Pascal Siakam scored 34 points as the Toronto Raptors shrugged off their injury problems to extend their winning streak to 15 games on Monday with a 137-126 defeat of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Siakam’s dominant display included six three-pointers as the reigning NBA champions overpowered a resilient Timberwolves side to cement their grip on second place in the Eastern Conference.

Kyle Lowry added 27 points with 11 assists for Toronto while OG Anunoby had a career-high 25 points while hauling in 12 rebounds. Siakam’s points tally included 14 in the fourth quarter, a decisive contribution that helped lock down the victory for Toronto who have 40 wins against 14 defeats.

Toronto’s win was made all the more impressive as it came after the late withdrawal of Serge Ibaka, who fell ill hours before tip-off. The Raptors were already without injured starter Marc Gasol.

The Timberwolves were led by Karl-Anthony Towns with 23 points while D’Angelo Russell, who completed his move from the Golden State Warriors last week, added 22 points and forced a team-leading six turnovers.

The Milwaukee Bucks meanwhile are a whopping 6.5 games ahead of Toronto at the top of the Eastern Conference after clinching their 46th win of the season on Monday.

The Bucks overcame the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo — who skipped the game after the birth of his son earlier Monday — to rally past the Sacramento Kings 123-111.

With Antetokounmpo out, Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe shouldered the burden of the offensive duties with each player finishing with 28 points apiece.

Brook Lopez had 20 points while Wesley Matthews, Sterling Brown and Donte DiVincenzo all cracked double figures as Milwaukee improved to 46-7 with their fifth straight victory.

Agence France-Presse