Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (43) drives against Houston Rockets guard Joe Johnson (7) at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Houston 108-105. John E. Sokolowski
Washington: The Toronto Raptors withstood a late surge from Houston to halt the Rockets' 17-game NBA winning streak with a 108-105 victory in a clash of conference leaders.
Kyle Lowry scored 30 points and DeMar DeRozan added 23 for the Eastern Conference-leading Raptors, who have already secured a playoff berth.
James Harden scored 40 points for the Rockets, who came into the game with the best record in the league but were out-scored 32-16 in the first quarter and trailed by as many as 19 in the first half.
Despite the defeat, the Rockets maintained a half-game lead over Golden State atop the Western Conference after the reigning NBA champion Warriors were beaten 125-108 by the Trail Blazers in Portland.
In another match, Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 28 points and Portland won their ninth straight to consolidate their third place in the West ahead of New Orleans -- who were beaten 116-97 by the Washington Wizards.
The Cleveland Cavaliers also lost on the road, beaten 116-102 by the Clippers in Los Angeles.
In Milwaukee, Khris Middleton led all scorers with 30 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo chipped in 28 points, 10 rebounds and a superb block of Emmanuel Mudiay's layup in the third quarter as the Bucks beat the New York Knicks 120-112.
Milwaukee took charge of the contest with a 19-7 scoring run in the fourth quarter and kept themselves in playoff position in the East.
