Category: NBA, Toronto Raptors, Pascal Siakam

RAPTORS AT CAVALIERS PREGAME NOTES: The Raptors have won a season-high eight straight games (Jan. 15-28). Toronto is averaging 122.4 points and shooting .497 (359-722) from the field, including .396 (122-308) from beyond the arc over the eight games. Pascal Siakam is averaging a team-high 20.6 points during this stretch. The Raptors’ longest winning streak in franchise history is 11 games (2X: Feb. 26 – Mar. 16, 2018 and Jan. 1 – 30, 2016).

GAME #48 – TORONTO RAPTORS (33-14) vs. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (13-35) THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2020 – 7 P.M. (ET) – ROCKET MORTGAGE FIELDHOUSE TV: SPORTSET ONE – RADIO: TSN 1050 TORONTO

RAPTORS NOTES • The Toronto Raptors play the first game of a back-to-back set Thursday night when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is the third and final meeting between the two teams this season, with Toronto taking the first two games – both played at Scotiabank Arena. Kyle Lowry led all scorers with 24 points and recorded eights assists in the Raptors’ 117-97 victory New Year’s Eve. Lowry is averaging 22.0 points and 9.5 assists against the Cavaliers this season. With a win Thursday, the Raptors would sweep the season series with Cleveland for the first time since 2000-01.

• The Raptors have won a season-high eight straight games (Jan. 15-28). Toronto is averaging 122.4 points and shooting .497 (359-722) from the field, including .396 (122-308) from beyond the arc over the last eight games. Pascal Siakam is averaging a team-high 20.6 points during this stretch. The Raptors’ longest winning streak in franchise history is 11 games (2X: Feb. 26 – Mar. 16, 2018 and Jan. 1 – 30, 2016).

• Kyle Lowry needs 84 points to tie Vince Carter (9,420) for third on the Raptors’ all-time points list (top-five on page three). On Tuesday night, Lowry surpassed Jose Calderon (3,770) as Toronto’s all-time leader in assists, finishing the night with 11 assists. Lowry was already the franchise leader in 3-point field goals and steals. The only NBA players who are their current franchise’s all-time leader in assists are Houston’s James Harden and Washington’s John Wall.

• Toronto has won seven straight games on the road (Jan. 4-26) – tied for the second longest streak in team history. The Raptors won a franchise record nine in a row on the road Feb. 11 – Mar. 20, 2018.

• The Raptors continue a stretch on seven consecutive games (Jan. 26 – Feb. 8) vs. Eastern Conference opponents Thursday night. Toronto is 23-7 (.767) against the East this season – the third best winning percentage in the NBA behind Milwaukee (.897) and LA Clippers (.778). Toronto has won nine of their last 10 games against Eastern Conference foes. During this stretch, Toronto is averaging 115.6 points and shooting .466 (417-895) from the field.

• Pascal Siakam was named a starter for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago. Siakam becomes the seventh player in franchise history to earn an All-Star selection, joining Chris Bosh (five times), Vince Carter (five times), Kyle Lowry (five times), DeMar DeRozan (four times), Antonio Davis and Kawhi Leonard. Siakam’s selection also extends a streak of six consecutive years that a Raptor has been voted into the starting five – Lowry (2015, 2016), DeRozan (2017, 2018) and Leonard (2019). • With Tuesday’s win vs. Atlanta, the Raptors improved to 10-3 in the month of January. Toronto has finished with a winning record each of the past 21 calendar months (February 2017 – January 2020). The streak is the longest in franchise history and the longest current streak in the NBA. The last month in which Toronto did not have a winning record was January 2017 (8–9).

• All-Star forward Pascal Siakam was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Jan. 20-26. He earned the honour for the third time in his career and the second time this season. Siakam averaged team highs of 23.5 points and 9.0 rebounds in four wins last week.


PROBABLE STARTERS

G – OG ANUNOBY #3

MIN: 29.2 REB: 5.5 AST: 1.7 STL: 1.1 TO: 1.2 BLK: 0.7 PTS: 10.5

• Finished with four points, six rebounds and three blocks in 27 minutes Jan. 28 vs. Atlanta. • Toronto is 19-4 this season when Anunoby scores 10 or more points. • Shooting a career-best .490 (193-394) from the field, including .471 (48-102) through 13 games in January.

F – PASCAL SIAKAM #43

MIN: 35.0 REB: 7.7 AST: 3.4 STL: 0.9 TO: 2.5 BLK: 0.9 PTS: 23.8

• Totaled a team high-tying 24 points, nine rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes Jan. 28 vs. Atlanta. • Ranks 15th in the NBA in scoring (23.8); averaging 27.3 points over the last three games (Jan. 24-28). • Has scored 30+ points 11 times; had five 30-point performances in 80 games played last season.

C – SERGE IBAKA #9


MIN: 26.2 REB: 8.2 AST: 1.3 STL: 0.6 TO: 1.8 BLK: 0.8 PTS: 15.0

• Scored a team-high trying 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench Jan. 28 vs. Atlanta. • Averaging 17.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 31.7 minutes in 14 games as a starter this season. • Has scored in double figures each of the last four games (Jan. 22-28); averaging 16.5 points during this span.

G – KYLE LOWRY #7

MIN: 36.9 REB: 4.6 AST: 7.4 STL: 1.2 TO: 2.8 BLK: 0.4 PTS: 19.8

• Recorded his seventh double-double of the season with 12 points and 11 assists Jan. 28 vs. Atlanta. • Tied for eighth in the NBA in assists per game (7.4); averaging 7.2 assists through 13 games in January. • Has scored 20+ points in 19 games this season; scored 20+ points 15 times in 65 games last season.

G – FRED VANVLEET #23


MIN: 26.2 REB: 8.2 AST: 1.3 STL: 0.6 TO: 1.8 BLK: 0.8 PTS: 15.0

• Finished with 19 points, three assists and one steal in 29 minutes Jan. 28 vs. Atlanta. • Tied for fourth in the NBA in steals per game (1.97); has registered multiple steals in 18 games. • Averaging 19.8 points and is shooting .535 (23-43) from three-point range over the last six games (Jan. 18-28).


INJURY REPORT Marc Gasol (Left hamstring; tightness) – Out Dewan Hernandez (Right ankle; sprain) – Out Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Right ankle sprain) – Out Patrick McCaw (Nose; fracture) – Questionable.

CLEVELAND’S LAST GAME STARTERS


POS NO. PLAYER HT. WT. G GS PPG RPG APG FG% MPG

F 16 CEDI OSMAN 6-7 230 19-20: 48 48 11.0 3.4 2.3 .447 29.1

F 0 KEVIN LOVE 6-8 247 19-20: 41 41 17.4 9.9 2.8 .450 31.1

C 13 TRISTAN THOMPSON 6-9 254 19-20: 46 46 12.2 10.3 2.1 .515 31.2

G 1 DANTÉ EXUM 6-5 214 19-20: 26 1 4.3 1.7 1.1 .465 13.5

G 2 COLLIN SEXTON 6-1 192 19-20: 48 48 19.5 3.3 2.5 .458 32.0

CAVALIERS INJURY REPORT

Brandon Knight (Left Knee; Soreness) – OUT

Dylan Windler (Left Lower Leg; Stress Reaction) – OUT

Ante Zizic (Illness) – OUT

2019-20 GAME RECAPS (Raptors Lead Series 2-0)

CAVALIERS 97, RAPTORS 117 – SCOTIABANK ARENA – TORONTO, ON (12/31/19) – REGULAR SEASON GAME #33

KEY PERFORMERS: Collin Sexton recorded a team-high 22 points on 8-15 (.533) shooting from the field and one steal in 32 minutes…Tristan Thompson notched his 17th double-double of the season with 14 points on 5-6 (.833) shooting and a game-high tying 11 rebounds in 32 minutes of work…Kevin Love also registered a double-double, his 14th of the season, with 10 points, a game-high tying 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 30 minutes…Cedi Osman shot 4-8 (.500) from three-point range and finished with 14 points, four rebounds, four assists and one block in 25 minutes…Darius Garland had 12 points, four assists and one steal in 34 minutes…Kevin Porter Jr. added 13 points, four rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes…For Toronto, Kyle Lowry had game highs of 24 points and eight assists in 36 minutes…Serge Ibaka recorded a double-double with 20 points and a team-high 10 rebounds in 33 minutes.

TURNING POINT: The Raptors closed out the second half on a 20-8 run to go up 59-43 and led by double-digits the rest of the way. CAVS HIGHLIGHTS: Six players scored in double figures for Cleveland…The Cavs knocked down 10 three-pointers, shot 13-16 (.812) from the charity stripe and had 19 second chance points.
DECEMBER 31, 2019 SCORE HI SCORER HI REBOUND HI ASSISTS FG% FT% REB (O-D-T)

CAVALIERS 97-117 SEXTON – 22 LOVE/THOMPSON – 11 OSMAN/PORTER JR. – 4 37-87 (.425) 13-16 (.812) 8-33-41

at Raptors Lowry – 24 Ibaka – 10 Lowry – 8 40-84 (.476) 20-25 (.800) 10-35-45

CAVALIERS 113, RAPTORS 133 – SCOTIABANK ARENA – TORONTO, ON (12/16/19) – REGULAR SEASON GAME #27

KEY PERFORMERS: Collin Sexton posted a team-high 25 points on 10-16 (.625) shooting from the field, five rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes…Darius Garland finished with 20 points on 7-14 (.500) shooting, including 4-8 (.500) from long range, two rebounds, a team-high tying five assists and two steals in 38 minutes…Tristan Thompson tallied 18 points on 9-14 (.643) shooting, a teamhigh eight rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes…Cedi Osman shot 3-6 (.500) from deep and finished with 12 points, two rebounds and one steal in 25 minutes…For Toronto, Pascal Siakam had a game-high 33 points on 13-24 (.542) shooting, including 5-8 (.625) from three-point range, in 36 minutes…Normal Powell tallied 26 points on 11-15 (.733) shooting, including 4-6 (.667) from beyond the arc, six rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes…Kyle Lowry recorded a double-double with 20 points and a game-high 11 assists in 37 minutes.

TURNING POINT: With Toronto leading 16-11 midway through the first quarter, the Raptors increased their lead 35-17 after a 19-6 run and led by seven points or more the rest of the way. CAVS HIGHLIGHTS: The Cavs handed out 30 assists to 11 turnovers and scored 56 points in the paint…Cleveland also knocked down 12 three-pointers.


DECEMBER 16, 2019 SCORE HI SCORER HI REBOUND HI ASSISTS FG% FT% REB (O-D-T)

CAVALIERS 113-133 SEXTON – 25 THOMPSON – 8 GARLAND/HENSON – 5 44-90 (.489) 13-17 (.765) 9-30-39

Raptors Siakam – 33 Anunoby – 9 Lowry – 11 52-89 (.584) 13-17 (.765) 6-35-4

RAPTORS 130, HAWKS 114 — WHAT THEY SAID: “To pass a guy like Jose (Calderon) means a tremendous amount. He was one of the best players in the history, one of the best passers this organization has ever had, and one of the greatest people ever. It means a lot for me to pass him, but to be here and to do it this long and do it for this franchise means the world.” — KYLE LOWRY on becoming the franchise leader in assists.

(12-36) ATLANTA HAWKS, 114 VS. (33-14) TORONTO RAPTORS, 130 SCOTIABANK ARENA TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

TORONTO RAPTORS QUOTES

NICK NURSE (HEAD COACH)

What did you think of Kyle Lowry, and him becoming the franchise all-time assist leader? Well, I thought it was good. I didn’t have any idea of what the heck was going on, and then I thought when he got to number nine or whatever it was to get him there, somebody said something, all-time assists. It’s cool. Been here a long time and he’s put some numbers and kind of things start happening when you are really good player and play you play in the same place for a number of years.

On do you think going up against a marquee young point guard gives Kyle a little bit more of an edge? No, I just think he’s just really enjoys his teammates, and competing and playing. But just isn’t too many times out there when he doesn’t really like show that he loves to play ball, loves the game and all that stuff. That’s all I think it is, he just kind of goes out there. He was having more fun than most guys were tonight out there, which was good.

Do you have an update on Marc (Gasol)? Did OG (Anunoby) get banged up as well? Looked like it, looked like OG hurt his shoulder a little bit there at the end. Marc was nothing, just him getting a little tight as he left the floor. However, we’ll have to wait until we get it checked out.

KYLE LOWRY (12 points, 11 assist, eight rebounds)

On passing Jose Calderon as franchise assist leader… To pass a guy like Jose means a tremendous amount. He was one of the best players in the history, one of the best passers this organization has ever had, and one of the greatest people ever. It means a lot for me to pass him, but to be here and to do it this long and do it for this franchise means the world.

On the bench reaction to reaching the record… I love them so much. My teammates are the reason I’m able to do this stuff. I wouldn’t be here without them. Honestly, I wouldn’t be here without these coaches, the organization, I wouldn’t be here without DeMar (DeRozan). I wouldn’t be here without my friends, guys who have been here before me, Vince (Carter), yeah, I’m just really happy right now.

What did Vince Carter say to you? He’s proud of me. I said I wanted to get the record today while he was here. He didn’t start this franchise, but he put it on the map and I wanted to do it while he was in this building. Me and Vince are close friends and I wanted to do it tonight in front of him and I know he’s happy for me.

On the passing of Kobe Bryant… It’s been tough. Honestly, whenever you turn the news on that’s how you know the man was a world icon. …it’s hard to look at it and it’s just hard to know what his family is possibly going through, and it’s tough. I mean every time you think about it you get sad and it sucks because him being him, but the others lost in that and the young children lost in that. They hadn’t even had a chance to live their life and the biggest thing is his family, his kids won’t be able to say ‘dad, can you pick me up’, that’s the stuff that just hurts me.

FRED VANVLEET (19 points, three assists)

On seeing Kyle Lowry become franchise leader in assists… It’s special, man. I think we all should be in the mood of giving people their flowers while we can and it’s amazing. It’s a fantastic accomplishment for him, his career trajectory and the Raptors history here to not have really that many long tenure guys, for him to still be here, still be kicking, still be playing at a high level is pretty special. So we gave him some crap for it, it took too long for him to get it. He definitely went out of his way to make sure he got it at home, so it’s pretty cool for him and obviously we are all happy for him.

Are kids from this generation now looking at Kyle Lowry like they did with Vince Carter? When you think about Raptors now for young kids, you think probably DeMar (DeRozan) and Kyle for sure and so like I said two – Vince as well – staples of a franchise and this franchise means so much to the game of basketball in Canada as a whole, so they are kind of transcending just the sport and definitely mean a lot to the culture of the game and we should appreciate them for sure.

PASCAL SIAKAM (19 points, three assists)

On Kyle setting franchise assists record… It’s great to be part of moments like that, being number one in assists. I mean the work he’s able to do here and seeing all the struggle and to be able to bring this team to wins and winning the championship, now being the leader in assists is an incredible achievement and I’m happy for him. He’s my brother, someone that took me under his wings since I got here and I just want to show my support and I’m really proud of him.

ATLANTA HAWKS QUOTES

LLOYD PIERCE (HEAD COACH)

On tonight’s game… It’s a tough loss, because it was a very winnable game for us and I think the easy answer is we missed a lot of wide-open shots that we take every night we step out on the court. The reality is, we didn’t change the game defensively and physicality- wise because we weren’t making shots. We let our offence really dictate our energy, our tempo, and our pace and our mood. Whereas, I thought we were in the game. It was 12 or 14 point game for the most of it and we had some clean looks. The opportunity for us defensively to try and get some stops, no pressure on the ball, (and) tried to get back in transition. We could have made this game a little bit different with the defensive intensity and we lacked that early because the shots weren’t falling.

Did the Raptors set a tone with their defence in the first quarter? No. You know, again, we had 28 assists in this game and we were 12-for-47 from three and I think we should have shot 60 3s, and I think we should’ve got to the rim a lot more as a result of closeouts, and being able to attack. We turned the ball over early and we got our shots blocked. At the end of the first quarter, it was six turnovers, I believe, and five blocked shots, nine turnovers at halftime and five blocked shots. That’s a lot in a game where they are giving us a lot of open 3s. I didn’t think they took anything away from us. They were giving us a lot of 3s. We just didn’t have that aggression, that intensity offensively and it affected us because we were looking for shots to go in the basket to give us our mojo and our energy and that’s the frustrating part.

On Kyle Lowry… He’s a valuable player in a non-statistical way. I think a lot of times, at the end of games, you’re always looking at stats and you’re always looking at numbers, and you’re always looking at plus-minus and things like that. You take any player out of the game, and someone is going to fill the stat sheet in some way, some form, somehow. He’s the guy when you take away the stat sheet, you watch the film, it’s the transition play he made on Jeff (Teague) just to get down there and not give up on the play and Jeff misses a layup. Those things don’t show up, but it’s the effort, it’s the will, it’s the winning play mentality that he has. But, you know, the assists – he’s a natural point guard. It’s just part of his longevity and playing here and being a facilitator and a team guy, but it’s the other stuff that’s valuable.

VINCE CARTER (10 points, five rebounds, two assists, two steals)

On Kyle Lowry becoming the franchise all-time leader in assists… He said he was trying to make sure he got it done today. Kyle is a great guy, a great friend, somebody I talk to frequently, and we’re golf buddies, so we play a lot of golf in the summer when we can. All throughout the season we keep in touch and it’s just been a pretty cool relationship. He was the opponent I was darn happy to see.

Have you gotten used to getting a warm reception here now? Yes, it’s a cool feeling, you know, thanks to a lot of people. It’s a great feeling. It really is.

How did the scoring feel at the start? I was just happy to see a few shots go. Just trying to play my game (and) taking what’s there. I hadn’t been shooting the ball very well, so it was more so just having fun and making a dang old shot.

Was there any extra emotion with the ovation you got and the video tribute? No, I was trying to save it all for the next time because I know the next time is the final time. But at the same time, it helps that I missed the first couple seconds, to be honest with you, because like I said, every time you see it, you take a trip down memory lane. Obviously, all the other arenas where I’ve seen old Raptor clips has been cool, but when you see those clips and you’re actually in this building and you recall moments, situations, spots on the floor, how plays evolved, you know. I remember those things and it’s always more special when you’re actually right here in the building.

RAPTORS 130 HAWKS 114 — POSTGAME NOTES: With 11 assists, Kyle Lowry passed Jose Calderon (3,770) as the franchise’s all-time leader in assists … He added 12 points and eight rebounds in 33 minutes. … Lowry is also the franchise leader in 3-point field goals and steals.

FINAL SCORE: TORONTO RAPTORS 130, ATLANTA HAWKS 114
DATE: JANUARY 28, 2020 ATTENDANCE: 19,800 (Sellout)
FINAL SCORE RECORD HIGH POINTS HIGH REBOUNDS HIGH ASSISTS
Atlanta 114 12-36 Collins – 28 Collins – 12 Young – 13
Toronto 130 33-14 Siakam/Ibaka – 24 Ibaka – 10 Lowry – 11


KEY RUN
Toronto led wire-to-wire … Leading 61-53 with 1:56 left in the second quarter, the Raptors scored seven
straight points and led 68-56 at the break … Toronto led by double figures the entire second half.
KEY STAT
With 11 assists, Kyle Lowry passed Jose Calderon (3,770) as the franchise’s all-time leader in assists … He added 12 points and eight rebounds in 33 minutes of action … Lowry is already the franchise leader in 3-point field goals and steals.
RAPTORS NOTES:
• With the win, Toronto improves to 33-14 this season and 17-7 at home … The Raptors have won a season-high eight straight games (Jan. 15-28), including three in a row at home … Toronto is now 10-3 in the month of January … Toronto’s next game is Thursday night at Cleveland.
• The Raptors have won 10 straight games vs. Atlanta, including the first three meetings this season.
• Toronto’s bench outscored the Hawks’ reserves 61-26.
• Serge Ibaka recorded his second consecutive double-double and 14th of the season with team highs of
24 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench.
• The Raptors had six players score double figures – Pascal Siakam (24), Ibaka (24), Fred VanVleet (19), Terence Davis ll (15), Lowry (12) and Marc Gasol (10) … Siakam is averaging 25.3 points in three games vs. Atlanta this season … Gasol (left hamstring tightness) left at the 8:53 mark of the third quarter and did not return.
HAWKS NOTES:
• With the loss, Atlanta falls to 12-36 on the season and 5-20 on the road … The Hawks have dropped two of their last three games (Jan. 24-28) and are now 5-9 in January … Atlanta’s next game is Thursday when they host Philadelphia.
• Vince Carter appeared in his 1,522nd career game tonight, tying him with Dirk Nowitzki for third place in league history in games played … Only Robert Parish (1,611) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,560) have played in more games.
• John Collins posted his 10th double-double of the season with a game highs of 28 points and 12
rebounds in 33 minutes … Collins has scored 20+ points in three of the last four games (Jan. 22-28).
• Trae Young recorded his 17th double-double with 18 points and a game-high 13 assists.
• The Hawks had five players score in double digits – Collins (28), Cam Reddish (18), Young (18), De’Andre Hunter (15) and Carter (10).

HAWKS AT RAPTORS PREGAME NOTES: Toronto has finished with a winning record each of the past 21 calendar months (February 2017 – January 2020). The streak is the longest in franchise history and the longest current streak in the NBA. The last month in which Toronto did not have a winning record was January 2017 (8–9).

RAPTORS NOTES
• The Toronto Raptors host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena. The Raptors have won nine straight games vs. Atlanta, including the first two meetings this season. Toronto has swept the season-series with the Hawks each of the past two seasons. Pascal Siakam is averaging a team-high 26.0 points in two games against the Hawks this season.
• The Raptors have won a season high-tying seven straight games (Jan. 15-26). Toronto also won seven in
a row Nov. 18 – Dec. 1. The Raptors are averaging 119.8 points and shooting .500 (311-for-625) from the field, including .411 (109-for-265) from beyond the arc, over the last seven games. Toronto’s longest win streak in franchise history is 11 games (2X: Feb. 26 – Mar. 16, 2018 and Jan. 1 – 30, 2016).
• Pascal Siakam recorded his 11th 30-point performance of the season scoring a game-high 35 points Jan. 26 at San Antonio. Siakam set a franchise record for points in a quarter with 25 in the first against the Spurs. He shot 9-for-12 from the field, 5-for-7 from 3-point range and made both of his free throws
attempts in the first quarter. The Raptors are 10-1 when Siakam scores 30 or more points in game.
• Kyle Lowry needs nine 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 (1,325) and steals (789). The only NBA players
who are their current franchise’s all-time leader in assists are Houston’s James Harden and Washington’s John Wall (who has not played a game this season). Lowry has recorded 10+ assists 112 times – second most in team history behind only Calderon (141).
• Kyle Lowry is one of two Eastern Conference players, along with Trae Young, averaging 20+ points and 7+ assists this season. Lowry is currently averaging 20.0 points in 35 games; +5.8 ppg from last season (14.2 ppg in 2018-19).
• Pascal Siakam was named a starter for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago. Siakam becomes the seventh player in franchise history to earn an All-Star selection, joining Chris Bosh (five times), Vince Carter (five times), Kyle Lowry (five times), DeMar DeRozan (four times), Antonio Davis and Kawhi Leonard. Siakam’s selection also extends a streak of six consecutive years that a Raptor has been voted into the starting five – Lowry (2015, 2016), DeRozan (2017, 2018) and Leonard (2019).
• With Friday’s win at New York, the Raptors are guaranteed to end the month of January with a winning record. Toronto has now finished with a winning record each of the past 21 calendar months (February 2017 – January 2020). The streak is the longest in franchise history and the longest current streak in the
NBA. The last month in which Toronto did not have a winning record was January 2017 (8–9).


• REMEMBERING KOBE BRYANT: In 16 career games in Toronto, Kobe Bryant averaged 26.6 points … Bryant scored a career-high 81 points Jan. 22, 2006 vs. the Raptors … He made his 18th and final all-star
appearance at Toronto in 2016 … Bryant shot better against the Raptors (.471 from the field) than against any other club … Norman Powell grew up idolizing Bryant and wears number 24 because of him.


PROBABLE STARTERS


G – OG ANUNOBY #3

MIN: 29.3 REB: 5.5 AST: 1.6 STL: 1.1 TO: 1.2 BLK: 0.7 PTS: 10.7


• Totaled 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal in 24 minutes Jan. 26 at San Antonio.
• Toronto is 19-4 this season when Anunoby scores 10 or more points.
• Shooting a career-best .491 (192-391) from the field, including .475 (47-99) through 12 games in January.


F – PASCAL SIAKAM #43

MIN: 35.2 REB: 7.7 AST: 3.5 STL: 0.9 TO: 2.5 BLK: 0.9 PTS: 23.8


• Finished with a game-high 35 points, eight rebounds and three assists in 37 minutes Jan. 26 at San Antonio.
• Ranks 18th in the NBA in scoring (23.8) and 12th in minutes per game (35.2).
• Has scored 30+ points 11 times; had five 30-point performances in 80 games played last season.


C – MARC GASOL #33

MIN: 28.2 REB: 6.6 AST: 3.6 STL: 0.8 TO: 1.3 BLK: 0.9 PTS: 7.7


• Contributed eight points, a game-high 12 rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes Jan. 26 at San Antonio.
• Averaging 12.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in seven games (Jan. 15-26) since returning to the lineup.
• Missed 12 games (Dec. 20 – Jan. 12) due to a left hamstring strain.

G – KYLE LOWRY #7

MIN: 37.0 REB: 4.5 AST: 7.3 STL: 1.2 TO: 2.8 BLK: 0.4 PTS: 20.0


• Recorded 16 points, four assists, four rebounds and one steal in 37 minutes Jan. 26 at San Antonio.
• Ranks 11th in the NBA in assists per game (7.3); averaging 6.9 assists through 12 games in January.
• Has scored 20+ points 19 times this season; scored 20+ points 15 times in 65 games last season.


G – FRED VANVLEET #23

MIN: 36.1 REB: 3.8 AST: 6.8 STL: 2.0 TO: 2.3 BLK: 0.4 PTS: 18.3

• Finished with 13 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals in 40 minutes Jan. 26 at San Antonio.


• Ranks fourth in the NBA in steals per game (2.0); has registered multiple steals in 18 games.
• Averaging 20.0 points and is shooting .556 (20-36) from three-point range over the last five games (Jan. 18-26).



INJURY REPORT


Dewan Hernandez (Right ankle; sprain) – Out
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (Right ankle sprain) – TBD
Patrick McCaw (Nose; fracture) – TBD


TONIGHT’S GAME DETAILS
Opponent: Atlanta Hawks
Date: Tuesday, January 28
Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Scotiabank Arena
Television: TSN
Radio: Sportsnet 590 The FAN


SERIES RECAP VS. ATLANTA
OVERALL HOME ROAD
2019-20 2-0 0-0 2-0
ALL-TIME 46-45 23-21 23-24
STREAKS Won 9 Won 3 Won 6
LAST WIN:
January 20, 2020 (122-117)
LAST HOME WIN:
January 8, 2019 (104-101)
LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY:
+44, December 3, 2016
LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT:
-31, December 2, 2009
LAST TIME VS. ATLANTA
GAME 43 – JANUARY 20, 2020
TORONTO 122, ATLANTA 117
ATLANTA — Norman Powell scored 27 points, including 17 in the final
period, and the Raptors withstood Atlanta’s late charge to beat the Hawks
122-117 on Monday … Trae Young had 42 points and season-high 15
assists for Atlanta … Powell has scored 20 or more points in five straight
games, the longest stretch of his career… Toronto led 112-91 before surviving a late comeback by the Hawks, who pulled within two points at 117-
115 … Fred VanVleet, who had 20 points, sank three free throws with 14.2
seconds remaining after he was fouled by John Collins, pushing the lead
to five … Powell had only 10 points through three quarters before finding
his 3-point range in the final period to lead Toronto’s productive second
unit … The backups were on the floor when Toronto made its comeback in
the third quarter and remained in the game for most of the final period …
Young’s four-point play cut Toronto’s lead to 114-107 with 1:39 remaining
… Collins’ layup reduced the deficit to two points … Powell made three
straight 3s to lead the Raptors’ decisive surge early in the final period …
Powell made 6 of 9 3s … Pascal Siakam scored 18 points.
1 2 3 4 TOT
TORONTO 36 21 26 39 122
ATLANTA 25 35 22 35 117


NEXT GAME DETAILS
Opponent: Cleveland Cavaliers
Date: Thursday, January 30
Tip-Off: 7 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
Television: Sportsnet
Radio: TSN 1050 Toronto
SERIES RECAP VS. CLEVELAND
OVERALL HOME ROAD
2019-20 2-0 2-0 0-0
ALL-TIME 43-49 25-22 18-27
STREAKS Won 2 Won 5 Lost 1
LAST WIN:
December 31, 2019 (117-97)
LAST ROAD WIN:
December 1, 2018 (106-95)
LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY:
+34, January 11, 2018
LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT:
-34, March 4, 1998
LAST TIME VS. CLEVELAND
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


GAME 46 – JANUARY 26, 2020
TORONTO 110, SAN ANTONIO 106
SAN ANTONIO — Pascal Siakam scored 35 points to lead the Raptors
past the Spurs 110-106 on a day when many players’ thoughts were elsewhere … The teams did not contest the opening tipoff … Instead, Toronto
point guard Fred VanVleet held onto the ball for 24 seconds, incurring a
shot-clock violation. San Antonio point guard Dejounte Murray did the
same as the crowd gave a standing ovation and chanted, “Kobe! Kobe!”
… The Raptors raced to a 29-12 lead … The Spurs battled back, outscoring the Raptors 34-23 in the third quarter after trailing by as many as 19
points in the first half … Marc Gasol scored eight straight points, helping
Toronto tie the game at 97 … VanVleet scored the Raptors’ final five
points, including a 3-pointer, to help Toronto win its seventh straight game
… Kyle Lowry had 16 points … Toronto forward Rondae HollisJefferson was assisted off the court and did not return after spraining his
right ankle with 8:02 remaining in the second quarter … Derrick White
had 14 points for San Antonio … DeMar DeRozan was limited to 14 points
on 2-for-7 shooting.
1 2 3 4 TOT
TORONTO 37 26 23 24 110
SAN ANTONIO 21 30 34 21 106

ATLANTA’S LAST GAME STARTERS

POS NO. PLAYER HT. WT. G GS PPG RPG APG SPG BPG MPG FG% 3FG% FT%
F 12 DE’ANDRE HUNTER 6-7 225 46 45 12.2 3.7 1.7 0.7 0.3 30.9 .407 .330 .771
F 20 JOHN COLLINS 6-9 235 21 21 18.7 9.6 1.3 0.7 2.0 30.1 .535 .354 .789
C 24 BRUNO FERNANDO 6-9 240 42 11 4.1 3.4 0.9 0.3 0.4 12.5 .503 .133 .615
G 3 KEVIN HUERTER 6-7 190 36 28 11.5 4.4 3.3 0.9 0.5 28.4 .414 .397 .826
G 11 TRAE YOUNG 6-1 180 42 42 29.5 4.6 8.9 1.2 0.1 35.2 .448 .375 .838

NOTES

On 1/23, Trae Young was announced as a starter for the Eastern Conference in the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. Young led all guards in the East in votes and became the first Hawks player selected to the All-Star Game in his first or second season since John Drew in 1975-76.

• The Hawks recorded their two highest scoring halves of the season (78 – first half, 74 – second half) and set season-highs in points scored, FG%, FTM and FGM on 1/26 vs. Washington. Atlanta knocked down a season-high 29 FTs and recorded 54 FGM on .581 FG% for 152 points. Atlanta reached at least 150 points in regulation for the first time since scoring 155 points on 2/11/70 at San Diego.

• On 1/26 vs. Washington, Trae Young notched his 16th double-double of the season with 45 points (13-24 FGs, 6-11 3FGs), 14 assists, six rebounds and one steal in 39 minutes. Young posted 40+ points for the eighth time this season. Young owns the second-most 40-point games in the NBA this season (James Harden, 16). With six 3FGM, Trae Young became the 13th Atlanta Hawk with 300 career 3FGM (303) and passed Paul Millsap for 12th on the Hawks’ all-time three pointers list. He recorded his 23rd game this season of 30-or-more points, the third-most in the NBA (Harden 29, Antetokounmpo 24). Young also ranks second in the NBA in games of 30 points and 10 assists with 10 such performances (Luka Doncic, 12)

• Since Jan. 1, Trae Young leads the Eastern Conference in assists (118), FTM (104) and points per game (32.3).

• Kevin Huerter posted 18 points (7-11 FGs, 4-7 3FGs) to go along with six rebounds, two assists and two steals in 39 minutes on 1/26 vs. Washington. Huerter passed Craig Ehlo for 18th on the Hawks’ all-time three-pointers list (213 total). Huerter is now two 3FGM shy of tying Marvin Williams for 17th.

• On 1/26 vs. Washington, Bruno Fernando recorded his first career double-double with a career-high 14 points (career-high 7-9 FGs), a careerhigh 12 rebounds, and one block in 19 minutes.

• On 1/26 vs. Washington, Cam Reddish led the Hawks reserves in scoring with 13 points (4-8 FGs), adding two rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes. Reddish has scored in double-figures in 16 contests this season, including five out of his last six.

• Per Basketball Reference, Trae Young’s 29.5 points per game are the most for a second-year player since Bob McAdoo averaged 30.6 points in 1973-74.

• De’Andre Hunter scored 25 points (8-11 FGs, 2-4 3FGs), adding three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 28 minutes on 1/26 vs. Washington. Hunter has recorded at least one steal in six consecutive games (the longest streak of his career) and it is the sixth time this season Hunter has scored 20-or-more.

SIAKAM NAMED EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF WEEK

SIAKAM NAMED EASTERN CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

The National Basketball Association announced Monday that All-Star forward Pascal Siakam has been named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Jan. 20-26. He earns the honour for the third time in his career and the second time this season. Siakam will represent Toronto at the 2020 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago after being selected as a starter for the first time. 

Siakam averaged team highs of 23.5 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting .473 (35-for-74) from the field in four games last week, helping the Raptors tie a season-high with seven consecutive wins. He posted 18 points and 15 rebounds in a key Eastern Conference victory Jan. 22 vs. Philadelphia and finished the week with a team-high 35-point performance Jan. 26 at San Antonio. 

A native of Cameroon, Siakam was selected 27th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft following two seasons at New Mexico State. He was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player during the 2018-19 campaign and the MVP of the 2017 NBA G League Finals.

RAPTORS AT SPURS PREGAME NOTES: Kyle Lowry needs 13 assists to tie Jose Calderon (3,770) as the Raptors’ all-time leader. Lowry is the franchise leader in 3-point field goals (1,324) and steals (788). Lowry has recorded 10+ assists 112 times – second most in team history behind Calderon (141).

RAPTORS NOTES
• The Toronto Raptors finish a two-game road trip (Jan. 24-26) Sunday afternoon against the San Antonio
Spurs at AT&T Center. The Raptors are winless in their last 10 visits to San Antonio. Toronto’s last victory
in San Antonio was Dec. 28, 2007 (83-73). The Spurs rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the Raptors 105-104 in their first meeting earlier this month. Toronto and San Antonio have split the season-series each of the last two seasons.
• The Raptors have won six in a row (Jan. 15-24), one shy of their season high. Toronto won seven straight games Nov. 18 – Dec. 1. The Raptors are averaging 123.2 points and shooting .513 (270-for-526) from the field, including .433 (93-for-215) from beyond the arc, over the last six games.
• Pascal Siakam was named a starter for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago. Siakam becomes the seventh player in franchise history to earn an All-Star selection, joining Chris Bosh (five times), Vince Carter (five times), Kyle Lowry (five times), DeMar DeRozan (four times), Antonio Davis and Kawhi Leonard. Siakam’s selection also extends a streak of six consecutive years that a Raptor has been voted into the starting five – Lowry (2015, 2016), DeRozan (2017, 2018) and Leonard (2019).
• Kyle Lowry needs 13 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 (1,324) and steals (788). Lowry has recorded 10+assists 112 times – second most in team history behind only Calderon (141).
• With Friday’s win at New York, the Raptors are guaranteed to end the month of January (8-3) with a winning record. Toronto has now finished with a winning record each of the past 21 calendar months (February 2017 – January 2020). The streak is the longest in franchise history and the longest current
streak in the NBA. The last month in which Toronto did not have a winning record was January 2017 (8–9).
• Since returning from a left shoulder injury, Norman Powell is averaging 21.7 points in seven games (one start). He is shooting .581 (54-for-93) from the field and 50 per cent (22-for-44) from three-point range during this stretch. Powell has led Toronto’s reserves in scoring in each of the last six games.
• Kyle Lowry paced the Raptors with 26 points in Friday’s victory over the Knicks. Lowry is one of two Eastern Conference players, along with Trae Young, averaging 20+ points and 7+ assists this season. Lowry is
currently averaging 20.1 points in 34 games; +5.9 ppg from last season (14.2 ppg in 2018-19).
• Toronto has won six straight games on the road (Jan. 4-24) – the third longest streak in team history. The franchise record is nine consecutive victories away from Scotiabank Arena (Feb. 11 – Mar. 20, 2018).
• Terence Davis ll currently leads all rookies in plus-minus rating (+233) and ranks third in 3-point shooting percentage (.399). Davis is the only Raptor to appear in every game this season.
• There are five former Raptors on San Antonio’s active roster: Marco Belinelli, DeMarre Carroll, DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay and Jakob Poeltl. DeRozan was selected ninth overall by the Raptors in the 2009 NBA Draft and spent his first nine seasons in Toronto. He is the franchise’s all-time leader in points
(13,296), field goals made (4,716), free throws made (3,539), games played (675) and victories (353).


PROBABLE STARTERS


G – OG ANUNOBY #3

MIN: 29.4 REB: 5.5 AST: 1.6 STL: 1.1 TO: 1.3 BLK: 0.7 PTS: 10.7


• Contributed seven points, two rebounds, one steal and one block in 26 minutes Jan. 24 at New York.
• Toronto is 18-4 this season when Anunoby scores 10 or more points.
• Shooting a career-best .491 (188-383) from the field, including .473 (43-91) through 11 games in January.


F – PASCAL SIAKAM #43

MIN: 35.1 REB: 7.6 AST: 3.5 STL: 1.0 TO: 2.6 BLK: 1.0 PTS: 23.5


• Finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes Jan. 24 at New York.
• Ranks 15th in the NBA in scoring (23.5) and 13th in minutes per game (35.1).
• Has scored 30+ points 10 times; had five 30-point performances in 80 games played last season.


C – MARC GASOL #33

MIN: 27.9 REB: 6.5 AST: 3.5 STL: 0.9 TO: 1.3 BLK: 1.0 PTS: 7.7


• Totaled six points, a team-high nine rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes Jan. 24 at New York.
• Averaging 12.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists in six games (Jan. 15-24) since returning to the lineup.
• Missed 12 games (Dec. 20 – Jan. 12) due to a left hamstring strain.


G – KYLE LOWRY #7

MIN: 37.0 REB: 4.5 AST: 7.4 STL: 1.2 TO: 2.8 BLK: 0.4 PTS: 20.1


• Recorded a game-high 26 points, six rebounds and a season-high four steals in 35 minutes Jan. 24 at New York.
• Ranks ninth in the NBA in assists per game (7.4); averaging 7.2 assists through 11 games in January.
• Has scored 20+ points 19 times this season; scored 20+ points 15 times in 65 games last season.


G – FRED VANVLEET #23

MIN: 36.0 REB: 3.8 AST: 6.8 STL: 1.9 TO: 2.3 BLK: 0.3 PTS: 18.4


• Contributed 16 points and a team-high nine assists in 39 minutes Jan. 24 at New York.
• Ranks fifth in the NBA in steals per game (1.94); has registered multiple steals in 17 games.
• Averaging 21.8 points and is shooting .654 (17-26) from three-point range over the last four games (Jan. 18-24).

INJURY REPORT
Dewan Hernandez (Right ankle; sprain) – Out
Patrick McCaw (Nose; fracture) – Out


TONIGHT’S GAME DETAILS
Opponent: San Antonio Spurs
Date: Sunday, January 26
Tip-Off: 4 p.m. (ET)
Venue: AT&T Center
Television: Sportsnet One
Radio: TSN 1050 Toronto


SERIES RECAP VS. SAN ANTONIO
OVERALL HOME ROAD
2019-20 0-1 0-1 0-0
ALL-TIME 13-34 9-15 4-19
STREAKS Lost 1 Lost 1 Lost 10
LAST WIN:
February 22, 2019 (120-117)
LAST ROAD WIN:
December 28, 2007 (83-73)
LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY:
+33, February 19, 1997
LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT:
-28, January 3, 2017
LAST TIME VS. SAN ANTONIO
GAME 39 – JANUARY 12, 2020
SAN ANTONIO 105, TORONTO 104
TORONTO — DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points, Rudy Gay had 15 and
the San Antonio Spurs rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat the Toronto
Raptors 105-104 … San Antonio used a big fourth quarter to win for the
third time in four games … DeRozan also collected eight rebounds and
four assists while topping 20 points for the 11th straight game … San Antonio trailed 82-69 to begin the fourth but opened the quarter with a 19-5
run, taking an 88-87 lead on LaMarcus Aldridge’s layup with 6:34 to
play … The Spurs led 100-91 with 2:37 left, but Kyle Lowry, Norman Powell and Serge Ibaka each made 3-pointers as Toronto tied it 100-100 on
Ibaka’s shot from distance with 1:17 left … Siakam broke the tie by making
the second of two free throws with 41 seconds left, but Marco Belinelli
replied with a 3 for the Spurs, making it 103-101 with 28 seconds remaining … After a Toronto timeout, Siakam missed a shot that would have tied
the game … San Antonio’s Lonnie Walker IV grabbed the rebound, Lowry
fouled DeRozan, and the former Raptors star pushed the lead to four
points by making a pair from the line … Lowry replied with a deep 3, cutting the deficit to one, and Aldridge missed a pair of free throws with four
seconds left, but Siakam’s long 3-pointer bounced off the backboard at the
buzzer … Ibaka had 21 points and a season-high 15 rebounds for the
Raptors, and Lowry finished with 16 points and a season-high 15 assists.
1 2 3 4 T
SAN ANTONIO 21 22 26 36 105
TORONTO 28 23 31 22 104


NEXT GAME DETAILS
Opponent: Atlanta Hawks
Date: Tuesday, January 28
Tip-Off: 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Scotiabank Arena
Television: TSN
Radio: Sportsnet 590 The FAN


SERIES RECAP VS. ATLANTA
OVERALL HOME ROAD
2019-20 2-0 0-0 2-0
ALL-TIME 46-45 23-21 23-24
STREAKS Won 9 Won 3 Won 6
LAST WIN:
January 20, 2020 (122-117)
LAST HOME WIN:
January 8, 2019 (104-101)
LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY:
+44, December 3, 2016
LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT:
-31, December 2, 2009
LAST TIME VS. ATLANTA
GAME 43 – JANUARY 20, 2020
TORONTO 122, ATLANTA 117
ATLANTA — Norman Powell scored 27 points, including 17 in the final
period, and the Raptors withstood Atlanta’s late charge to beat the Hawks
122-117 on Monday … Trae Young had 42 points and season-high 15
assists for Atlanta … Powell has scored 20 or more points in five straight
games, the longest stretch of his career… Toronto led 112-91 before surviving a late comeback by the Hawks, who pulled within two points at 117-
115 … Fred VanVleet, who had 20 points, sank three free throws with 14.2
seconds remaining after he was fouled by John Collins, pushing the lead
to five … Powell had only 10 points through three quarters before finding
his 3-point range in the final period to lead Toronto’s productive second
unit … The backups were on the floor when Toronto made its comeback in
the third quarter and remained in the game for most of the final period …
Young’s four-point play cut Toronto’s lead to 114-107 with 1:39 remaining
… Collins’ layup reduced the deficit to two points … Powell made three
straight 3s to lead the Raptors’ decisive surge early in the final period …
Powell made 6 of 9 3s … Pascal Siakam scored 18 points.
1 2 3 4 TOT
TORONTO 36 21 26 39 122
ATLANTA 25 35 22 35 117


GAME 45 – JANUARY 24, 2020
TORONTO 118, NEW YORK 112
NEW YORK — Kyle Lowry scored 26 points, Pascal Siakam had 23 and
the Raptors beat the Knicks 118-112 for their sixth straight victory … A
night after being voted to start the NBA All-Star Game, Siakam had two
big baskets down the stretch … He drove for a dunk with 1:09 left and
Toronto leading by only one, then nailed a three-pointer with 21 seconds
remaining after the Knicks had closed within three … Fred VanVleet and
Norman Powell each finished with 16 points for the Raptors, who beat the
Knicks for the eighth straight time … Marcus Morris and Damyean Dotson
each scored 21 points for the Knicks … Julius Randle had 20 points and
11 rebounds … Toronto has won 16 of the last 18 meetings, including four
straight in New York … The Knicks jumped out to a 26-13 lead and were
up by 10 in the second quarter before the Raptors ran off 13 straight
points, with Lowry’s three-pointer making it 43-40 … Toronto led 56-53 at
halftime … Lowry and VanVleet made three-pointers to open the second
half and the lead grew to 67-55 when Siakam converted a three-point play
… The Knicks knocked half of it off by the end of the period and Toronto
took an 85-79 lead to the fourth.
1 2 3 4 TOT
TORONTO 20 36 29 33 118
NEW YORK 28 25 26 33 112


GAME 44 – JANUARY 22, 2020
TORONTO 107, PHILADELPHIA 95
TORONTO — Fred VanVleet scored 22 points while Marc Gasol had 17
points on a perfect shooting night, and the Toronto Raptors beat the Philadelphia 76ers 107-95 for their fifth consecutive win … Six Raptors scored
in double figures … Pascal Siakam had 18 points and 15 rebounds, while
Norman Powell chipped in with 18 points … Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka
finished with 16 each for Toronto, which ended the Sixers’ four-game win
streak … Tobias Harris had 22 points to top the Sixers, who were missing
Joel Embiid … Playing his fifth game back since missing 12 with a hamstring injury, Gasol shot 7-for-7 from the field, and connected on his three
three-point attempts … The Sixers led by as many as 14 points early in
the game and were up by double digits in the third quarter … When Rondae Hollis-Jefferson chucked a rugby pass to VanVleet as he was falling
sideways, VanVleet’s three-pointer gave Toronto a two-point lead … Lowry’s driving layup on Toronto’s next possession capped a 20-6 Raptors run
and sent Toronto into the fourth quarter up 76-72 … Midway through the
fourth, Powell’s layup made it a nine-point Raptors lead … Back-to-back
Sixers baskets briefly sliced the gap to three, but consecutive VanVleet
three-pointers capped a 10-0 Raptors run to put Toronto up by 13 — their
biggest lead of the game — with 1:29 to play … The Raptors lost Patrick
McCaw to a facial contusion early in the second quarter.
1 2 3 4 TOT
PHILADELPHIA 35 15 22 23 95
TORONTO 26 24 26 31 107


LAST GAME’S SAN ANTONIO STARTERS


10 DEMAR DEROZAN G • 6-7 • 220 USC
GP/GS PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3PG% FT% MPG
44/44 22.6 5.6 5.2 1.07 0.27 .536 .286 .843 34.3


2019-20: His 13 straight games with 20-plus points and 3-plus assists while shooting 50% or better from the field is the second longest streak in NBA history (Wilt Chamberlain, 19). Owns the longest streak with 20 points and 50% shooting by a guard in NBA history. Named Western Conference
Player of the Week for games played 1/6 – 1/12. Shooting a career-high 53.6% from the field. Has scored 20+ points in 15 of the last 16 games. Scored a season-high 36 points on 11/18 and 1/10.
Last Game: 30 PTS, 10-15 FG, 10-11 FT, 8 RBS, 4 AST, 1 STL


12 LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE F • 6-11 • 250 TEXAS
GP/GS PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3PG% FT% MPG
42/42 19.3 7.4 2.4 0.62 1.76 .510 .427 .842 33.1


2019-20: Passed Larry Kenon for 8th on the Spurs all-time scoring list. Scored 32 points with a
season-high 14 rebounds for his 11th double-double this season on 1/22. Set a new career-high 5 3-pointers (1/10, 12/28). Shooting a career-high 42.7 3FG%, 14th in the NBA. Has hit a three in 16-straight games, longest streak of his career. Set his new single-season career record with 50 made 3s. Recorded his 8th career game with 40+ points on 12/23. BPG ranks 9th in the NBA.
Last Game: 16 PTS, 6-11 FG, 3-4 FT, 6 RBS, 3 AST, 1 STL, 2 BS


41 TREY LYLES F • 6-10 • 235 KENTUCKY
GP/GS PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3PG% FT% MPG
44/34 4.7 5.8 1.2 0.30 0.34 .405 .330 .682 17.5


2019-20: Recorded a career-high 14 rebounds on 1/2 at Milwaukee and at Golden State on 11/1.
Scored a season-best 17 points and 3 three-pointers with 8 rebounds and 4 assists on 12/23. Matched a season high 3-of-5 3s and tallied 10 points on 11/9. Recorded a single-season career high with eight double-digit rebound games. Averaging a career-best 5.8 RPG.
Last Game: 3 PTS, 1-6 FG, 8 RBS


5 DEJOUNTE MURRAY G • 6-5 • 180 WASHINGTON
GP/GS PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3PG% FT% MPG
40/32 10.1 5.8 4.0 1.65 0.25 .490485 .345 .773 24.0
2019-20: Posted his 11th career double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds on 1/17.
Reached 1,000 career points on 12/14. Has made 19 threes this season, more than his first two seasons combined. Recorded the longest streak with 2+ steals (11) by a Spur since David Robinson (13) in 1992. Dished out a career-high 10 assists and scored 17 points vs. OKC on 11/7. SPG ranks 8th in the NBA. Ranks 15th in rebounds among league guards.
Last Game: 6 PTS, 3-9 FG, 5 RBS, 2 AST


11 BRYN FORBES G • 6-3 • 205 MICHIGAN STATE
GP/GS PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3PG% FT% MPG
44/43 11.3 2.2 1.8 0.50 0.00 .403 .367 .820 25.7
2019-20: Registered the second most three-pointers in a game in franchise history with 8 on
1/20, including the record for most in a single half with 7. Third undrafted Spur to have multiple
seasons with 100+ threes. Second fastest Spur to make 350 career threes. Tied career-high seven
assists on 11/20. Has scored in double figures 25 times
Last Game: 7 PTS, 3-7 FG, 2 RBS, 2 AST 1 STL


2019-20 SPURS RECORDS
OVERALL HOME AWAY OT
EASTERN 9-10 6-3 3-7 0-1
WESTERN 11-14 6-8 5-6 4-0
OVERALL 20-24 12-11 8-13 4-1

Raptors eke one out in Gotham to extend winning streak to six — Toronto Sun

NEW YORK — Another slow start, another few nervy moments down the stretch, but still another win, the sixth in a row for the Raptors as they hung on to beat a game Knicks squad 116-112. Part of it is the quality of the opponent of late (the Raptors are in a rather weak part […]

Raptors eke one out in Gotham to extend winning streak to six — Toronto Sun

RAPTORS NOTES: Another emotional day for a deserving all-star Siakam — Toronto Sun

NEW YORK — It was almost surreal. Read More

RAPTORS NOTES: Another emotional day for a deserving all-star Siakam — Toronto Sun

“I wish that he was here,” Siakam said, his eyes showing the emotion of the moment. “I kind of hate, like, every time there’s a big moment, it feels like there’s something missing. But I know, I know he’s here, I know he’s watching me. I can feel his presence. But I think it would be kind of nice to be able to look him in the face and just tell him, like, ‘You did it. And we did it. And whatever you put your mind into and whatever you’ve worked so hard for is here, and we do it at the highest level.”

RAPTORS 107, 76ERS 95– WHAT THE TEAMS SAID: “It’s Toronto, that’s just the way they are, especially defensively. They get into your body, trying to get you off balance when you’re attacking the rim. They have great hands. They’re always in there with their hands getting deflections and steals.” — BEN SIMMONS

(29-17) PHILADELPHIA 76ERS, 95 VS. (30-14) TORONTO RAPTORS, 107 SCOTIABANK ARENA WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2020

TORONTO RAPTORS QUOTES

NICK NURSE (HEAD COACH)

On the defence helping to establish the pace … Yeah, I think we’re going through a little bit of mid-season things, I think, just a bit. I think this is a couple games where we just don’t quite seem – we just seem to be a half step or a half second slow at the start of a couple of games here lately. I thought they had five totally uncontested threes in the first four minutes …. We did when it mattered, we were really moving and flying and playing physical most of the second half I thought. We just kind of have to play through some of that stuff once and a while, but I am really proud that they dug in and played defence and gave themselves a chance.

On Fred VanVleet’s shooting since he has been back … He is playing good, and I think again the fresh legs thing, we have seen the benefits for just about everybody and he is a really good shooter and let’s hope he keeps up at that pace.

On the team feeding off Serge Ibaka … I think the biggest asset he has is his rim protection and his rebounding. I think it just changes, when he is really aware and there is a drive coming and he is there early, it just changes the whole possession from there on out. Would-be layups turn into high floaters or pull-ups or stopped drives even, and then usually if they throw something up that doesn’t go in, he is the one that is pulling it down as well. I thought he was really solid on offence too. He was patient, he set good screens, he got to the right spots and he made some key buckets. He is really shooting the ball well too, and he has worked really hard on his mechanics as of late. When they come off his hands, he is hitting them right in the middle, a lot of them. So he has put in some good time and he is doing a good job.

On how much easier the offence is when Serge and Marc Gasol are shooting like they are … That’s the tough one when Serge is rolling and the team is kind of rolling and the game has changed and I look and see Marc is sevenfor-seven, what’s he doing sitting over here. I was contemplating going back with both of the bigs, since they were both playing so well, but they were kind of smallish for them, with (Tobias Harris) at the four. That’s a guy that puts it on the deck pretty good and that group was playing too well to mess it with it probably.

NORMAN POWELL (18 points, eight rebounds)

On team’s slow start to games… It was really mainly our defence. I think we were a step slow to start the game – reacting to what they were doing instead of being the ones dictating where they go. Being physical on the defensive end, and we made it a point to put a little more into the game and that’s what we were able to do in the second half.

Do games against teams close on the standings mean more? For me every win means the same to me. We’ve got to get as many wins as we can to get to where we are going for the playoffs. We are trying to set ourselves up for the best possible run, but games like this it’s really a little bit more weight for the outside, what it is being Eastern Conference teams and top teams in the East, so I just think every game is important.

KYLE LOWRY (16 points, four assists)

On the zone changing the game tonight… I think we’ve got to keep Ben (Simmons) out of transition. Once we were able to score and set up, it was good for us. We really communicated in the zone tonight and made sure we knew where everyone was going to go. We just wanted to switch it up and change the flow of the game a little bit and I think that’s what coach wanted to do.

Is the rest he got the reason Marc Gasol has been shooting better? No, we’ve been on him a little bit and I think he’s been on himself to make sure he’s looking for his own shot, but Marc can still play basketball at a high level and he’s proving it.

FRED VANVLEET (22 points, eight assists)

On his success extending his shooting range… I broke my thumb last year and I was out and couldn’t really do much and I was shooting, I was working out and Nurse just kind of mentioned to me why don’t you just, he said he was looking at the numbers on 35 footer uncontested versus toe-to-line contested three, so we had a conversion about it and I started to implement it. He gave me a little freedom to shoot it and I started then and so obviously the Philly series was a chance for me to say okay, if I can’t get my shot off or if I’m getting contested because they do a good job, taking it a step back or a step two back is a viable option for me, especially if I’m going to put the work in to make it a good shot for me.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS QUOTES

BRETT BROWN (HEAD COACH)

How do you characterize tonight’s game being shorthanded? I thought that we competed. There was a physical difference I felt from them to us as the game started to get going in the fourth period. I give them credit, when you play in June there are lessons that you learn that spill over to the regular season and there was physicality to their game that you felt. You know, we got Matisse (Thybulle), Furk (Fukan Korkmaz) ,Shake (Milton) and Norvel (Pelle) and the young guys that are feeling what it’s like to play against an NBA champion. We will come out of this thing I think more realistic of what it really takes to play as deep into the calendar as we hope to.

On what you thought of Shake Milton… The JRich (Josh Richardson) thing hurt, like he went out quick. You knew that you were going to have to make some threes. They’re physical all over the place, they scramble and so we thought that our best opportunity to steal a win on the road without Jo (Joel Embiid) and JRich was going to be to hunt some threes, and spread the thing around and play fast and share the ball. I thought at the start of the game in the first period we did that quite well. We missed some shots in the second period, I give Toronto credit for really sort of amping up their defence, but Shake was a part of that environment that I just said, and I thought played really quite well.

On did you think your guys wore down… This is what I felt: I felt that the athletes and the physicality, and the downhill attack, you felt all of that for the whole game. And then Fred (VanVleet) does what he does in the fourth period and goes bananas on making tough shots, they made a bunch of threes – I think four, I think they had nine free throws. We corralled our turnovers, I think we had nine turnovers in the first half, zero in the third, and then had a few too many in the fourth. But I felt like the physicality, the athleticism was something we felt. That’s a team that won a NBA championship and got used to playing that style, and winning with that style and you have to if you are going to play in June. I felt that side of it more than anything.

BEN SIMMONS (17 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists)

How do you characterize this game? That’s just how we play. Obviously you don’t want to see guys go down, but that gives opportunities to other guys to step up. I think it was a good learning experience for some of the guys, especially against a great team in Toronto who have been to the championship last year and won it. We know that’s the level we have to play at – that physicality – offensively and defensively.

How did you feel about Toronto’s physicality? It’s Toronto, that’s just the way they are, especially defensively. They get into your body, trying to get you off balance when you’re attacking the rim. They have great hands. They’re always in there with their hands getting deflections and steals.

How do you move on from Josh Richardson’s injury? Somebody has to step up. That’s everybody. One guy goes down, everybody has got to step up. Josh is a big part of this team – defensively and offensively – so we’re going to miss him for however long it is, but it’s an opportunity for guys to step up and fill that role.

On Shake Milton stepping up… I think he was great. He got to spots and knocked down shots and got deflections. He stepped up. He did really good.

SHAKE MILTON (nine points, four rebounds, two assists)

What was your experience after having to step in when Josh Richardson went down? Like Ben said, it’s next man up. You don’t really want to see anyone go down with injury, but when your number is called you’ve got to step up, just try to stay locked in and my teammates kept encouraging me, so it wasn’t that hard.

What were your teammates saying to give you some confidence out there? They told me to just get to my spots and knock down shots and play with confidence. Once you get up the floor a couple of times you get into a groove. It’s just like playing basketball again.

How do you stay fresh and confident when you haven’t been playing as frequently? Just making sure I keep up with the plays and everything they’ve got going on offensively and defensively. Staying in the gym and putting in the work and doing my best to stay locked in every single game.

TOBIAS HARRIS (22 points, six rebounds and four assists)

How do you characterize this loss with the injuries to a few key Sixers players? I thought even with guys out we still had a chance to be in this game and get a win. Give them credit, they did a really good job after the first quarter in defending us. We had a great first quarter, but after that they scored too many points in the paint. I think it was 52 points in the paint. That’s too many. They were the more physical team all throughout after the first.

What was it about how they defended you that gave you some trouble? I think they got up into our stuff. Obviously they presented some zone at times that kind of altered our play a little bit. So some things we have to get better at execution-wise, defensively on our part, we let the wrong guys get off and get shots to fall. There are a few things we have to clean up.

Where will you feel the loss of Josh the most? JRich is a great player. Obviously he brings it at both ends of the floor. Like we’ve had all year, it’s the next man up mentality. Whenever it’s presented, come and be ready to go out there. Shake did a great job tonight coming in and staying ready and giving us that lift. It’s just the next man up.

What happened in the Raptors’ 10-0 run over a three minute stretch in the fourth? I think we turned the ball over in that stretch which led to them to get out in transition. That’s when Siakam got the and-one dunk, I believe. On our part we didn’t have good offensive execution. We didn’t get up good shots and the good looks that we needed. It’s something we have to get better at.

RAPTORS 107, 76ERS 95– POSTGAME NOTES: Leading 91-88 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Toronto scored 10 straight points to extend the lead to 13 with 1:29 remaining. Fred VanVleet capped the run for the Raptors with back-to-back 3s.

FINAL SCORE: TORONTO RAPTORS 107, PHILADELPHIA 76ERS 95
DATE: JANUARY 22, 2020 ATTENDANCE: 19,800 (Sellout)
FINAL SCORE RECORD HIGH POINTS HIGH REBOUNDS HIGH ASSISTS
Philadelphia 95 29-17 Harris – 22 Horford/Simmons – 10 Simmons – 8
Toronto 107 30-14 VanVleet – 22 Siakam – 15 VanVleet – 8
KEY RUN
Leading 91-88 with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Toronto scored 10 straight points to extend the lead to 13 with 1:29 remaining … Fred VanVleet capped the run for the Raptors with back-to-back threes.
KEY STAT
The Raptors shot .465 (40-for-86) from the field, including .394 (13-for-33) from three-point range, while holding Philadelphia to .381 (32-for-84) shooting from the floor … Toronto improved to 11-2 this season when
holding their opponent below 40 per cent from the field.
RAPTORS NOTES:
• With the win, Toronto improves to 30-14 this season and 16-7 at home … The Raptors have won five in a row (Jan. 15-22), including their last two at home, and are now 7-3 in the month of January …Toronto’s next game is Friday night at New York.
• The Raptors have won 15 straight regular season games at home vs. Philadelphia … The last time
the Sixers won in Toronto was Nov. 10, 2012.
• The Raptors outscored Philadelphia 52-18 in the paint, including 12-2 in the fourth quarter.
• Fred VanVleet had his third straight 20-point performance (Jan. 18-22) since returning from a right
hamstring injury … He finished with team highs of 22 points and eight assists in 42 minutes …
VanVleet is averaging 23.7 points and has made 14 three-pointers over the last three games.
• Pascal Siakam recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 18 points and a game-high 15 rebounds in 33 minutes of action.
• The Raptors had six players score double figures – VanVleet (22), Siakam (18), Norman Powell (18), Marc Gasol (17), Kyle Lowry (16) and Serge Ibaka (16).
• Patrick McCaw (facial contusion) left at the 11:07 mark of the second quarter and did not return.
SIXERS NOTES:
• With the loss, Philadelphia falls to 29-17 on the season and 9-15 on the road … The defeat ends the Sixers’ four game win streak (Jan. 15-20) … Philadelphia is now 6-4 in the month of January … The Sixers return home to host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.
• Tobias Harris scored nine of his team-high 22 points in the third quarter.
• Ben Simmons recorded his 25th double-double of the season with 17 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in 38 minutes.
• The Sixers had four players score in double digits – Harris (22), Simmons (17), Furkan Korkmaz (17) and Matisse Thybulle (13).

• Josh Richardson (left hamstring strain) left with 8:08 remaining in the first quarter and did not return.