Seth Lundy dropped a game-high 23 points with a streaky 6-9 shooting from beyond the arc to propel the Toronto Raptors past the Houston Rockets for their first win of the 2026 NBA Summer League, 102-89, at the Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jamarion Sharp made his presence felt after scoring 17 points on perfect field goal efficiency and nabbing a game-high seven boards to accompany his scoring. Meanwhile, Chuck Hepburn dished out eight assists, with a couple of them on crucial plays. Tyreke Key also provided a spark off the bench, adding 19 points in 18 minutes of playing time.
The two teams started the game going back and forth with five lead changes in the opening frame. It wasn’t until late in the second period that the momentum started to swing towards the Raptors, as they pounced on the Rockets with successive buckets.
Allen Graves found Lundy rising to the wing for a catch-and-shoot three-pointer, igniting the Raptors’ run as they took a 41-37 lead. AJ Hoggard then fed a couple of successive dimes to Hepburn and Graves as they extended the lead to 45-39.
Key drove for a layup before Lundy buried another triple, piling on the lead in the quarter’s closing minutes. Toronto built a comfortable 11-point cushion heading into the third period as Key sank a free throw, 52-41.
The third quarter saw the Raptors’ lead balloon to 18, but the Rockets took their best shots and responded with their own. The Rockets unloaded three straight triples to trim the deficit into single digits, with Bruce Thornton either assisting or scoring on those three shots. The period ended with Toronto holding a 79-69 advantage.
The Raptors struck early in the final frame as Nimari Burnett took charge with two dimes and a cutting dunk to stretch the lead to double digits once again, 86-74. Just as Toronto was pulling away, Houston’s offence took off, as Quadir Copeland dished one out before snatching the ball and finishing on the other end to put them back in the ball game, 79-86.
With the game on the balance and neither team succumbing to the other’s offence, Hepburn’s floor generalship came in clutch to deliver the finishing blows for Toronto. Daishen Nix knocked down a three as Houston trailed 84-90 with an ample amount of time left. Hepburn responded with two assists to the curling Burnett before the kick out to Key for a corner triple, as Toronto led, 95-84.
Out of desperation, the Rockets fouled Sharp to make him earn his points at the charity stripe. Sharp made Houston pay as he calmly sank five free throws to put the game away and secure Toronto’s first win in this year’s Summer League.
The Raptors will continue their slate of games against the Indiana Pacers on Monday at 4:30 pm.
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