Gary Trent Jr and Fred VanVleet inspire Toronto Raptors to victory

The pair combined for 52 of Toronto’s points.

Toronto Raptors’ Fred VanVleet, left, tries to get past Philadelphia 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey (Matt Slocum/AP) (AP)

Gary Trent Jr and Fred VanVleet drilled a pair of clutch threes to help the Toronto Raptors overcome the Philadelphia 76ers 115-109.

The Sixers were still without a number of key players due to Covid-19 protocols, but began the game strongly to take a five-point advantage into the break.

However, they were outscored by the Raptors 29-21 in the third and ultimately ran out of scoring options down the stretch, with Trent Jr and VanVleet’s late three pointers condemning Philadelphia to a third straight loss.

The pair combined for 52 of Toronto’s points, while Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers with 33.

The Miami Heat got off to a fast start but faded as they lost 112-109 to the Los Angeles Clippers.

The visitors stormed out of the gates with a 40-point first quarter before the Clippers clawed their way back into the contest.

Reggie Jackson’s 22 points off the bench proved pivotal in the win, while Miami were left to rue a woeful night from beyond-the-arc.

Elsewhere, the Indiana Pacers handed the Utah Jazz their first home defeat of the season with a 111-100 win.