Is it possible to have a better advertisement for an IIHF World Junior Championship than Sunday’s Canadian multi-angled, dramatic come-from-behind win in the gold medal game? Read More
JONES: Compelling gold medal game puts Edmonton-Red Deer 2021 over the top — Edmonton Sun…
– The end result of Saturday’s Raptors game in Brooklyn came down mainly to will. The Raptors played like they wanted it more. They were more aggressive, tougher, executed better. Brooklyn was sparked early by the return of Caris LeVert, but couldn’t seem to match Toronto’s effort level. Unlike in Miami, when the Heat ran…
Raptors blog: Lowry, VanVleet, Ibaka set tone in Brooklyn — Toronto Sun
TORONTO — The Edmonton Oilers have two players who are tied for the lead in the Art Ross Trophy race. But if you want to know whether things have changed in Edmonton this season, it’s best to ignore the offensive exploits of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and instead focus on who the team’s next-highest scorer…
TRAIKOS: Oilers’ McDavid, Draisaitl are doing the job of five players — Toronto Sun
The artificial turf field at the Toronto Blue Jays new player development complex in Dunedin is progressing. The small stone base for the turf is in place and work is progressing but it appears that this along with the other fields and clubhouse won’t be ready in time for the start of spring training in mid- February. This particular field is being built on top of two former dog parks, a wetland and a supposed spring fed pond. That along with a children’s bike path to the elementary school in the back ground it has been built over.
A new high fence is being erected at the Toronto Blue Jays new minor-league complex in Dunedin to protect the adjacent elementary school children from batted balls landing in their playground. Two sides of the playground have baseball fields adjacent to it. — Photos and text from Eddie Michels.
OSTRAVA, Czech Republic — The president of the International Ice Hockey Federation still has no inkling if NHL players will take part in the 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Beijing. Read More
IIHF prez wants Bettman’s answer on 2022 Olympics by end of summer — Toronto Sun.
BROOKLYN — The shooting drought followed the Raptors from Miami to Brooklyn, but it only had its claws into the Raptors for about a half this time around. That same inability to find the range which cost the Raptors that game in Miami and wasted a stellar defensive effort was there for the first 20 […]
Raps find the range and get a little feisty in comeback win over Nets — Toronto Sun
RAPTORS QUOTES
NICK NURSE
On the defense after the first quarter: “I think from the four-minute mark of the second quarter onward we really got down to a plan. We were into the ball. We were making catches tough. Everything was pretty tough. When Brooklyn did take it to the rim, which they can do very well, we were better. We were better protecting. We were better cracking in on the bigs so there wasn’t that little dump off there as much. Just much more energy and toughness.”
On Kyle Lowry’s toughness tonight: “Yeah, he was into it. There were a couple of weird scenarios with him. He got involved in a couple of scrums, but he’s going to do that and he’s probably playing really well when he’s doing that. He was still taking charges and throwing his body around and then he got a little juice from the perimeter. He was big, it was good. There was a lot of silliness, it seemed like, for us over kicking the ball around for the first 15 minutes of the game and then after that we looked really well organized. To me, that’s all I really want is for us to look like we know what we’re doing out there. Those guys (Lowry and Fred VanVleet) did a good job of running the team.”
KYLE LOWRY
On turning this around: “He (Nick Nurse) kind of got on us every single timeout. At halftime, he got on us about doing the same things over and over. Once we kind of settled down a little bit and got smart about what we were doing and got better spots, better positioning and playing some defense, it worked out.”
On whether it was more the offense or the defense in terms of settling down: “Both. We played pretty good defense, but it’s also understanding what we’re doing, kind of understanding the game play a little bit better and doing the game plan and executing the game plan a little bit better. Offensively, it’s about getting to the paint. Getting to the paint, kick out, getting to the spots and knowing where those spots are going to be.”
On whether it’s hard to fight the frustration when you start 1-11: “We know that that Miami game was a game that ain’t going to happen much. Just got to keep playing. We’ve got to keep putting them up. That’s what we do. We believe in the work that we put in and no one’s going to say this or that. We’re going to keep shooting the shots that are there and keep playing and working.”
RONDAE HOLLIS-JEFFERSON
On his thoughts and feelings being back at Barclays Center playing the Nets: “Man, it felt good. The energy, the love the people were showing me. It felt good to be here, to see the people that I spent four years with, a lot of familiar faces. But it felt really good to get the win. At the end of the day, that’s what the focus was, to compete and play hard.”
On Kyle Lowry’s competitive spirit: “I love it. Me and Kyle being from the same area, that’s how we play basketball. That’s how we get after it. If Kyle’s got a problem with anybody, I got a problem too, so I’ve got his back at all times no matter what. That’s the way the game should be played. At the end of the day, we’re just playing basketball, but we’re making it a little bit fun.”
On what turned this one: “I would say the energy. Energy, defensive stops, pushing the pace, getting some transition buckets, things like that. That helped us a lot.”
NETS QUOTES
KENNY ATKINSON
On if he notices a reoccurring theme in the second half of the last few games: “Fourth quarter. Last four out of five games, we were right there, or led, or close. That’s a theme. That’s a big theme right now. We have to figure out why. Fourth quarters have really been a thorn in our sides. It was again tonight. We competed for three quarters of the game, a little bit more than three quarters. I think when we subbed the starters back in the game, it was a six- or seven-point game and then they kind of went on a run and I’ve kind of seen that film before recently, so we have to figure it out. We have to figure out why we’re running out of gas. Is it physical? Is it execution? It’s probably a combination of all of those things.”
On the return of Caris LeVert: “Caris’ (LeVert) job is to get his feet wet and get back into rhythm, but it just makes a difference. I know there was some good stuff in there. There were some mistakes, but it’s nice when you know the player and you trust the player. It makes mine and all our staff’s job easier.”
On how concerned he is about the recent slump: “When I first started this job, we had 20 wins and were the worst team in the league, so we’ve been through the losing streaks and it’s just part of this league. It happens, but this will test us, test our character. I told the guys in the locker room, this happens during the NBA, but we’ll get it back down the road when we get five out of six or win six in a row. I have enough confidence in the team. We have to stick with our habits and our principles and trust what we do and we’ll get out of this.”
JOE HARRIS
On the reoccurring fourth-quarter problems: “I think just looking at it, defensively, we’ve given up a lot of points in these fourth-quarter stretches – where it may be a lack of execution on one end or the other. Tonight was sort of cumulative – it kind of built up there in the third, where we gave up 35 points. In the fourth we gave up 38, which is way too many. You’re not going to win a lot of games, especially finishing out games like that.”
On if the team is searching for answers: “I think some of the games are frustrating. At the end of the day, a lot of us have been around – maybe for some of the younger guys it’s a little bit different. We talk about it a lot – there’s a lot of ebbs and flows individually through the course of the season and there’s a lot of ebbs and flows collectively as a team over the course of the season. Obviously, you don’t want to go through four or five-game losing streaks, but these things happen. You stick with the process, you stay level-headed and you trust in the process that we are going to figure it out and get it back on the right track.”
On Caris LeVert’s impact: “It was great to see Caris – we wish that he wasn’t on a minute restriction and he could play a little bit more. He looked great. I thought he came in and looked like himself. He said that he was trying to get his wind a little bit, but I thought that there didn’t look to be any rust whatsoever.”
CARIS LEVERT
On tonight’s game: “I felt pretty good out there. Obviously we wanted to get a win, but just me personally, I felt pretty good.”
On the next step in overcoming the minute restrictions: “I’m not sure – I’m just out here to play – that’s for coach and the performance staff. Whatever minutes I’m given, I’m just going to try to go out there and do what I can.”
On if making back-to-back shots made him forget about his thumb: “I wasn’t really thinking about my thumb at all out there.”
On the most difficult thing to overcome tonight: “Probably defensive rebounding – I feel like I could’ve done a lot better job there. I think I could’ve done a much better job helping out the rebounding.”
On how frustrating it has been sitting out of games: “Very frustrating. You know I love the game; I love being a part of it. Love helping my team out in any way that I can. It was tough being out, but I’m glad to be back.”
FINAL SCORE: 121-102 DATE: January 4, 2020 – Game #34 (Home Game #16)
FINAL SCORE RECORD HIGH POINTS HIGH REBOUNDS HIGH ASSISTS
Toronto 121 24-12 VanVleet – 29 Ibaka – 12 VanVleet – 11
Brooklyn 102 16-18 Dinwiddie – 23 Jordan – 8 Dinwiddie – 7
TEAM NOTABLES
➢ The Nets fell to 16-18 tonight with their loss to Toronto this evening, while the Raptors improved to 24-12 on the season with tonight’s victory.
o Up next for Brooklyn: The Nets will travel to Orlando to play the Magic on Monday, 1/6, at 7 p.m., ET. o Up next for Toronto: The Raptors will return home to Toronto to host Portland on Tuesday, 1/6, at 7 p.m. ET. ➢ Brooklyn blocked a season-high 11 shots tonight (previous high: 10 blocks, twice, most recently in OT on 12/17 at New Orleans) and edged the Raptors 11-4 in locks.
o DeAndre Jordan led Brooklyn with a season-high-tying four blocks, while Jarrett Allen and Wilson Chandler each added two
apiece. ➢ The Nets’ .478 field goal percentage (32-of-67 FG) marked their second-highest field goal percentage in a loss this season.
PLAYER NOTABLES
➢ Spencer Dinwiddie led the Nets with 23 points (6-of-12 FG, 9-of-12 FT) and seven assists with three rebounds and a block in 31 minutes.
o Dinwiddie has now scored 20+ points in 19 of his last 23 games and has scored 20+ points a single-season career-high 23
times (in 34 games). He scored 20+ points 18 times all of last season (68 games).
o Dinwiddie has scored 20+ points in 11 straight games at Barclays Center, dating back to 11/18 vs. Indiana, which marks the
longest streak of 20-point games at home for a Net since Vince Carter did it in 13 straight games in the 2005-06 season.
o Dinwiddie has recorded a 20-point game, a double-double or both in 22 of his last 23 games (all but 1/2 at Dallas, when he fell a point shy with 19 points).
➢ Joe Harris scored 18 points with three rebounds and five assists in 31 minutes tonight vs. Toronto. He shot 4-of-6 from the field, 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe.
o Harris has now scored in double figures 27 times this season.
➢ Caris LeVert returned to action for Brooklyn tonight and recorded 13 points (5-of-7 FG, 2-of-2 3FG) in 16 minutes off the bench.
o LeVert played for the first time since 11/10 at Phoenix after returning from right thumb surgery.
➢ Garrett Temple totaled 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal in 30 minutes this evening against the Raptors.
o Temple returned to the starting lineup tonight after missing Brooklyn’s last game with a right knee contusion. o Temple has scored in double figures in 15 of his last 22 games after doing so three times in his first 11 games this season.
➢ Taurean Prince also scored in double figures for Brooklyn tonight with 10 points, six boards, two assists and a block in 28 minutes.
2
ORONTO MARLIES (20-11-2-1 – 43 Points) vs. ROCHESTER AMERICANS (21-9-2-2 – 46 Points)
SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2020
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | FINAL | |
| ROCHESTER | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 |
| TORONTO | 2 | 0 | 3 | – | 5 |
GAME SUMMARY | GAME SHEET | PHOTOS | SCRUMS
SCORING SUMMARY
Rochester: C. Mittelstadt (2) (A. MacWilliam, J. Dea), L. Pilut (5) (K. Porter)
Goaltender: A. Hammond (22/27)
Toronto: K. Kossila (2) (J. Bracco), K. Agostino (18) (P. Aberg), K. Kossila (3) (J. Lindgren), P. Aberg (13) (T. Kivihalme), E. Korshkov (9) (K. Kossila, T. Liljegren)
Goaltender: K. Kaskisuo (30/32)
ON THE SCORESHEET
OF NOTE…
REGULAR SEASON LEADERS
RECORD WHEN…
CURRENT POINT STREAKS
MARLIES UPDATES.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
POSTGAME QUOTES
HEAD COACH GREG MOORE
On the message to Toronto following Friday’s loss to Syracuse:
Put that behind us. After a game like that you can’t let it leak into your future games. We just had to make sure that we set a new tone, had a new expectation of how we wanted to do things and get back to what I’m sure this team has done a lot this year.
On how he felt about the play of today’s lineup:
I was happy with everybody. I thought the reason we had success today was because the entire team was going and every line contributed in some different way. We’ll need that moving forward.
On Toronto not taking a penalty in today’s game:
That was really important. We’ve been killing a lot of penalties lately. Some calls could go one way or the other, and some just really stupid decisions we’d been making and it was really good to see our discipline tonight.
NEXT GAME:
January 5 vs Lehigh Valley – 4:00 p.m. ET
January 10 at Texas – 7:00 p.m. CST
January 11 at Texas – 7:00 p.m. CST
January 12 at San Antonio – 3:00 p.m. CST
January 16 at San Antonio – 7:00 p.m. CST
HEAD COACH SHELDON KEEFE
On what he liked from the group tonight:
I just liked how we were able to stay with it. It was a different type of game than we’ve played, and we just stayed with it. We waited to get our chances and when we did, we made good on a couple of them. As you said, a combination of great goaltending, good defensive play, a little bit of luck and opportunistic players. They made good on their chances.
On the benefit for the team mentally from winning more of a low scoring game:
Yeah, I think it’s really good. I think it’s really healthy for our team in a lot of ways. Like I said, it’s a different type of game, offence is harder to come by as we expected it would be coming into the game. I just liked that our guys didn’t get frustrated with that first period. Not a lot going on. We just stayed with it. We gave up some chances and got saves which was good. Then when we got our chances, we made good on them. It would have been nice to get the goal on the breakaway early in the game, it might have been a different game if that’s the case, but we didn’t and it wasn’t, so we just had to stay patient and like it. We have to find a way to win the boring games too sometimes.
On if he has reflected on the significance of going 15-4-1 in his first 20 games as Maple Leafs coach:
No, I haven’t really. Every day brings a new challenge and, I said it before and I still believe it, we’re still not close to where I think we can get to. I think we’ve got a lot of room to grow as a team. That’s exciting and that’s what keeps us working. As a coach at various levels, I’ve had a lot of experience with coaching teams that go on stretches and runs like this. You recognize that you’re not going to be satisfied. You’ve got to continue to work and continue to get better and find the things that you can improve upon and I think that’s what we come to work every day to do.
On where the team can improve:
Well, in all areas, really. I think our play in terms of our ability to come out of our end, I think that can improve. I think being good and diligent in games like this today. It’s an area where it’s a low event game and not much happening. You can still defend well enough to give ourselves enough time to wait for our chance to come. Special teams, all those types of things, I think, can go a long way. But that’s not to say we didn’t have positives because there certainly is. We’ve been doing a lot of really good things. We’ve been resilient as a group, even though we’ve lost players to injury. We created a little extra adversity for our team today going into it, obviously, giving Freddie the day off and putting Hutch in. That raises the awareness of the team a little bit and creates some extra challenge there in terms of not having Freddie who has been so great for us and then Hutch who is trying to find his way. Clearly, he did today.
PIERRE ENGVALL (1 GOAL)
On his goal:
On the goal I just tried to hold onto it for a second to get the goalie moving and I think I found a spot there. So, it was really nice to see it go in. Obviously, [Kapanen] makes a — I don’t know what to say about that play — but it’s pretty good.
On the play Kapanen made to get him the puck before he scored:
Every time I see [Kapanen] go to the net with the puck with that speed I just try to catch up and be ready to shoot the puck. When I saw it, I was like, ‘sick play.’
MICHAEL HUTCHINSON (33 SAVES)
On his performance tonight:
Yeah, I obviously felt pretty good tonight. I felt really, really relaxed out there. I thought it was good to build off of the Detroit game in the New Jersey game. It was nice to get the win on that, but with the circumstances of the break and travelling same day it was getting more — personally, it felt like you had to battle through a lot of stuff. So coming in here and getting back into an actual game routine to be able to take the Detroit game and build off that for myself was huge. It was a lot of fun out there tonight. The guys played extremely hard. I thought we did a really good job defensively, we really made them have to work to try and generate chances. And then the guys bailed me out on a couple huge plays too.
On what he has done to put himself in a better headspace at this point in the season:
Yeah, it’s everything, really. It’s kind of resetting and knowing you can’t change anything that happened earlier in the season. But the team is playing great. I’ve been able to come to the rink positive every single day. Even when I’m not playing, enjoying the wins, enjoying the successes that other guys are having, whether they’re scoring goals or Freddie’s making big saves, getting wins. So, when you do that it’s eventually it’s going to come around to you. We’ve been playing so well as a group that now, it’s nice for myself to be a part of that and be able to contribute to those wins.
MITCH MARNER (2 ASSISTS)
On tonight’s defensive effort:
Yeah, it was good, I think we were coming back and we were getting quickly out of our zone. That team’s a heavy forechecking team, they get in on the forecheck hard and that’s how they create all their offence. I think we made it important to come back, talk to each other, try and find the exit quickly and get back on the forecheck. I thought we did a good job of that tonight.
On the bench’s reaction to Kapanen’s play to set up the opening goal:
I think like everyone else in the crowd. That’s a hell of a move by him and a hell of a pass as well to get it through to Pierre and that started us all off. It was a great play by him.
AUSTON MATTHEWS (1 GOAL, 1 ASSIST)
On the play of Hutchinson:
He was just dialed in. I think when we gave up good chances to their team he came up with some big saves. I know Hutch was all-time for us tonight. All the credit goes to him, he made some huge saves that kept us in the game, and we were able to capitalize on a couple chances and, I mean, he played unbelievable.
On the play that set up his goal tonight:
I just saw him get the puck and he’s got pretty good vision, so I just had a feeling he was going to throw the puck towards the middle and I just kind of tried to deflect it. I think it went off my stick, went off their stick and kind of trickled in the net, so, pretty fortunate there. Think I just had a feeling he was going to try and get the puck in that area and I just tried to make the most of it
NEW YORK ISLANDERS (25-12-3 – 53 Points) vs.
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (24-14-5 – 53 Points)
SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2020
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | FINAL | |
| NEW YORK | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 |
| TORONTO | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 3 |
GAME SUMMARY | EVENT SUMMARY | FACEOFF SUMMARY
ON THE SCORESHEET
SHOTS ON GOAL (5-on-5 in brackets)
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | OT | TOTAL | |
| NEW YORK | 7 (7) | 16 (14) | 10 (10) | – | 33 (31) |
| TORONTO | 6 (6) | 7 (6) | 10 (9) | – | 23 (21) |
SHOT ATTEMPTS (5-on-5 in brackets)
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | OT | TOTAL | |
| NEW YORK | 8 (8) | 21 (19) | 19 (19) | – | 48 (46) |
| TORONTO | 11 (11) | 21 (19) | 16 (15) | – | 48 (45) |
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
| Record at Home | 11-4-5 (20 Games) |
| All-Time Record vs. New York | 74-68-7-10 (158 Games) |
| All-Time Record vs. New York at Home | 43-30-4-4 (80 Games) |
| Record vs. Eastern Conference | 13-9-5 (27 Games) |
| Record vs. Metropolitan Division | 6-4-4 (14 Games) |
| Attendance | 19.536 |
MAPLE LEAFS LEADERS
| Shots | 4 (Matthews) |
| Shot Attempts | 9 (Matthews) |
| Faceoff Wins | 10 (Tavares) |
| Faceoff Win Percentage | 100% (Hyman, Kapanen – 1 won, 0 lost) |
| Hits | 3 (Kerfoot, Rielly) |
| Blocked Shots | 3 (Dermott) |
| Takeaways | 2 (Five players tied) |
| TOI | 23:50 (Rielly) |
| Power Play TOI | N/A |
| Shorthanded TOI | 2:00 (Holl) |
| Shifts | 24 (Ceci, Hyman, Rielly) |
| 5-on-5 Shot Attempt Percentage | 72% (Tavares – 18 for, 7 against) |
RECORD WHEN…
| Scoring first | 16-3-1 |
| Tied after 1 | 9-5-2 |
| Lead after 2 | 17-1-2 |
| Do not score a power play goal | 10-3-3 |
| Do not allow a power play goal | 12-6-3 |
| Outshot by opponent | 12-9-3 |
| Saturday | 9-2-3 |
OF NOTE…
UPCOMING GAMES:
GAME 36: TORONTO RAPTORS (23-12) at BROOKLYN NETS (16-17) SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 2020 – 6 P.M. (ET) – BARCLAYS CENTER TV: TSN – RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN
INJURY REPORTS At 1:30 p.m. Saturday
TOR@BKN
Brooklyn Nets Claxton, Nicolas Out Injury/Illness – Left Hamstring; Soreness Durant, Kevin Out Injury/Illness – Right Achilles; Rehab Irving, Kyrie Out Injury/Illness – Right Shoulder; Impingement LeVert, Caris Probable Injury/Illness – Right Thumb; Surgery Temple, Garrett Probable Injury/Illness – Right Knee; Contusion
Toronto Raptors Gasol, Marc Out Injury/Illness – Left Hamstring; Strained Hernandez, Dewan Out Injury/Illness – Right Ankle; Sprained Ponds, Shamorie Out G League – Two-Way Powell, Norman Out Injury/Illness – Left Shoulder; Subluxation Siakam, Pascal Out Injury/Illness – Groin; Strained Thomas, Matt Out Injury/Illness – Left Middle Finger; Fracture-Distal Phalanx
RAPTORS NOTES
• The Toronto Raptors complete a two-game road trip (Jan. 2-4) when they travel to Brooklyn to face the Nets on Saturday night at Barclays Center. The Raptors have won 16 of the last 17 meetings with Brooklyn, including the first matchup this season. Pascal Siakam scored 30 points and Marc Gasol set season highs with 17 points and 15 rebounds in Toronto’s 110-102 victory last month. Injured Raptors Siakam, Gasol and Norman Powell scored 72 of Toronto’s 110 points in the contest. The last time Toronto lost the season-series with the Nets was in 2012-13.
• Serge Ibaka recorded his fourth straight double-double and eighth of the season with a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds in 35 minutes of action Thursday night at Miami. All eight of Ibaka’s doubledoubles have come in the last 13 games (Dec. 9 – Jan. 2). Ibaka is averaging 17.8 points and 11.0 rebounds over the last four games (Dec. 28 – Jan. 2).
• Toronto held the Heat to just 84 points in Thursday night’s loss at Miami. The Raptors have now held their opponent to fewer than 100 points in four straight games (Dec. 28 – Jan. 2). Over the last four contests, opponents are averaging 94.0 points and shooting .417 (135-for-324) from the field, including .279 (39-for14) from three-point range. The last time Toronto allowed fewer than 100 points in four consecutive games was an eight-game streak that stretched over two seasons Apr. 5 – Oct. 28, 2016.
• Former Net Rondae Hollis-Jefferson returns to Brooklyn for the first time since signing as a free agent with the Raptors in the summer. Hollis-Jefferson averaged 9.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 23.6 minutes in 234 career games (147 starts) with the Brooklyn (2015-19). He was picked 23rd overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2015 NBA Draft and acquired by the Nets on draft night.
• OG Anunoby recorded his fourth double-double of the season Thursday night, finishing with 12 points and a career high-tying 12 rebounds. Anunoby did not have a double-double in either of his first two seasons.
• Marc Gasol (left hamstring; strain), Pascal Siakam (groin; stretch) and Norman Powell (left shoulder; subluxation) were all injured Dec. 18 at Detroit. Toronto is 4-4 over the last eight games without them. The Raptors are averaging 106.5 points and shooting .442 (303-for-686) from the field during this span.
• Kyle Lowry needs 84 assists to tie Jose Calderon (3,770) as the Raptors’ all-time leader in assists. Lowry is already the franchise leader in three-point field goals (1,297), steals (773) and playoff victories (37). Lowry has recorded 10+ assists 110 times – second most in team history behind only Calderon (141).
• Terence Davis ll is one of the five rookies who’ve played in every game for their team this season, along with Darius Bazley (Oklahoma City), Darius Garland (Cleveland), Kendrick Nunn (Miami) and Coby White (Chicago). Only two rookies have played in every game of a season for the Raptors: Vince Carter in 1998– 99 (which was a lockout-shortened 50-game season) and Matt Bonner (2004–05).
• MISCELLANEOUS: The Raptors have not lost consecutive road games this season … Toronto set season lows in points (76), FG% (.315) and 3PT% (.143) Thursday at Miami … Chris Boucher leads the Raptors with 61 offensive rebounds and ranks second in blocks (27) behind Marc Gasol (30).
PROBABLE STARTERS
F – PATRICK McCAW #22 • Recorded three points, one rebound and one assist in 28 minutes Jan. 2 at Miami. • Averaging 8.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 30.2 minutes in eight games as a starter. • Has played at least 20 minutes in a career-long 11 straight games (Dec. 14 – Jan. 2).
MIN: 26.4 REB: 2.4 AST: 2.0 STL: 1.1 TO: 1.1 BLK: 0.1 PTS: 6.0
F – OG ANUNOBY #3 • Posted fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and a career high-tying 12 rebounds Jan. 2 at Miami. • Toronto is 15-4 this season when Anunoby scores 10 or more points. • Has scored 12 points in consecutive games (Dec. 31 – Jan. 2); shooting 50 per cent (10-for-20) from the floor.
MIN: 29.8 REB: 5.9 AST: 1.7 STL: 1.12 TO: 1.4 BLK: 0.8 PTS: 11.1
C – SERGE IBAKA #9 • Recorded eighth double-double of the season with a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds Jan. 2 at Miami. • Averaging 16.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 32.1 minutes in eight games as a starter. • Has scored in double figures in 15 of the last 17 games (Dec. 1 – Jan. 2), including five 20-point outings.
MIN: 38.1 REB: 4.8 AST: 7.5 STL: 1.3 TO: 3.2 BLK: 0.4 PTS: 20.7
G – KYLE LOWRY #7 • Finished with 15 points, four rebounds and eight assists in 40 minutes of play Jan. 2 at Miami. • Has made at least two three-pointers in 11 straight games (Dec. 14 – Jan. 2); totaled 37 threes during this span. • December was the first calendar month in which he averaged 20 points and eight assists since December 2014.
MIN: 38.1 REB: 4.8 AST: 7.5 STL: 1.3 TO: 3.2 BLK: 0.4 PTS: 20.7
G – FRED VANVLEET #23 • Finished with seven points, six assists and four rebounds in 39 minutes of action Jan. 2 at Miami. • Ranks fifth in the NBA in steals per games (1.97) and sixth in minutes (36.3). • Has recorded five double-doubles this season; something he did once in first three NBA seasons combined.
MIN: 36.3 REB: 3.9 AST: 6.9 STL: 2.0 TO: 2.5 BLK: 0.4 PTS: 17.6
INJURY REPORT Marc Gasol (Left hamstring; strain) – Out Dewan Hernandez (Right ankle; sprain) – Out Norman Powell (Left shoulder; subluxation ) – Out Pascal Siakam (Groin; stretch) – Out Matt Thomas (Left middle finger; distal phalanx fracture) – Out
LAST TIME BROOKLYN VS. TORONTO
GAME 25 – DECEMBER 14, 2019 TORONTO 110, BROOKLYN 102
TORONTO– Pascal Siakam scored 30 points, Marc Gasol set season highs with 17 points and 15 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors beat the Brooklyn Nets 110-102 on Saturday night to snap a three-game home losing streak … Norman Powell fouled out with 25 points and Kyle Lowry had 17 to help the Raptors win their ninth straight home game against the Nets and beat Brooklyn for the 16th time in 17 meetings … Serge Ibaka had 12 points and 12 rebounds … The Raptors made nine of 12 attempts from 3-point range in the first quarter, including their first seven straight … Spencer Dinwiddie scored 26 points, Garrett Temple added 16 and Taurean Prince had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Nets, who are 0-4 on the road against opponents with winning records … The Nets saw a 20-point lead slip away in Wednesday’s 113-108 home loss to Charlotte … Temple couldn’t convert a three-point play after making a layup to begin the fourth, and Powell scored five points as Toronto replied with a 9-0 run, taking a 99-85 lead with 8:32 left to play … Siakam had 14 points in the first as the Raptors overcame an early 12-2 deficit to lead 38-31 after one … The Raptors led 90-83 through three quarters.
1 2 3 4 TOT
BROOKLYN 31 29 23 19 102
TORONTO 38 27 25 20 110
NEXT GAME DETAILS Opponent: Portland Trailblazers Date: Tuesday, January 7 Tip-Off: 7 p.m. (ET) Venue: Scotiabank Arena Television: TSN Radio: Sportsnet 590 The FAN
SERIES RECAP VS. PORTLAND
OVERALL HOME ROAD 2019-20 1-0 0-0 1-0 ALL-TIME 18-28 10-13 8-15 STREAKS Won 2 Won 4 Won 1
LAST WIN: November 13, 2019 (114-106)
LAST HOME WIN: March 1, 2019 (119-117)
LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY: +36, January 28, 1997
LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT: -24, January 4, 2000
LAST TIME VS. PORTLAND
GAME 11 – NOVEMBER 13, 2019 TORONTO 114, PORTLAND 106
PORTLAND — The Raptors held Damian Lillard to just nine points in a 114-106 win over the Portland Trail Blazers … Pascal Siakam scored 36 points and Fred VanVleet had 30 … Siakam scored 13 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter to help close out the Trail Blazers and help Toronto bounce back from Monday night’s loss to the L.A. Clippers … Rodney Hood led the Blazers with 25 points … Lillard had 2-fof-12 shooting from the field and was 2 of 7 from 3-point range … He did dish 10 assists … CJ McCollum also pitched in 18 points while Anfernee Simons had 17 off the bench … The Raptors attacked in waves, with Siakam scoring seven straight points to close the third quarter and give the Raptors an 87-78 lead heading into the fourth … The Raptors also got solid bench contributions from Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Terence Davis (15 points) … The Blazers went on an 11-2 run to start the fourth quarter, tying the game at 89 with 9:06 left as Lillard watched from the bench … A dunk by Hollis-Jefferson with 5:29 left gave the Raptors a 10194 lead … Another jumper by Siakam with 3:38 remaining gave the Raptors a 108-94 lead, their largest of the game.
1 2 3 4 TOT
TORONTO 23 31 33 27 114
PORTLAND 30 23 25 28 106
GAME 35 – JANUARY 2, 2020 MIAMI 84, TORONTO 76 MIAMI — Bam Adebayo had 15 points and 14 rebounds, and the Miami Heat put together their best defensive performance of the season in an 84 -76 victory over the Toronto Raptors … The Raptors’ scoring total was their lowest in more than four years — also coming in a game at Miami on Nov. 8, 2015 — and the second-lowest by any team in the NBA this season … Tyler Herro and Goran Dragic each scored 13 points for Miami, which is now 2-0 against the Raptors this season … Derrick Jones Jr. scored 10 points and Jimmy Butler finished with eight points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for Miami … Serge Ibaka had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto … Kyle Lowry scored 15 points, Rondae HollisJefferson added 13 and OG Anunoby had 12 points and 12 rebounds … The Raptors shot only 31.5% and were 6 for 42 from 3-point range … Toronto’s previous season low for points was 88, in a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Nov. 11 … Anunoby was fouled on a 3-point try with 1:21 left in the third, making all three free throws to tie the game at 60 … But the Heat went on a 17-5 run in the fourth and held Toronto to 16 points in the final 12 minutes … Fred VanVleet was 3 for 16 from the field and 1 for 11 from 3-point range … Toronto started 2 for 21 from 3-point range, before Anunoby connected on a corner 3 at the end of the first half. 1 2 3 4 TOT
TORONTO 20 19 21 16 76
MIAMI 18 24 21 21 84
GAME 34 – DECEMBER 31, 2019 TORONTO 117, CLEVELAND 97
TORONTO — Kyle Lowry scored 24 points and dished out eight assists as the Toronto Raptors won 117-97 against the Cleveland Cavaliers … Six Raptors scored in double figures … Serge Ibaka had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Terence Davis matched his career high with 19 points, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 14, and Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby had 12 points apiece … The Raptors went 9-7 in December, and played the past seven games without Pascal Siakam (groin), Marc Gasol (hamstring) and Norm Powell (shoulder) … Collin Sexton had 22 points to top the Cavaliers, while Thompson had 14 points and 11 rebounds … The Raptors had a double-digit lead in the second quarter, and by the time Ibaka hit a hook shot with 3:33 to play in the third, Toronto was up by 21 … The Raptors led 86-69 to start the fourth … Davis had 14 points in the fourth … VanVleet had four blocks on the night … The Raptors connected on 43.6 per cent from long distance, while the Cavs were good on just 26.3 per cent … Anunoby nailed three consecutive shots when he subbed in … Lowry’s 33-footer put the Raptors up by 14 points late in the second quarter … A running layup by Hollis-Jefferson with 1.6 seconds left in the half had Toronto up 59-43 at halftime.
1 2 3 4 TOT
CLEVELAND 25 18 26 28 97
TORONTO 27 32 27 31 117 RECE
BROOKLYN’S PROBABLE STARTERS
[ F ] J O E H A R R I S #12 • VIRGINIA (6th Season) • 6-6 • 220
2019-20 Averages 14.5 ppg 4.1 rpg 2.2 apg 31.9 mpg
• Originally signed with the Nets on July 19, 2016 and resigned with the team on July 24, 2018. • In 2018-19, became the first player in Nets history to lead the league in 3FG % (.474), and the first player in franchise history to win the 3-Point Contest at All-Star weekend.
Last Game: 11 pts, 4 rebs, 5 asts 31 mins 1/2 at DAL
[ F ] T A U R E A N P R I N C E #2 • BAYLOR (4th Season) • 6-7 • 218
2019-20 Averages 12.2 ppg 6.7 rpg 2.1 apg 30.4 mpg • Acquired via trade with Atlanta on 7/6/19 and signed a multiyear contract extension with Brooklyn on 10/21/19. • Has already registered seven double-doubles this season after posting five in his first three NBA seasons combined (all in the 2017-18 season).
Last game: 11 pts, 6 rebs, 2 asts 28 mins 1/2 at DAL
[C ] J A R R E T T A L L E N #31 • TEXAS (3rd Season) • 6-11 • 243
2019-20 Averages 11.9 ppg 10.1 rpg 1.3 bpg 26.5 mpg • Selected by the Nets with the 22nd pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and had his 2020-21 team option exercised on 10/14/19. • Leads all players 21 and under in rpg and is among the top three among players 21 and under in double-doubles and bpg
Last Game: 9 pts, 6 rebs, 0 blks 26 mins 1/2 at DAL
[G ] G A R R E T T T E M P L E #17 • LOUISIANA STATE (10th Season) • 6-5 • 195 2019-20 Averages 10.6 ppg 3.4 rpg 2.6 apg 29.5 mpg • Is in his first season with Brooklyn after signing with the Nets as a free agent on 7/8/19. • Has tallied 25+ points twice this season (12/4 at Atlanta and 12/21 vs. Atlanta) after scoring 25+ points twice in his first nine NBA seasons combined.
Last Game: INACTIVE Right Knee Contusion 1/2 at DAL
[G ] S P E N C E R D I N W I D D I E #8 • COLORADO (6th Season) • 6-5 • 215 2019-20 Averages 22.8 ppg 3.0 rpg 6.3 apg 30.7 mpg • Originally signed with the Nets on December 8, 2016 and re-signed a multi-year contract on December 14, 2018. • Earned his first-career Player of the Week honor for games played from 11/18 – 11/24, and is currently averaging careerhighs for ppg, FTM, FTA, FT %, offensive rating and usage.
Last Game: 19 pts, 2 rebs, 5 asts 23 mins 1/2 at DAL 2019-20
IF THE NETS WIN It would allow Brooklyn to avoid extending its season-long losing skid to five games (last win: 122-112 over Atlanta on 12/21). It would snap Brooklyn’s four-game losing skid against the Raptors (last win: 106-105 in OT on 12/7/18 at Barclays Center).
LAST 22: DEFENSE REMAINS STRONG THROUGH 12-10 STRETCH LAST 22: See the chart for stats and ranks from Brooklyn’s last 22 games (11/16 – 1/2), compared to the first 11 games of the season (4-7).
LINEUP: Brooklyn’s starting five of Dinwiddie, Temple, Harris, Prince and Allen has played 343 minutes in the last 22 games (Temple sat out Brooklyn’s last game). The only five-man unit in the NBA to play more minutes than Brooklyn’s starting five since 11/16 is Denver’s five-man unit of Paul Millsap, Will Barton, Gary Harris, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray with 347 minutes). All five starters have averaged double digit scoring in this 22-game stretch: Dinwiddie (25.7), Harris (15.3), Allen (13.2), Temple (12.2) and Prince (11.7).
e starters have averaged double digit scoring in this 22-game stretch: Dinwiddie (25.7), Harris (15.3), Allen (13.2), Temple (12.2) and Prince (11.7).
TEAM NOTABLES The Nets attempt the second-fewest mid-range FG/game (6.2) and attempt the most shots/game from the restricted area (35.9). Brooklyn allows the most shots from mid-range/game (15.2).
The Nets register the fewest post-ups/game (1.0) in the league (next-fewest: Utah’s 2.4). The Nets are holding their opponents to .580 FG % in the restricted area, the third-best mark in the league, trailing only Milwaukee (.539) and Toronto (.575)
. FOUR FACTORS: The Nets are 22nd in effective FG % (.509), eighth in offensive rebound % (.284), 14th in FTA rate (.264) and 19th in turnover % (.151).
OPP FOUR FACTORS: The Nets are fourth in opponent effective FG % (.499), 18th in opponent offensive rebound % (.275), 13th in opponent FTA rate (.243) and 27th in opponent turnover % (.129).
CLUTCH: Clutch situations are defined as the last five minutes of a game with the point diff. at five or less). Brooklyn is tied for fourth in the league in ‘clutch’ games (22) and tied for fifth in ‘clutch’ wins (12).
PAINT: The Nets have outscored their opponent by 10+ points in the paint in nine of their last 12 games (since 12/6 at Charlotte), outscoring their opponents 620-468 (+152).
HOME IN BROOKLYN The Nets will play 10 home games this month, marking their season-high for home games played in a month. The 10 home games also match a Nets record for most home games played in the month of January (previously: Jan. 2016 and Jan. 1996).
PLAYER NOTABLES Since assuming the starting point guard role with Kyrie Irving out (the last 22 games, since 11/16 at Chicago), Spencer Dinwiddie ranks fourth in the East (ninth in the league) in ppg (25.7), trailing Giannis Antetokounmpo (30.3), Trae Young (29.0) and Bradley Beal (26.9). Dinwiddie is fifth in the East in apg (7.1) in that time, trailing Ben Simmons (9.4), Kyle Lowry (8.0), Young (8.0) and Devonte’ Graham (7.9).
Dinwiddie is also eighth in the league in FTM/game (6.6) and seventh in FTA/game (8.2) in that time. Just seven players in the league have averaged 25.0+ ppg and 7.0+ apg since Dinwiddie assumed the starting point guard role: Luka Doncic, James Harden, LeBron James, Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook, Trae Young and Dinwiddie. Dinwiddie is tied for second in the league in drives/game (19.2) with DeMar DeRozan, trailing only Trae Young (20.0), and is second in drive ppg (12.3), trailing only Harden (13.9).
Jarrett Allen is fourth in the league in FG % (.657), trailing Mitchell Robinson, Rudy Gobert and Richaun Holmes, fifth in dunks (95), trailing Antetokounmpo (115) and Gobert (98), Anthony Davis (97) and Clint Capela (96), ninth in offensive rebound % (.118), ninth in orpg (3.4) and 11th in rpg (10.1). DeAndre Jordan is fourth in the league in rebound % (.204), fifth in defensive rebound % (.299) and ranks first in rpg off the bench (9.7).
The view from left field 