30-52, missing the playoffs for a third consecutive year and fourth time in five seasons.
Raptors wing Garrett Temple exited the game in the second quarter with a left knee sprain after Malaki Branham fell into his leg on a drive; Temple did not return.
Despite shooting 47.4% from the field and hitting 14-of-39 from three, the Raptors were outscored at the free-throw line, where San Antonio went 28-for-32 compared to Toronto’s 12-for-16.
Castle’s strong finish to the year solidified his status in the Rookie of the Year conversation, finishing his final game shooting 5-of-16 from the floor and a perfect 9-of-9 at the line.
The Spurs, who extended their postseason drought to six seasons, tied the game in the third and took the lead for good early in the fourth behind a balanced offensive attack.
