It has only been a week since the Raptors last took the court but it feels like much, much longer. Certainly the all-star break didn’t feel this long even if it was. Read More
Top five Raptors games from this season — Toronto Sun
One of the key requirements of being an NBA agent is spending plenty of in-person time with your clients. Of course, that’s an impossibility these days, with measures in place to try to stem the coronavirus pandemic. Self-quarantining and social distancing are the themes of the moment, so everyone needs to adapt, including in the…
Siakam’s agent Ramasar talks doing the job in age of coronavirus — Toronto Sun
Todd Ramasar said he’s talking to Pascal Siakam and the rest of his clients more frequently in lieu of being able to visit.
“Because, I think more than anything, and this is not just for athletes, you just talk about the effects on mental health. Kind of being in self-isolation,” Ramasar told Postmedia in a phone interview. “Even with family and loved ones, just having your normal routine taken away overnight, it takes its toll on anybody. So, for a lot of my guys, it’s just making sure they’re good,” he said.
Information is constantly arriving as we all go through his odd period and it’s no different for professional athletes. Ramasar says questions have been evolving as more is learned and as more time passes.
“The initial conversations were mainly business. Also their health and safety. But now that we’re a week into this, it’s more like, ‘Are you good. How can we be helpful?’” he said.
“A lot of them are staying (put), can’t go work out at their facilities. So trying to get workout equipment into their homes and talk to their teams. Just making sure that they’re not getting stir-crazy just sitting in their homes. Since there aren’t very many activities for them to do,” Ramasar said.
“There’s literally nothing. You can’t go to the movies, you can’t go shopping. You can’t go out to eat. Everything is from home base. And for these guys, where their internal clock has been on the road traveling (for 41 road outings or more) or going to a game or, you know, interacting with (team) staff and personnel. That camaraderie. And then, overnight, that’s taken away or that shifts. That’s tough,” Ramasar told Postmedia.
It’s also difficult because nobody knows what’s next, or how long it might take before training and games can resume.
“It’s tough to say, I mean I think it’s gonna be challenging the longer this plays out. Because it’s not a matter of logistics,” Ramasar said when asked to opine on when the league will be back. “I think for the NBA to return the season, say, in mid-June, it’s more of a matter that these guys are going to need at least a month to practice and find the rhythm and the chemistry again that they would have lost over that extended period of time. Because, what you don’t want to do is put these high-level athletes back on the floor without practice. To throw them out there in a high-level environment, which would be the playoffs (and potentially the end of the regular season), I think it’ll put them in harm’s way and increase the likelihood of serious injury. And that’s the challenge.”
more….
Siakam’s agent Ramasar talks doing the job in age of coronavirus — Toronto Sun
INJURY REPORT AT 5:30 P.M. MONDAY
Toronto Raptors : Brissett, Oshae Out G League – Two-Way
Gasol, Marc Out Injury/Illness – Left Hamstring; Tightness – Injury management
Hernandez, Dewan Out Injury/Illness – Right Ankle; Sprain
VanVleet, Fred Out Injury/Illness – Left Shoulder; Soreness
Watson, Paul Out G League – Two-Way
Utah Jazz : Brantley, Jarrell Out G League – Two-Way
Morgan, Juwan Available G League – On Assignment
Tucker, Rayjon Available G League – On Assignment
Williams-Goss, Nigel Out Injury/Illness – Left Quad; Contusion
Wright-Foreman, Justin Out G League – Two-Way
RAPTORS NOTES
• The Toronto Raptors complete a five-game Western Conference road trip (Mar. 1-9) Monday night when they visit the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Raptors have won three in a row vs. Utah. With a victory Monday, Toronto would sweep the season-series with the Jazz for the fifth time in the last seven seasons. Since the start of the 2013-14 season, the Raptors are 11-2 against Utah.
• In the first meeting this season (Dec. 1), Pascal Siakam scored 35 points, Fred VanVleet had 21 points and 11 assists, and the Raptors used a record-setting first half to beat the Jazz 130-110. Toronto led 77-37
at the intermission, the biggest halftime lead in franchise history, the biggest in the NBA this season, and tied for the eighth largest in league history. It also marked the biggest halftime deficit in Jazz history.
• Norman Powell scored a game-high 31 points Mar. 8 at Sacramento. Powell has now scored 30+ points in consecutive games (Mar. 5-8) for the first time in his career, including a career-high 37 points Thursday
at Golden State. He is averaging 37.0 points and is shooting .571 (24-42) from the field, including 50 percent (10-20) from three-point range, over the last two games. Three of Powell’s four career 30-point outings have come this season.
• Toronto is currently 9-3 on the road vs. the Western Conference. The Raptors are the only Eastern Conference team to finish with a +.500 record on the road against the west in each of the last five seasons (2015-20). Since the start of the 2015-16 campaign, Toronto is 44-28 (.611) when facing a Western Conference
opponent away from Scotiabank Arena.
• Pascal Siakam is averaging career highs of 23.6 points and 7.5 rebounds through 52 games played this season. Only two players in Raptors history have finished a season averaging at least 23.0 points and 7.0 rebounds: Chris Bosh in 2009–10 (24.0, 10.8) and Kawhi Leonard in 2018–19 (26.6, 7.3).
• OG Anunoby finished 12 points and two rebounds Sunday at Sacramento. Anunoby has now scored in double figures in a career-high six straight games (Feb. 25 – Mar. 8). He is averaging 16.0 points and is
shooting .565 (35-62) from the floor, including 52 per cent (13-25) from three-point distance, during this
span. Anunoby scored a career-best 32 points Mar. 1 at Denver.
• Norman Powell and Kyle Lowry scored 31 and 30 points, respectively, Sunday vs. the Kings. The duo became just the fifth starting backcourt to each score 30 points in a game for Toronto, joining Lowry and DeMar DeRozan (four times), Mike James and Morris Peterson (twice), Vince Carter and Jalen Rose
(once) and DeRozan and Cory Joseph (once). Over the last five games (Feb. 28 – Mar. 8), Lowry and Powell have combined to average 52.4 points.
• The Raptors have not lost games on consecutive days since Dec. 26–27, 2017 (at Dallas and Oklahoma City). Toronto has played 30 pairs of games on back-to-back days since then (not including the current back-to-back set), sweeping both games 12 times and splitting 18 times.
• Toronto’s starting lineup combined for 111 points Sunday against Sacramento. The Raptors starting five shot .544 (37-68) from the field, including .459 (17-37) from beyond the arc.
PROBABLE STARTERS
F – OG ANUNOBY #3
MIN: 30.1 REB: 5.4 AST: 1.6 STL: 1.4 TO: 1.2 BLK: 0.7 PTS: 10.8
• Contributed 12 points, two rebounds and one steal in 39 minutes Mar. 8 at Sacramento.
• Toronto is 25-7 this season when Anunoby scores 10 or more points.
• Shooting .520 (13-for-25) from three-point range over the last six games (Feb. 25 – Mar. 8).
F – PASCAL SIAKAM #43
MIN: 35.5 REB: 7.5 AST: 3.5 STL: 1.0 TO: 2.4 BLK: 0.9 PTS: 23.6
• Finished with 23 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in 38 minutes Mar. 8 at Sacramento.
• Ranks 15th in the NBA in scoring (23.6); averaging 26.0 points against the West Conference this season.
• Has scored 30+ points 15 times; had five 30-point performances in 80 games played last season.
C – SERGE IBAKA #9
MIN: 27.4 REB: 8.2 AST: 1.4 STL: 0.5 TO: 2.0 BLK: 0.9 PTS: 15.8
• Recorded 15 points, a team-high 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks in 36 minutes Mar. 8 at Sacramento.
• Averaging 17.9 points, 9.0 rebounds and 31.3 minutes in 26 games as a starter this season.
• Is the only player in NBA history with 500+ three-point field goals and 1,500+ blocks.
G – NORMAN POWELL #24
MIN: 29.5 REB: 3.7 AST: 1.8 STL: 1.3 TO: 1.5 BLK: 0.4 PTS: 16.8
• Led all scorers with 31 points Mar. 8 at Sacramento; added five assists and two rebounds in 43 minutes.
• Averaging 19.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 33.3 minutes in 22 start this season.
• Has scored 20 or more points in five straight games (Feb. 28 – Mar. 8); averaging 28.0 points during this stretch.
G – KYLE LOWRY #7
MIN: 36.4 REB: 4.8 AST: 7.7 STL: 1.3 TO: 3.0 BLK: 0.4 PTS: 19.7
• Totaled 30 points, a game-high eight assists, five rebounds and three steals in 36 minutes Mar. 8 at Sacramento.
• Ranks seventh in the NBA in assists per game (7.7); has dished out 10+ assists 14 times.
• Has scored 20+ points in four of the last five games (Feb. 28 – Mar. 8); averaging 24.4 points during this span.
TONIGHT’S GAME DETAILS Opponent: Utah Jazz Date: Monday, March 9 Tip-Off: 9 p.m. (ET) Venue: Vivint Smart Home Arena Television: TSN Radio: Sportsnet 590 The FAN
SERIES RECAP VS. UTAH
OVERALL HOME ROAD 2019-20 1-0 1-0 0-0 ALL-TIME 19-27 10-13 9-14 STREAKS Won 3 Won 2 Won 3
LAST WIN: December 1, 2019 (130-110)
LAST ROAD WIN: November 5, 2018 (124-111)
LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY: +24, November 9, 2013
LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT: -32, December 7, 2012
LAST TIME VS. UTAH
GAME 19 – DECEMBER 1, 2019 TORONTO 130, UTAH 110
TORONTO — The Utah Jazz scored nine points in the first four minutes of the game … The Toronto Raptors scored 72 points over the next 20 … Pascal Siakam had 35 points, Fred VanVleet had 21 points and 11 assists, and the Raptors beat the Utah Jazz 130-110 with an historic first half … The Raptors led 77-37 through two quarters — the biggest halftime lead in Raptors history, and the largest in the league this season … It’s also tied for the eighth biggest halftime lead in NBA history, and the largest deficit at the break ever for Utah … The Raptors stretched their season-high winning streak to seven games … Norman Powell scored 15 points, Serge Ibaka had 13 in his first game since missing 10 with an ankle injury, Terence Davis had 13, Marc Gasol scored all 11 of his points in the first quarter, and OG Anunoby and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 10 apiece … Mike Conley had 20 points to lead Utah … Toronto took off on a 23-2 run in the first quarter … Utah found its form in the third quarter, shooting 60 per cent and paring Toronto’s lead briefly to 16 … Toronto held Utah to 5-for-25 shooting in the second quarter … The Jazz hit 16 of their first 19 shots in the third … Utah outscored Toronto 49-30 in third, and Toronto took a 107-86 advantage into the fourth.
1 2 3 4 TOT
UTAH 20 17 49 24 110
TORONTO 37 40 30 23 130
UTAH LAST GAME’S STARTERS (19-20 Averages)
44 BOJAN BOGDANOVIĆ F • 6-8 • 226 • Croatia PPG • 20.5 RPG • 4.2 APG • 2.1 • Posted career-highs in points (18.0), rebounds (4.1), assists (2.0), steals (0.9), field goal percentage (.497) and 3-point percentage (.425) last season with the Indiana Pacers • Ranked 38th in field goal percentage and 10th in 3-point percentage in the league last year
23 ROYCE O’NEALE F • 6-4 • 222 • Baylor PPG • 6.1 RPG • 5.3 APG • 2.6 • Has played internationally in Spain and Germany • Was born in Harker Heights, Texas • Third on the team in field goal percentage in 2018-19 (.475) (min. 200 attempts)
27 RUDY GOBERT C • 7-1 • 258 • Cholet Basket PPG • 15.2 RPG • 13.9 BPG • 2.0 • Two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2018, 2019) • 2016-17 All-NBA Second Team and 2018-19 All-NBA Third Team • First player since Wilt Chamberlain (1966-67) to total over 1,200 points on better than 65 percent shooting and 1,000 rebounds in a single season (2018-19)
45 DONOVAN MITCHELL G • 6-1 • 220 • Louisville PPG • 24.4 RPG • 4.4 APG • 4.3 • Led all NBA sophomores in scoring in 2018-19 (23.8 ppg) • Two-time Western Conference Player of the Week (1/6-1/13 & 2/25-3/3) • Tied career-high scoring 46 points against New Orleans on 1/16/20
10 MIKE CONLEY G • 6-0 • 180 • Ohio State PPG • 13.9 RPG • 3.2 APG • 4.3 • Currently one of only 10 active players to have totaled over 11,000 points, 4,500 assists, 2,000 rebounds and 1,000 steals. • Named to the 2012-13 All-NBA Defensive Second Team. • Named 2019 Twyman-Stokes teammate of the year.
2019.
NOTES
DONOVAN FROM DEEP Donovan Mitchell has now made 528 three-point field goals in his career. He is fourth all time in the NBA in three pointers made in the first three seasons of his career, trailing Buddy Hield (602), Damian Lillard (599) and Klay Thompson (545).
BOGEY’S EFFICIENCY Bojan Bogdanović is currently one of two players in the NBA averaging over 20 points per game while shooting at least 40 percent from the field and 90 percent from the free throw line, joining the Bucks Khris Middleton.
ROAD DOMINANCE The Jazz this season have put together two road winning streaks of at least six games, the first coming 12/28/19 through 1/14/20 (six games), and the second being the current road win streak beginning on 2/9/20 (currently at six games). Per the Elias Sports Bureau, it’s the first time the Jazz have put together two separate road winning streaks of at least six games since the 1994-1995 season.
LAST 5 PLAYERS TO TOTAL 4,500+ PTS, 800+ REBS AND 800+ ASTS WITHIN THEIR FIRST 200 NBA GAMES # PLAYER GP PTS REBS ASTS 1 Donovan Mitchell 200 4,530 802 800 2 LeBron James 200 5,097 1,298 1,299 3 Dwyane Wade 200 4,564 1,005 1,212 4 Allen Iverson 200 4,699 827 1,272 5 Michael Jordan 200 6,351 1,120 1,030
FASTEST ACTIVE PLAYERS TO 1,000 BLOCKS Rank Player Games 1 Serge Ibaka 383 2 Anthony Davis 414 3 Rudy Gobert 462
MOST 20+ PT GAMES THROUGH FIRST 200 GAMES WITH JAZZ # PLAYER GP # 1 Donovan Mitchell 200 134 2 Darrell Griffith 200 121 3 Karl Malone 200 102 4 Deron Williams 200 49 5 Rodney Hood 200 33
MOST 30+ PT GAMES THROUGH FIRST 200 GAMES WITH JAZZ # PLAYER GP # 1 Donovan Mitchell 200 36 2 Darrell Griffith 200 26 3 Karl Malone 200 21 4 Deron Williams 200 7 5 Carlos Boozer 200 3
MOST PTS THROUGH FIRST 200 GAMES WITH JAZZ # PLAYER GP PTS 1 Donovan Mitchell 200 4,530 2 Darrell Griffith 200 4,172 3 Karl Malone 200 3,930 4 Deron Williams 200 2,939 5 Rodney Hood 200 2,518
THREE-POINTERS MADE IN FIRST THREE SEASONS # PLAYER 3PM 1 Buddy Hield 602 2 Damian Lillard 599 3 Klay Thompson 545 4 Donovan Mitchell 528 5 Kyle Korver 491
RUDY’S ALL-AROUND GAME Rudy Gobert is currently the only player in the NBA to be averaging a point-rebound double-double while also shooting greater than 65 percent from the field.
JAZZ JUMP SHOTS The Utah Jazz lead the NBA in three-point percentage (tied with Miami), shooting 38.3 percent from deep this season. The Jazz are also third in the NBA in field goal percentage at 47.6 percent.
46 FOR 45 On 1/16/20 against the New Orleans Pelicans, Donovan Mitchell poured in 46 points on 16 made field goals, including seven three-pointers. The 46 points ties a career-high for Mitchell, which he also scored last season against Milwaukee on 3/2/19.
BEATING THE BUZZER On 2/10 against the Houston, Bojan Bogdanovic buried a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Jazz a 114-113 win over Houston. There have been four buzzer beaters this season, with Bogdanovic hitting two of them. Bojan also helped Jazz defeated the Milwaukee Bucks on 11/8 thanks to a heroic three-pointer at the buzzer, giving him 33 points on the evening.
SUPER SECOND ROUNDER Bojan Bogdanović is currently posting 20.5 points per contest, which makes him tied for the second leading scorer in the league for all active players drafted in the second round just behind Spencer Dinwiddie (20.7).
COLORADO CLARKSON On 1/30/20 against the Denver Nuggets, Jordan Clarkson scored made 13 field goals, including seven made three-pointers, on his way to 37 points. This was a season high in scoring for Clarkson and the second highest scoring game off the bench in the NBA this year, trailing only a 42-point effort from Buddy Hield.
4K MITCHELL After putting in 22 points against Memphis on 12/7, Donovan Mitchell eclipsed the 4,000-point mark in his 179th career game. He becomes just the fourth Jazzman to record at least 4,000 points in less than 200 games, joining Adrian Dantley (135 games), Pete Maravich (165 games) and Darrell Griffith (194 games).
RESILIENT JAZZ By completing a comeback victory over the Wizards on 2/28, the Jazz recorded their 14th win of the season after trailing at halftime. This is the second most wins when trailing at half this year behind only the Denver Nuggets (16).
BIG MAN BUCKETS Rudy Gobert is second the NBA in field goal percentage this season, shooting 70.1 percent from the field. This mark is the highest shooting percentage of Gobert’s career.
30-POINT DUO During the 109-102 win against the Orlando Magic on 12/17, Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanović became the first Jazz duo to each tally 30-point games in a single contest since Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams did so against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 28, 2008.
FRENCHMEN CAN DUNK Rudy Gobert leads the NBA in dunks this season with 205. Giannis Antetokounmpo (174), Mitchell Robinson (172), Jarrett Allen (160) and Anthony Davis (142) round out the top five in dunks.
2019-20 NBA THREE POINT PERCENTAGE LEADERS # TEAM % T-1 Utah Jazz 0.383 T-1 Miami Heat 0.383 3 New Orleans Pelicans 0.373 T-4 Washington Wizards 0.371 T-4 Toronto Raptors 0.371
2ND ROUNDERS PPG PLAYER PPG 1 Khris Middleton 20.7 T-2 Spencer Dinwiddie 20.5 T-2 Bojan Bogdanovic 20.5 T-2 Nikola Jokic 20.5
FASTEST JAZZMEN TO 4,000 POINTS PLAYER GP 1 Adrian Dantley 135 2 Pete Maravich 165 3 Donovan Mitchell 179 4 Darrell Griffith 194
2019-20 NBA FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE PLAYER FG% 1 Mitchell Robinson 0.734 2 Rudy Gobert 0.701 3 Jarrett Allen 0.645 4 Clint Capela 0.629 5 Brandon Clarke 0.623
2019-20 NBA DUNK LEADERS PLAYER DUNKS 1 Rudy Gobert 205 2 Giannis Antetokounmpo 174 3 Mitchell Robinson 172 4 Jarrett Allen 160 5
SACRAMENTO — It should be Saturday at the latest that Nick Nurse will have his full complement of players at his disposal.
Health means options which means decisions for Nurse … Remember Dewan Hernandez? … The Kawhi myth — Toronto Sun
SACRAMENTO — It should be Saturday at the latest that Nick Nurse will have his full complement of players at his disposal.
Then it’s an entirely different form of tough for the head coach.
Rather than filling in the gaps, Nurse will be looking to juggle as many as seven deserving starters while trying to keep everyone happy.
Marc Gasol returned to the lineup Sunday after a 15 game-absence that combined with an earlier injury to the same left hamstring has seen him play just 36 of the 63 games so far this season.
Fred VanVleet, who was questionable coming into the Sacramento game will sit out at least one more and probably a second in Utah before making his return on Saturday once the team gets back home.
“I think we probably (give him the extra time) but we’ll see what happens here tonight,” Nurse said of VanVleet’s return date before the game in Sacramento. “He’s really close so he’ll certainly be in once we get back home but we’ll see what happens tonight with everyone.”
The thinking is that with four full days off between Monday’s game in Utah and Saturday’s at home against Detroit, the prudent decision would be to give the guy with the sore shoulder the extra time off rather than bring him back for one.
With Gasol back and Serge Ibaka playing at a very high level, the decision was made to bring Gasol off the bench for Monday’s game but to hear Nurse tell it that decision and a few more are going to be revisited very soon.
Read More
Health means options which means decisions for Nurse … Remember Dewan Hernandez? … The Kawhi myth — Toronto Sun
SAN FRANCISCO — What a fun era this We the North period has been. As I noted on Twitter: Read More
WOZ BLOG: We’re living in an excellent era for the Raptors — Toronto Sun
SAN FRANCISCO — What a fun era this We the North period has been. As I noted on Twitter:
Toronto Raptors past seven seasons: Seven playoff appearances, 1 title, 2 conference finals. Eight series wins.
Toronto Raptors first 18 seasons: Five playoff appearances, one series win (a best-of-five).
It’s amazing, when you think about just how brutal things were for so long, how everything has changed. Now the Raptors are one of the most respected, successful and profit-making franchises in the entire NBA.
More….
SAN FRANCISCO — There was no championship on the line and the game wasn’t held in Oakland, but there was still some deja vu for the Raptors on Thursday night. Read More
Powell’s career night leads Raptors and spoils Curry’s Warriors return — Toronto Sun
SAN FRANCISCO — There was no championship on the line and the game wasn’t held in Oakland, but there was still some deja vu for the Raptors on Thursday night.
Just like last June, Toronto bested Golden State, spoiling the return of superstar guard Stephen Curry following a 58-game absence.
The Warriors fought hard, but were outlasted by the visitors 121-113.
Toronto clinched its seventh straight playoff appearance after making the post-season only five times in its first 18 seasons.
Norman Powell led the way with a career-high 37 points, Kyle Lowry added 26 and Serge Ibaka returned from a three-game absence and had 13 points and 13 rebounds. The Warriors missed two clutch free throws late and couldn’t connect from three twice after grabbing offensive rebounds, allowing the Raptors to pick up the victory. Curry scored 23 and added seven assists and seven rebounds in an impressive, rust-free performance.
The buzz was back in the Bay — Warriors head coach Steve Kerr joked pre-game about how many more media members had suddenly appeared, jumping on the bandwagon now that Curry was healthy. But the team was without Draymond Green and Kevon Looney, robbing the defence of any resistance, especially at the rim, while all-star guard Klay Thompson won’t play this season after tearing his ACL during the NBA Finals against Toronto. The Raptors weren’t whole either, though Ibaka played. Fred VanVleet and Marc Gasol were both not quite ready, but are close.
Curry looked as good as ever. He connected on a four-point play in the third quarter, buried three-pointers from all over the floor and made some clever passes against an opponent he always beats up on. Only Allen Iverson has averaged more points per game against the Raptors. His new sidekick Andrew Wiggins sparkled in the fourth quarter, finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds.
IN JURY REPORT 8:30 P.M. THURSDAY
Golden State Warriors Bowman, Ky Out Injury/Illness – Right Ankle; Sprain
Green, Draymond Out Injury/Illness – Left Knee; Soreness
Looney, Kevon Out Injury/Illness – Left Hip; Soreness
Smailagic, Alen Out Injury/Illness – Right Quadriceps; Contusion
Thompson, Klay Out Injury/Illness – Left Acl; Rehabilitation
Toronto Raptors Brissett, Oshae Out G League – Two-Way
Gasol, Marc Doubtful Injury/Illness – Left Hamstring; Tightness
Hernandez, Dewan Out Injury/Illness – Right Ankle; Sprain
Ibaka, Serge Probable Injury/Illness – Right Knee; Soreness
VanVleet, Fred Doubtful Injury/Illness – Left Shoulder; Soreness
Watson, Paul Out G League – Two-Way
INJURY REPORT 5:30 P.M. THURSDAY
Golden State Warriors Bowman, Ky Out Injury/Illness – Right Ankle; Sprain
Game Date Game Time Matchup Team Player Name Current Status Reason
Green, Draymond Questionable Injury/Illness – Left Knee; Soreness
Looney, Kevon Out Injury/Illness – Left Hip; Soreness
Smailagic, Alen Out Injury/Illness – Right Quadriceps; Contusion
Thompson, Klay Out Injury/Illness – Left Acl; Rehabilitation
Toronto Raptors Brissett, Oshae Out G League – Two-Way
Gasol, Marc Questionable Injury/Illness – Left Hamstring; Tightness
Hernandez, Dewan Out Injury/Illness – Right Ankle; Sprain
Ibaka, Serge Questionable Injury/Illness – Right Knee; Soreness
VanVleet, Fred Questionable Injury/Illness – Left Shoulder; Soreness
Watson, Paul Out G League – Two-Way
Stephen Curry will return to the Golden State Warriors lineup Thursday night against the NBA champion Toronto Raptors — a rematch of last season’s final — and he expects to be limited to between 24-28 minutes
He has missed 58 games since suffering a broken bone in his left hand against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 30. The hand required two surgeries.
“It feels like the first day of school all over again, which is exciting,” Curry told reporters in San Francisco at the Warriors shootaround.said. “I feel pretty comfortable and pretty confident with where I’m at physically. I’m excited to get back out there.”
The anticipation ahead of Curry’s return is palpable. After shootaround at the Chase Center.
Meanwhile, the Raptors listed three players as questionable for the game — Marc Gasol (hamstring), Serge Ibaka (knee) and Fred VanVleet (shoulder). Gasol has missed 14 games and Ibaka and VanVleet three each. Ibaka and VanVleet indicated before Tuesday’s win over the Phoenix Suns that they hoped to play Thursday, the third of a five-game Western Conference road trip.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he intends to play Curry in in five- or six-minute bursts while keeping his minute total about 25 on Thursday.
Curry will be trying to end a career-long losing streak at home. When the Warriors lost to the Suns on Oct. 30 after Curry left with a broken hand, it marked the fifth straight loss at home for the Warriors with Curry was in the lineup. The previous worst had been four consecutive losses with the All-Star guard in the lineup.
Curry and the Warriors dropped three consecutive home games at Oracle in the NBA Finals against the Raptors in June, including a 114-110 defeat in Toronto’s title-clinching Game 6 win on June 13. And then the Warriors dropped both of their games at Chase Center with Curry playing in October.
Both teams are coming off victories on Tuesday. The Warriors startled the Nuggets 116-100 at Denver for only their 14th win this season. Toronto won 123-114 at Phoenix.
According to STATS:
PHOENIX — Pascal Siakam was named an honourable mention for February’s East player of the month on Tuesday, but that’s old news already. More important, at least for Siakam and the Toronto Raptors ahead of Tuesday’s game against Phoenix, were the all-star starter’s recent struggles and what he was going to do about them. Well, […]
Siakam busts out of slump in Phoenix — Toronto Sun
DENVER — The Nuggets are a very good, deep and healthy team. Toronto is a very good, deep and not so healthy team that was playing at altitude without much time to acclimate. Maybe what happened on Sunday should have been expected? OK, maybe not the Denver hitting its first seven three-pointers part, but the […]
Woz Blog: Raptors shouldn’t worry about Siakam yet — Toronto Sun
DENVER — The Nuggets are a very good, deep and healthy team. Toronto is a very good, deep and not so healthy team that was playing at altitude without much time to acclimate. Maybe what happened on Sunday should have been expected? OK, maybe not the Denver hitting its first seven three-pointers part, but the Nuggets piling up the points and pulling away in the fourth against a tired, undermanned group.
Will have a lot more on Pascal Siakam’s struggles on Tuesday. For now, we’ll leave it at that was one of his worst games of the season. He missed 15 shots, the fifth-most in a game this season by Siakam. The Raptors recognize what is wrong and understand that without Fred VanVleet, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka, life is going to be a lot harder for Siakam. Now’s not the time to worry about him.
OG Anunoby had an unbelievable game, showing why the Raptors organization has been so high on him. There are flashes of brilliance from time-to-time on offence — most noticeably in this one, which saw Anunoby score 31 points off a mixture of three-pointers, dunks off of steals and cuts to the hoop. The defence is pretty much always there and can be game-changing.
DENVER — A short-handed group of Raptors, powered by a career game from OG Anunoby, scratched and clawed against a Western Conference powerhouse, but couldn’t quite seal the deal to start a tough trip on Sunday night. Toronto fell 133-118 in a wire-to-wire loss that was closer than the final score indicated. Anunoby had seven […]
Siakam struggles, Murray and Jokic shine as Nuggets beat undersized Raptors — Toronto Sun.
DENVER — A short-handed group of Raptors, powered by a career game from OG Anunoby, scratched and clawed against a Western Conference powerhouse, but couldn’t quite seal the deal to start a tough trip on Sunday night.
Toronto fell 133-118 in a wire-to-wire loss that was closer than the final score indicated.
Anunoby had seven steals — tied for the most by any NBA player this season — plus a career-high 32 points to lead Toronto in an eye-opening performance against No. 2 seed Denver, but without top two centres Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka, all-star Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic feasted, finishing with a 23-point, 17-rebound, 10-assist triple-double. Jamal Murray of Kitchener, Ont., got off to an incredible start for the Nuggets, connecting on all five of his first quarter three-point attempts for a quick 17 points to finish with 22. Denver hit its first nine treys of the night, yet never ran away with a game it simply had to have since it came on the heels of a brutal loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, after which the team had been called out by head coach Michael Malone.
“Obviously they were challenged to come in and be ready to go and they certainly were,” said Raptors head coach Nick Nurse.
And without so many key players, particularly up front, Toronto just couldn’t match up with one of the NBA’s best — and deepest — squads.
“I just think it seems like it catches up with you just a little bit here and there and that’s kind of just the difference in the game. Like, there’s a put-back here and put-back there and just some pretty easy offence when (Jokic) just goes down and parks in front of the rim and they throw it into him,” Nurse said. “There’s not much we can do because of the sheer size and strength of it.”
Still, a humble Jokic credited Toronto’s efforts and scheming.
“Their bigs did a good job being aggressive. They were pressuring the ball, they were pressuring every screen, it was really tough to get through. They were really aggressive, but I think we did a really good job of cutting, finding our open shots,” Jokic said. “They were collapsing in the paint a lot. They were giving up a lot of threes attempts. I think they are second in (the NBA) in defending those, but we made a lot of good shots and that’s why we won the game.”
The sublime Jokic and the explosive Murray playing like one of the league’s best combos was expected — that happens far more often than not — but all-star starter Pascal Siakam turning in one of his worst games of the season (15 missed shots, including 6-of-7 three-point attempts) was not. Jerami Grant completely outplayed a frustrated Siakam and puncutated his 16 point, six-assist night with a monster one-handed dunk against fill-in Toronto centre Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who played a tough game despite being undersized, particularly against Jokic.
“A little out of rhythm,” was how Nurse described Siakam’s game. “It looked like he was on his way to driving and he’d pull up mid-way and not get a very good look up or whatever. Just didn’t quite get (there). His three-balls were pretty clean looks, most of those, and those weren’t really falling and most of his drives just were not quite the rhythm of getting by or getting to a spot and getting on balance and things like that. He had a tough night there.”
Siakam concurred: “I gotta play better. As (a) leader of the team, you gotta play better, you can’t have games like that and I feel like it’s been too many of those. I’m not playing well, obviously. I’m missing a lot of shots, easy stuff, you know, shots I usually make you. I can’t afford to not make those shots and especially when I get in front of the rim, you know, I’ve gotta be able to finish that. Yeah, I’ve gotta play better.”
While Denver was missing former all-star power forward Paul Millsap, Toronto’s injury list continues to dwarf that of most opponents. Fred VanVleet and Ibaka missed their second straight games, while Gasol was out yet again due to his hamstring issue.
The good news was Gasol worked up a sweat in a pre-game warm-up and could be able to go through a practice as soon as tomorrow in Phoenix, while VanVleet (shoulder) and Ibaka (knee) were in good spirits in the dressing room before the game.
“I think all of them are getting some work in, they’re just not ready for game activity,” Nurse said. “So we’ll just keep moving forward and hopefully at some point on this trip we’ll get one, two or three of them back.”
VanVleet said he hurt his shoulder when Giannis Antetokounmpo caught him on a screen in a recent game. VanVleet joked that given their foot or so height difference, Antetokounmpo probably caught him with his hip or something sturdy like that.
Toronto’s final West Coast trio of the year continues against the Suns on Tuesday, before a Finals rematch in Golden State’s new San Francisco arena on Thursday.
Anunoby became the first Raptor to notch at least six steals in consecutive games and the first to score at least 30 in a six steal outing, but it wasn’t enough.
“We hit first,” Murray said. “I think we were aggressive on defence too and we were at home so we had an advantage. But they pushed the pace and made it a fun game … They did a box-and-one, but that doesn’t change how we play. Still got some great looks and we ran away with it. If they’re going to do that, Joker’s going to be passing the ball 4-on-4, I mean, that’s even better.”
Denver led 73-69 at the half, with little defence played by either side, and 100-96 after three, before turning it on in the fourth, both early, with its reserves, and later with its starters.
Norman Powell had 24 points for Toronto in his second game back from his own injury.
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Early shooting struggles doom Raptors in tough loss to Hornets — Toronto Sun
(21-38) CHARLOTTE HORNETS, 99 VS. (42-17) TORONTO RAPTORS, 96 SCOTIABANK ARENA FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2020
TORONTO RAPTORS QUOTES
NICK NURSE (HEAD COACH)
How did the shooting woes tonight impact the game? We put ourselves in a position to win; we sure did. We did put ourselves in a position to win, even though we didn’t shoot it very well, we were dominating the fourth quarter. We had our chances.
How did you see that last play? I didn’t see it. I didn’t see it. I was looking at something else.
What do you think of the team’s play with several players missing? It was difficult. The glass was hard. They were pounding us pretty hard on the glass. I thought, again, the big thing when you’re shifting around a lot is it’s going to look disjointed at times and it did. I thought we found some chemistry. I always say it will grow during the game even though it’s only one game. It will grow it a little bit. I thought we found some things and they made some big shots down the stretch. We bottled them up really well and they threw some deep ones and the ball sure bounced their way. We made some really good defensive plays that didn’t turn out very good for us.
Did you plan to play Norman that much? I didn’t think those guys on the bench were what they needed to be tonight. It was hard. There was nothing from Terence and Matt. Chris had a good second stint. It was hard. I ran a lot of those guys a lot of minutes. I would’ve liked to have balanced that out a little bit, but I didn’t feel like we could. I just didn’t think we could.
What did you think of Norman’s play? Yeah, I thought he was good. I think it was tough for him. I think the conditioning probably was tough, but he played great, I thought. He looked pretty good out there.
How hard was it to overcome the lack of size on the boards? It was problematic for a while. It felt like we were giving up some offensive rebounds, but I’m not so sure we didn’t do a pretty good job. They were hard to get. Every defensive rebound we got was like a battle down there. I think we did a pretty good job. We got most of them. We did give up some; it just looked like a challenge. It probably wears on you a little bit when you’re having to work that hard just to keep all those guys living in the paint off the glass a little bit.
PASCAL SIAKAM (24 points, nine rebounds and four assists)
On a tough night offensively… Obviously I was missing everything; layups, free throws, I mean something was going on, threes. At the same time we put ourselves in a position to be in the game and gave ourselves an opportunity to win.
Were you happy with the looks you were getting? Yeah, I think we had pretty good looks. I think in the second half we got a little better. At the same time, we couldn’t get in rhythm. It’s hard to play like that. Our defence was pretty good. We got stops. We shot a lot of free throws. I think overall, when shots are not falling we have to find other ways. We did a decent job of staying in the game and having an opportunity to win.
Did you decide in the second half to work the basket? I had to do something. It’s not like I shot a lot of threes. I think I shot five threes. I was just missing a lot of layups. I was just like, “I’m just going to keep driving. Whatever happens, happens.” Obviously, we missed a lot of free throws. I’m not happy about that. At the same time, it was one of those games and you’ve got to continue to find ways to impact the game. Find ways to continue to play. It happens. It’s just one of those games. We have to continue to get better. We know that. We just flush this one out. We try to go out in the next one and play better.
KYLE LOWRY (21 points, six assists, six rebounds)
Was it a matter of shots not falling tonight? We had great looks. It’s two games in a row we’ve struggled shooting. We were minus Freddie tonight, minus Serge tonight and again without Marc. Norm gave us a big boost coming in. Pascal missed a couple. We have to be a little bit better offensively, but I think we got great shots. We just missed a lot. In the last two games we’ve missed a lot of shots.
Did the lack of size hurt on the board tonight? I think we need our bigs there. I think Rondae did a great job of trying to battle. We just didn’t have the complete effort tonight.
On losing back-to-back games… No. It hurts. You don’t want to ever lose, but we gotta grow from it. We’ve got to learn from it. We’ve got a big trip coming up for us to kind of get back to being a team, being a group and being together. This is a great chance for us to get out there on the road and take it day-by-day and game-by-game.
CHARLOTTE HORNETS QUOTES
JAMES BORREGO (HEAD COACH)
On the defensive and rebounding effort tonight… It was one of our best defensive performances and rebounding games of the season. Very hostile environment, they are a fantastic team, a well-coached team; they know what they are doing. So this is a big time win for us. To hold them to 34 percent shooting the ball and 47 defensive rebounds, our goal is 35, so fantastic job, great effort on both ends of the floor.
On what you said to the team in the third quarter timeout when the Raptors were making a run… To just get back to how we were playing earlier and it really just starts one possession at a time. Don’t think about what just happened, let’s move forward and play the next possession. I think with a young team that’s really important. You can get unraveled, and we’ve had a few of these moments this season where a team is on a run and then we don’t stop it. We let an eight point run become a ten, twelve, fifteen point run and we just talked about playing the next possession. Making shots always helps. Our guys hit some big shots to break some of those momentum segments for Toronto. Give our young group a lot of credit.
On the team performance… I would say this is our most complete game end to end. We had a good win in Dallas a bit ago, it feels like ages ago, but I felt for the most part from end to end we were in this game. We were fighting, even though we had a few hiccups along the way, this was probably our most complete 48 minute game of the season.
TERRY ROZIER (18 points, six assists, six rebounds)
On tonight’s win… I (have) never won here in my five years. I always got beat by at least 20 or more, so it was just good to get the win for myself and for our team. We needed this. We won (our) last game, so we’re just looking to keep building. It’s a special team this group that we just played against, so every time we get a chance to beat a special team (it) makes us feel good.
On tonight’s defence… I feel like we were in there. We helped each other out. We showed bodies. We showed length from the beginning of the game. We showed it all 48 minutes. Obviously they got guys, like (Pascal) Siakam, who’s special, (Kyle) Lowry, who makes special plays, and like I said, they’ve got a great group. We just dug deep and we just stayed with it and we pulled it out.
On shooting the technical foul shots… You have to tune all that (noise) out. I shoot at least 100 free throws a day when there’s nobody in the gym, so you just try to keep that mindset and just treat it like there’s no one there. I was able to ice the game, but like I said, that just comes with repetition (and) being in the gym shooting a lot of free throws.
P.J. WASHINGTON (15 points, nine rebounds)
What was Bismack Biyombo’s message to everyone in that timeout? Just keep playing. Guys were kind of getting down on themselves and he just said … keep playing and keep fighting. We’re in the place we want to be and (there’s) not a lot of time left, but we still have a chance to win this one.
On tonight’s win… I think it says a lot because we stayed together and kept fighting. Even though they came back in the game making shots, we still kept our composure and came out there and just continued to play. I think that was big for us going forward.
BISMACK BIYOMBO (13 points, 11 rebounds)
What does tonight’s win say about this young group? I think our young guys are growing in general. We’re playing team basketball. Guys are trusting each other. Obviously we are going to continue to make mistakes. That’s part of this journey … We stuck together. Obviously through the tough times when they made their run, we still found a way to control the game. Toronto is a great team. They are a championship team, so for us it was a good challenge. We were able to learn from this, grow, and obviously we will watch more film tomorrow and correct our mistakes and continue to move forward.
The view from left field 