Muhammed Enes Calli
27 January 2020•Update: 27 January 2020
ANKARA
NBA games continued on Sunday in the shadow of NBA legend Kobe Bryant's tragic death in a helicopter clash in California.
The game between San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors started about an hour after the Lakers legend's death was confirmed.
Fans in the AT&T Center held a moment of silence for Bryant just before the start of the game.
Spurs and Raptors each took a 24-second violation to honor Bryant, who wore No. 24 and No. 8 jerseys during his 20-year career with the Lakers.
Fans chanted "Kobe" and gave a standing ovation in tribute to the Lakers legend, marking one of the bittersweet moments in NBA history.
Toronto Raptors beat San Antonio Spurs 110-106 as Pascal Siakam broke a franchise record for the Raptors with 25 points in the opening quarter and ended the game with 35.
Kyle Lowry scored 16 points and Serge Ibaka posted a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds to help the Raptor's victory over the Spurs.
DeMar DeRozan and Derrick White led the losing side with 14 points each.
Both team players and coaches shared their emotions and sent their condolences over the shocking death of the five-time NBA champion in their post-game interviews.
"You just want to go home and kiss your kids and your wife. The rest is irrelevant right now," Raptors veteran Marc Gasol said.
"All of us know what a great player he was, but he went beyond great playing, he was a competitor, that goes unmatched. It's what made him as a player so attractive to everybody, that focus, that competitiveness, that will to win," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.
Raptors' star DeRozan, a big fan of Kobe, was very much emotional when he talked about the loss of the Lakers legend after the game.
"Everything I've learned came from Kobe, everything. Take Kobe away, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have love, I wouldn't have the passion, the drive. Everything came from him," he added.
Sunday results in NBA
* Denver Nuggets - Houston Rockets : 117-110
* San Antonio Spurs - Toronto Raptors: 106-110
* Atlanta Hawks - Washington Wizards: 152-133
* New York Knicks - Brooklyn Nets: 110-97
* Orlando Magic - Los Angeles Clippers: 97-112
* Memphis Grizzles - Phoenix Suns: 114-109
*New Orleans Pelicans - Boston Celtics: 123-108
* Portland Trail Blazers - Indiana Pacers: 139-129
*Home team
