Kawhi Leonard was welcomed back to Toronto with a special tribute video and his Championship ring. Kawhi Leonard received his NBA Championship hardware on Wednesday night in his first return to Toronto since joining the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason. The Raptors welcomed the NBA Finals MVP in a pregame ceremony, which included a tribute […]
New on SI: Kawhi Leonard Receives Ring and Warm Welcome in Toronto Return — Focus News Agency
(19-7) LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS, 112 VS. (16-8) TORONTO RAPTORS, 92 SCOTIABANK ARENA WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2019
TORONTO RAPTORS QUOTES
NICK NURSE (HEAD COACH)
On the team’s shooting … I thought we came out pretty revved up and executing really well. I thought we were really flying around out there and I thought it looked like it was going to be a hell of a ball game and then we went through a really dry spell offensively and deflated us I think, all the way through the second quarter and into the half. Again we came out and started, I think we were scoring it okay there. Got off to a good start in the third and started getting a few a stops and I thought played some really solid man-to-man defence, got back in the game and then dried up a little bit again at the offensive end. I think we got it down to five and felt like we were in a really good position there to be in the game then they went on a like an 11-0 run or something, maybe 12-0 run to end the quarter and it got a little tough again.
On Kyle Lowry forcing shots… Well, I don’t know, Kyle has seven threes there and I am just trying to think if any of them were really bad ones and I can’t recall if they were forced, not open. I think they were decent shots, he is just in one of those grooves that he is not making some right now. We will get to work on that and look at it. He goes through some shooting woes every now and then for a few games and snaps out of it. He is too good of a shooter to do that.
On being happy that you can finally move on from last year … Well, we keep saying that we are going to move on from it, but then Danny Green will roll into town here pretty soon and we will do it all over again. I think again, we are in a period where were not playing very well here for about a week. It’s strange because, last Monday against Utah we may have played the best half of basketball we have ever seen in this building. So, things can change quickly, it is a fine line between things and we just have to get back to a little bit of who we are, which is very good defensively, ball movement and a good shooting team and we will do that.
On Kawhi Leonard tonight … I think that everybody knew he was going to get a warm reception tonight and deservedly so. I thought we were doing a pretty good job on him. We decided to go straight up in the second half and he shook free a little bit more, but I still thought we, he was eight of 14, not a big deal, 23 points I think you are going to live with as well. We held (Paul) George down pretty well, but Lou Williams I thought was a guy that during the stretch when they pulled away was incredible, especially to end the half and he can do that too. But Kawhi played good, he was efficient tonight, I thought he passed the ball well, he was strong in there, we were hitting him a lot and he was battling through some double teams early in the game and he played well.
PASCAL SIAKAM (24 points, four rebounds)
Where did things go wrong after the first quarter? They got stops and we weren’t making shots. They got stops and they were scoring on the other side. We couldn’t respond for a good period of time. Given the lead, down by – what, 18 at the half? – it’s always tough when you are down that much. We made a run in the second half and got it down to six or something, just couldn’t hold on.
Is the team confident shots will start falling? We hope so. We are going to continue to shoot them and just continue to play our offence and making sure that we make plays for each other and take the shots that are there. We can’t shy away from it because they aren’t going in. Continue to move the ball, play as a team and shoot open shots.
KYLE LOWRY (six points, four rebounds, six assists)
What went wrong after the first quarter? They made shots, played more aggressive than us and we just did not make enough shots offensively.
Are you happy with the looks the team is getting on offence? I think the shots are coming. I think we put ourselves in predicaments where we are getting some good shots, but we have to create better shots, drive, kick, swing a little bit more. Help our defence with our offence making some shots.
Thoughts on pregame ceremony for Kawhi… It was great. It’s well deserved, he helped this franchise do amazing things and he got his ring. I think he was pretty happy with it.
Is it a relief to have this game over with? It was a game we lost, we didn’t play well and it’s over with now. It was a great moment and it’s well deserved and with Danny (Green) coming in, it will be another great moment, but other than that, we are just moving on throughout the season.
(19-7) LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS, 112 VS. (16-8) TORONTO RAPTORS, 92 SCOTIABANK ARENA WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2019
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS QUOTES
DOC RIVERS (HEAD COACH)
What’s the greatest areas of growth you have seen in the team in the last couple of games? The defence tonight was phenomenal, and then our patience. We anticipated the traps and I thought our guys did a great job, like PG (Paul George), Kawhi (Leonard) and Lou (Williams), we talked about it in shootaround, just let them come, move the ball and find the open guy. I thought our passing in the first half probably was the best we’ve had all year. But we did it because of the traps and our guys were patient. A lot of times guys want to force it. Early in the year we would have forced it. When we played them earlier in the year we didn’t handle them very well and tonight I thought our guys were phenomenal. Other than the first quarter, I thought our defence was absolutely wonderful.
On the defence in the second quarter… We kept telling our guys, the way we’re playing offensively we’re going to keep scoring but if they keep scoring it’s going to be a close game. At some point, one of the two teams is going to play defence and it was us in the second quarter. They made a run in the third quarter and Rex (Kalamian) went to what we call a zone. I’m not sure what that defence is yet but it was effective. We just have so many long guys where we can do so much switching, we can be really good defensively.
Could you sense what the moment meant to Kawhi Leonard? It meant a lot. Again, some players just don’t let you in but I can tell you that ovation to him was very heartfelt, there’s no doubt about that. It meant a lot to him. I thought what the Raptors did overall, the video, the players coming out, all of them who played with him, that’s the best that I have seen since I’ve been in the league. That’s a really classy move by the organization and then by the fans as well.
PATRICK PATTERSON (11 points, seven rebounds, two assists)
On the Raptors championship series … I watched every game. Once we exited the playoffs, the Raptors were pretty much the only thing that I watched just because of Pascal (Siakam), Fred (VanVleet), Kyle (Lowry), (and) Serge (Ibaka). You know, guys that I’ve known from playing here and also guys that I’ve known for some time. Just rooting for them (and) cheering for them, so I’ve watched every single game throughout the playoffs.
On how Clippers defence is a key part of the team chasing a championship this year… It feels good to be able to take that as an opportunity to compete for a championship. It’s all about finding identity, finding roles, buying into the system, seeing how superstars with key role players accept their jobs and play those jobs to the best of their ability, and that’s what we have here. We’re still growing. We’re still getting better … There’s still so much room for improvement. There’s still so much we need to get better at, but this game here today, in Toronto, was a step in the right direction.
KAWHI LEONARD (23 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals)
On the Raptors tribute video and crowd ovation… It was great. It was a great moment. They did a great job putting it together. Having all the players out there that won it with me, standing there and presenting the ring – it was great.
How was that moment with Kyle Lowry before the game? We just laughed at it. I knew he was going to present me the ring before the game. Just a lot of memories ran through our head. We just laughed.
Did you get a chance to take a look at the ring? Yes, I got it after the game. Sat at my locker with it for a little bit. I just admired it and remembered all of the memories and the hard work that went into it.
Does this feel like this chapter is officially over for you now? As far as winning a championship it pretty much comes full circle now. Being able to get the room and see the result of the hard work, it’s more than that. It’s just a journey. For me, as far as playing, for the city, the chapter was closed once I came over to play with the Clippers. Still love the city. Those guys on the team, the players, the coaching staff, still have love for them. I wish them the best.
Has it sunk in how much this city loved you and what you meant to them? Yes, they did a great job last year of embracing me, embracing the team and helping us get to the finals, just cheering us on the whole way, throughout the whole journey. It wasn’t even about tonight. They did a great job last year.
Are you getting any similar feelings with the Clippers in terms of what the potential of this team is? It’s still early. Obviously that’s my goal every year is to compete my heart out and have fun on the court, set that high standard so we can push each other every day. I think we’re still doing it right now. Last year, I didn’t know where we were at. We were playing great, but I never said we were going to win. We always just put that mindset in of having that confidence that we could win, just pushed every day to get better.
What have you seen of Pascal Siakam this year? He is their go-to guy now and with me leaving I knew that it would make him better carrying that load. He did last year in some of the games I was out. He’s able to grow now and become the player he wants to be without me being there. He’s going a great job. He’s more aggressive, shooting the three with more confidence and he’s approaching every game with the same mindset.
On the growth of OG Anunoby? I’m happy for him. He’s out there being aggressive, doing his job, shooting the ball great. It’s about your mindset. Not being scared of the moment. That’s when you’re going to get better in a game. He’s shooting shots at practice that you don’t shoot in a game it’s never going to translate. I see him doing that. He worked on his shot and his form is looking a lot better.
Were you conscious of not letting the emotion of the ceremony carryover into the game? It’s my ninth year. I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs of emotions as far as going through playoffs and having bad and good games. It’s kind of like that, kind of controlling it. Coming out in that first four minutes that was in the game plan they were bringing of putting two on the ball when me and Paul were in position, double teaming my post-ups. When that happens I’m going to take my time and just wait for my open shot to come. That’s what I tried to do.
INJURY REPORTS AT 5:30 TUESDAY
LAC@TOR LA Clippers Coffey, Amir Out G League – Two-Way – Green, JaMychal Doubtful Injury/Illness – Tailbone; Tailbone Contusion – McGruder, Rodney Out Injury/Illness – Right Hamstring; Right Hamstring Strain – Shamet, Landry Out Injury/Illness – Left Ankle; High Left Ankle Sprain – Toronto Raptors Brissett, Oshae Out G League – Two-Way – Hernandez, Dewan Out G League – On Assignment – Johnson, Stanley Out Injury/Illness – Left Groin; Stress reaction – McCaw, Patrick Out Injury/Illness – Left Knee; Surgery – Ponds, Shamorie Out G League – Two-Way – Thomas, Matt Out Injury/Illness – Left Finger; Middle; fracture – distal phalanx – VanVleet, Fred Questionable Injury/Illness – Right Knee; Contusion –
GAME #24 – TORONTO RAPTORS (16-7) vs. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (18-17) WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2019 – 7 P.M. (ET) – SCOTIABANK ARENA TV: TSN / ESPN – RADIO: TSN 1050 TORONTO
RAPTOR NOTES
• The Toronto Raptors begin a three-game homestand (Dec. 11-16) Wednesday night when they host the Los Angeles Clippers at Scotiabank Arena. The Raptors lost the first meeting against the Clippers this season, 98-88, on Nov. 11 in Los Angeles. Pascal Siakam finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the Raptors held the Clippers to 37 per cent shooting from the field in the loss
. • Former Raptor Kawhi Leonard returns to Toronto for the first time since signing as a free agent with the LA Clippers in the summer. Leonard helped the Raptors win the 2019 NBA Championship. He averaged career highs of 26.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 34.0 minutes in 60 games (all starts) last season. Leonard was named to the All-NBA Second Team and NBA All-Defensive Second Team. In the postseason, he posted averages of 30.5 points and 9.1 rebounds in 24 contests, and earned his second Finals MVP.
• Toronto is currently 6-3 vs. the Western Conference, including 3-1 at home. The Raptors are the only Eastern Conference team to finish with a +.500 record against the West each of the past five seasons (201419). Since the start of the 2014-15 campaign, Toronto is 97-62 (.610) vs. the West Conference
. • Chicago shot just .393 (35-for-89) from the field, including .261 (12-for-46) from 3-point range, on Monday night. It marked the ninth time this season the Raptors have held their opponent below 40 percent shooting from the floor (7-2); something they did five times during the regular season last year. Toronto currently ranks second in the NBA in opponent field goal percentage (.414), and seventh in both opponent 3-point field goal percentage (.339) and points allowed per game (105.3).
• Kyle Lowry has played 509 games in a Raptors uniform, tied with Chris Bosh for fourth most in franchise history, behind only DeMar DeRozan (675), Morris Peterson (542) and Jose Calderon (525). Lowry is the longest-serving member of the Raptors – currently in his eighth season with the club. He ranks first in franchise history in steals (759) and three-point field goals (1,260), second in assists (3,589) and fourth in points (8,865). His five All-Star Game appearances (2015-19), including two as a starter (2015-16), are tied with Vince Carter and Chris Bosh for the most in team history.
• December is Toronto’s busiest month of the season with 16 games and includes three back-to-back sets. The Raptors’ 11 games at Scotiabank Arena tie the franchise record for most home games in a calendar month – Toronto also played 11 games at home in March 2016.
• Serge Ibaka recorded his first double-double of the season with a bench-high 11 points and a season-high 14 rebounds in 19 minutes Dec. 9 at Chicago. Ibaka has now led the reserves in scoring a team-high 10 times this season despite missing 10 games (Nov. 10-29) with a right ankle sprain. Ibaka has come off the bench in 13 games this season after starting 51 times in 74 appearances in 2018-19
. • Toronto snapped a three-game winless streak (Dec. 3-8) with a 93-92 victory Monday night at Chicago. The Raptors have not lost four straight games since the 2017 NBA playoffs and they have not lost four consecutive regular-season games since January 2017 (five). Toronto, Milwaukee and Philadelphia are the only NBA teams that have not had a four-game losing streak in either of the last two regular seasons.
PROBABLE STARTERS
F – OG ANUNOBY #3
MIN: 29.9 REB: 5.6 AST: 1.8 STL: 1.3 TO: 1.1 BLK: 0.9 PTS: 11.2
• Recorded 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals in 37 minutes Dec. 9 at Chicago. • Toronto is 11-1 when Anunoby scores 10 or more points (last: 10 – Dec. 9 at Chicago). • Has scored in double figures each of the last two games (Dec. 8-9); averaging 14.5 points during this span.
F – PASCAL SIAKAM #43
MIN: 36.9 REB: 8.4 AST: 3.6 STL: 0.9 TO: 2.7 BLK: 0.7 PTS: 24.5
• Finished with a game-high 22 points and six rebounds in 39 minutes Dec. 9 at Chicago. • Ranks 14th in the NBA in scoring (24.5) and fifth in minutes per game (36.9). • Has scored 30+ points eight times; had five 30-point performances in 80 games played last season.
C – MARC GASOL #33
MIN: 28.8 REB: 6.3 AST: 3.5 STL: 0.7 TO: 1.3 BLK: 1.2 PTS: 6.3
• Totaled nine points, nine rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and two steals in 29 minutes Dec. 9 at Chicago. • Reached 12,000 career points in the NBA Nov. 16 at Dallas. • Has collected 10+ rebounds three times this season, including a season-high 12 rebounds Nov. 2 at Milwaukee.
G – NORMAN POWELL #24
MIN: 28.0 REB: 3.9 AST: 1.6 STL: 1.1 TO: 1.5 BLK: 0.4 PTS: 13.3
• Finished with 17 points, four rebounds, and three assists in 29 minutes Dec. 9 at Chicago. • Averaging 15.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 30.8 minutes in 12 games as a starter. • Has scored in double figures in 13 of the last 16 games (Nov. 8 – Dec. 9); averaging 15.9 points during this span.
G – KYLE LOWRY #7
MIN: 37.3 REB: 4.8 AST: 6.9 STL: 1.2 TO: 3.2 BLK: 0.4 PTS: 20.
• Recorded 11 points, seven rebounds and a team-high seven assists in 39 minutes Dec. 9 at Chicago. • Missed 11 games (Nov. 10 – Dec. 1) with a left thumb; distal phalanx fracture. • Needs one double-double to tie Antonio Davis (110) for third on the Raptors’ all-time list.
INJURY REPORT
Stanley Johnson (Left groin; stress reaction) – Out Patrick McCaw (Left knee; surgery) – Out Matt Thomas (Left middle finger; distal phalanx fracture) – Out Fred VanVleet (right knee contusion) – Questionable
2019-20 RECORDS
W-L
OVERALL EAST WEST
16-7 10-4 6-3
HOME 9-2 6-1 3-1
AWAY 7-5 4-3 3-2
OVERTIME 1-1 0-1 1-0
SERIES RECAP VS. LA CLIPPERS
OVERALL HOME ROAD
2019-20
0-1 0-0 0-1
ALL-TIME
27-20 16-7 11-13
STREAKS Lost 1 Won 1 Lost 1
LAST WIN: February 3, 2019 (121-103)
LAST HOME WIN: February 3, 2019 (121-103)
LARGEST MARGIN OF VICTORY: +25, February 1, 2013
LARGEST MARGIN OF DEFEAT: -32, March 13, 1998
LAST TIME VS. LA CLIPPERS
GAME 10 – NOVEMBER 11, 2019 LA CLIPPERS 98, TORONTO 88
LOS ANGELES — Kawhi Leonard struggled on 2-for-11 shooting and had nine turnovers, but Lou Williams led a big effort from the bench with 21 points and the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Toronto Raptors 98-88 … Leonard finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists … The Clippers shot just 37% but dominated the boards 66-38, led by 12 each from Patrick Beverley and JaMychal Green … Los Angeles’ bench outscored Toronto’s reserves 56-35 … Leonard missed his first six field goal attempts and finally scored on a coast-to-coast layup midway through the third quarter to put the Clippers up 62-55 … From there, the Raptors outscored Los Angles 23-11 the rest of the period … Pascal Siakam had seven points and Fred VanVleet added five in the spurt as neither team led by more than two until Matt Thomas’ 3-pointer and basket sent the Raptors into the fourth leading 78-73 … Siakam had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Norman Powell added 15 points and VanVleet had 14 points for the injury-depleted Raptors, who had their three-game winning streak snapped … Toronto was 4 of 24 from the floor in a fourth quarter … The Raptors tied the game for the last time at 82 on Chris Boucher’s 3-pointer … They managed just three field goals the rest of the way.
1 2 3 4 TOT
TORONTO 23 23 32 10 88
LA CLIPPERS 15 36 22 25 98
Position: Guard Height: 6-0 Weight: 195 College: Wichita State Birthday: 2/25/1994 NBA EXP: 3
2019-20 SEASON:
• Sat out Dec. 9 at Chicago due to right knee contusion; sustained the injury early in the second quarter Dec. 8 at Philadelphia.
• Became the first player in Raptors history to make at least one 3-point field goal in each of the team’s first 21 games of a season (Oct. 22 – Dec 8), breaking Danny Green’s franchise record of 20 straight games to begin last season. • Scored 21 points and tied a season high with 11 assists Dec. 1 vs. Utah. • Recorded a career-best seven steals Nov. 29 at Orlando.
• Scored 20+ points in three straight games (Nov. 20-25); averaging 24.3 points. • Finished with 25 points and nine assists Nov. 23 at Atlanta; set career highs in both free throws made and attempted (9-for-9).
• Scored 30 points Nov. 13 at Portland. • Logged a career-high 45 minutes Nov. 11 at LA Clippers.
• Recorded second consecutive double-double (Nov. 8-10) with 23 points, 10 assists and a career high-tying seven rebounds Nov. 10 at LA Lakers.
• Totaled 12 points and matched a season high with 11 assists Nov. 8 at New Orleans. • Recorded 13 points and a season-high 11 assists Oct. 30 vs. Detroit.
• Made first career opening night start Oct. 22 vs. New Orleans; scored a career-best 34 points (12-18 FG, 5-7 3PT, 5-6 FT) in 44 minutes. • DNP once.
LAST FIVE GAMES
Date Opp. MIN FG-A 3FG-A FT-A REB AST ST BS PTS
Dec. 1 UTA 32:27 6-10 5-7 4-4 5 11 1 0 21
Dec. 3 MIA 43:24 5-16 3-9 6-7 1 6 3 0 19
Dec. 5 HOU 38:29 7-13 3-7 3-4 6 5 3 1 20
Dec. 8 @PHI 12:07 0-1 0-1 2-2 1 2 1 0 2
Dec. 9 @CHI DNP – Right knee; contusion.
Position: Forward-Centre Height: 6-10 Weight: 235 Country: Republic of Congo Birthday: 9/18/1989 NBA EXP: 10
2019-20 SEASON:
• Tallied 11 points and a season-best 14 rebounds Dec. 9 at Chicago.
• Missed 10 games (Nov. 10-29) due to a right ankle sprain; sustained the injury late in the first half Nov. 8 at New Orleans.
• Led the bench in scoring the first seven games of the season; averaged 14.9 points and scored in double figures six times during this span.
• Scored a season-high 21 points and grabbed six rebounds Nov. 6 vs. Sacramento.
• Blocked a season-best four shots Nov. 2 at Milwaukee.
• Recorded nine points and a then season-high 10 rebounds Oct. 28 vs. Orlando. • Inactive 10 times.
LAST FIVE GAMES
Date Opp. MIN FG-A 3FG-A FT-A REB AST ST BS PTS
Dec. 1 UTA 20:52 5-14 2-5 1-1 4 3 1 0 13
Dec.3 MIA 22:00 4-8 2-3 3-4 9 0 0 1 13
Dec. 5 HOU 17:22 4-10 0-2 2-2 5 2 0 0 10
Dec. 8 @PHI 27:46 5-15 2-5 0-1 7 3 0 0 12
Dec. 9 @CHI 18:32 3-11 1-1 4-4 14 1 0 0 11
Position: Guard Height: 6-4 Weight: 205 College: Mississippi Birthday: 5/16/1997 NBA EXP: R
2019-20 SEASON:
• Scored in double digits in four-of-five games (Nov. 18-27); averaging 13.4 points.
• Finished with 15 points and a team-high five assists Nov. 27 vs. New York; led the team in assists for the first time.
• Set career highs with 19 points (7-10 FG, 3-5 3PT, 2-2 FT) and eight rebounds in 27 minutes Nov. 20 vs. Orlando.
• Recorded 16 points and a career-best seven assists Nov. 18 vs. Charlotte; scored all 16 points in the fourth quarter.
• Totaled five points (2-6 FG, 1-3 3PT) and five rebounds in 15 minutes in NBA debut Oct. 22 vs. New Orleans.
LAST FIVE GAMES
Date Opp. MIN FG-A 3FG-A FT-A REB AST ST BS PTS
Dec. 1 UTA 23:02 5-7 2-3 1-2 4 3 0 1 13
Dec. 3 MIA 14:47 0-3 0-2 2-2 3 1 0 0 2
Dec. 5 HOU 14:14 2-6 2-5 0-0 3 0 1 1 6
Dec. 8 @PHI 16:57 3-5 0-0 0-0 3 3 1 0 6
Dec. 9 @CHI 12:04 1-2 0-1 0-0 1 0 0 0 2
Position: Forward Height: 6-7 Weight: 217 College: Arizona Birthday: 1/3/1995 NBA EXP: 4
2019-20 SEASON:
• Tied a season high with 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Nov. 25 vs. Philadelphia.
• Finished with 15 points and eight rebounds Nov. 18 vs. Charlotte.
• Posted first double-double as a Raptor with season highs of 16 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes Nov. 13 at Portland.
• Scored 10 points Nov. 10 at LA Lakers.
• DNP (left groin soreness) Nov. 8 at New Orleans.
• Played four minutes in Raptors debut Oct. 26 at Chicago.
• Inactive for the first two games of the season (Oct. 22-25) with left groin soreness.
• Inactive three times. DNP four times
. LAST FIVE GAMES
Date Opp. MIN FG-A 3FG-A FT-A REB AST ST BS PTS
Dec. 1 UTA 23:30 4-7 0-0 2-2 6 2 1 2 10
Dec. 3 MIA 16:45 3-4 0-0 0-2 3 1 0 0 6
Dec. 5 HOU 11:27 1-6 0-0 0-0 5 0 0 0 2
Dec. 8 @PHI 16:02 4-6 1-2 3-3 2 1 1 1 12
Dec. 9 @CHI 16:58 3-7 0-1 0-0 1 0 1 0 6
2019-20 TORONTO RAPTORS ROSTER
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT BIRTHDATE PRIOR TO NBA/HOME COUNTRY NBA EXP.
3OG Anunoby F 6-8 232 7/17/1997 Indiana / England 2
25 Chris Boucher F 6-10 200 1/11/1993 Oregon / Canada 2
12 Oshae Brissett* F 6-8 210 6/20/1998 Syracuse / Canada R
0 Terence Davis ll G 6-4 205 5/16/1997 Mississippi / USA R
33 Marc Gasol C 7-1 255 1/29/1985 Akasvayu Girona / Spain 11
20 Dewan Hernandez C 6-11 235 12/9/1996 Miami / USA R
4 Rondae Hollis-Jefferson F 6-7 217 1/3/1995 Arizona / USA 4
9 Serge Ibaka F-C 6-10 235 9/18/1989 Ricoh Manresa (Spain) / Republic of Congo 10
5 Stanley Johnson F 6-7 245 5/29/1996 Arizona / USA 4
7 Kyle Lowry G 6-1 196 3/25/1986 Villanova / USA 13
22 Patrick McCaw G 6-7 185 10/25/1995 UNLV / USA 3
13 Malcolm Miller G-F 6-7 210 3/6/1993 Holy Cross / USA 2
11 Shamorie Ponds* G 6-1 180 6/29/1998 St. John’s / USA R
24 Norman Powell G 6-4 215 5/25/1993 UCLA / USA 4
43 Pascal Siakam F 6-9 230 4/2/1994 New Mexico State / Cameroon 3
21 Matt Thomas G 6-4 190 8/4/1994 Iowa State / USA R
23 Fred VanVleet G 6-0 195 2/25/1994 Wichita State / USA 3
* Two-way player
L.A. Clippers (18-7) at Toronto Raptors (16-7) Regular Season Game 26; Away Game 12 Scotiabank Arena; Toronto, ON Wednesday, December 11, 2019 – 4:00 p.m. (PST) TV: Prime Ticket / ESPN; Radio: AM 570 L.A. Sports
CLIP BOARD • 12/9 at Indiana, Paul George became the first Clipper in franchise history to make 7+ three-pointers and have 7+ rebounds in a game. • 12/3 vs. Portland, the Clippers won their ninth straight home game and improved to an NBA best 13-1 home record. • 12/1 vs. Washington, the Clippers scored 82 first-half points, the most by any team in the NBA this season They finished with 150 points for the second time this season. • 11/27 at Memphis, Lou Williams collected a career-high 13 assists in the contest.
INJURY REPORT
OUT: Landry Shamet (High Ankle Sprain) OUT: Rodney McGruder (Right Hamstring Strain)
L.A. CLIPPERS 2019-20 RECORD BREAKDOWN
OVERALL: EASTERN: WESTERN: DIVISION:
W-L 18-7 7-2 11-5 2-1
HOME 13-1 5-1 8-0 1-0
ROAD 5-6 2-1 3-5 1-1
OT 1-0 1-0 0-0 0-0
LAST GAME’S STARTERS
2019-20 Regular Season Stats
MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% 3PT% FT%
23.2 5.7 3.5 1.1 1.0 0.8 .483 .366 .500
LAST GAME: Tallied 8 points (3-8 FG, 0-2 3PT, 2-4 FT), 14 rebounds and 1 block in 34:47 minutes.
PLAYER NOTES • Currently ranks fourth on the Clippers in steals (1.0) and in FG% (48.3). • 12/9 at Indiana, appeared in his 500th NBA game setting a first-half career high with nine rebounds. • 11/13 at Houston, made his first start of the season scoring 9 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist in 24:05 minutes.
2019-20 Regular Season Stats
MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% 3PT% FT%
14.0 5.0 2.7 0.8 0.2 0.1 .387 .411 .667
LAST GAME: Tallied 5 points (1-5 FG, 1-4 3PT, 2-2 FT) and 1 steal in 14:52 minutes.
PLAYER NOTES • Ranks second on the Clippers in 3 PT FG% (.411) and ninth in rebounds (2.7). • 10/24 at Golden State, set a career high with six 3PM. • Appeared in 63 games for Oklahoma City last season, averaged 3.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13.7 minutes.
2019-20 Regular Season Stats
MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% 3PT% FT%
16.8 8.4 6.6 0.9 0.2 1.1 .588 .000 .836
LAST GAME: Tallied 13 points (5-7 FG, 3-3 FT), 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in 20:51 minutes.
PLAYER NOTES • Currently second on the Clippers in blocks (1.1) and ranks tied for third in rebounds (6.6). • 11/7 vs. Portland, became the first Clipper to have 15+ points and 13+ rebounds in under 20 minutes of action. • 10/28 vs. Charlotte, tallied a career-high five blocks in the contest.
2019-20 Regular Season Stats
MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% 3PT% FT%
29.7 23.9 6.4 3.6 1.4 0.4 .446 .419 .912
LAST GAME: Tallied 36 points (10-26 FG, 7-16 3PT, 9-11 FT), 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in 35:45 minutes.
PLAYER NOTES • 12/9 at IND, became the first Clipper in franchise history to make 7+ three-pointers and have 7+ rebounds in a game. • 12/8 at WAS, 2nd player in NBA history to have 25+ points, 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 4+ steals in under 26 minutes. • 11/16 vs. ATL, scored the most points in a Clippers home debut and was the 1st Clipper to hit 30+ in his first 2 games.
2019-20 Regular Season Stats
MIN PTS REB AST STL BLK FG% 3PT% FT%
29.9 7.6 6.4 3.3 1.5 0.5 .396 .316 .609
LAST GAME: Tallied 11 points (5-7 FG, 1-2 3PT), 5 assists, 12 rebounds and 3 steals in 39:20 minutes.
PLAYER NOTES • 12/3 vs. Portland, appeared in his 400th career game tallying 11 points with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. • 11/20 vs. Boston, became the third guard in NBA history to have 16+ rebounds, 7+ assists, 3+ steals and 2+ blocks. • 11/6 vs. Milwaukee, scored a season-high 20 points in route to collecting his 3,500th point of his career.
2 KAWHI LEONARD FORWARD • 6-7 • 230 • SAN DIEGO ST. • 9
2019-20
• 12/8 at Washington, Leonard became the first Clipper since Blake Griffin on 4/6/11 at OKC to have 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists while shooting at least 65% from the floor. • 11/7 vs Portland, recorded a season-high 13 rebounds.
• 10/31 vs San Antonio, became the first Clipper since Blake Griffin on 11/25/15 vs. Utah to have 38+ points and 12+ rebounds. Recorded a double-double with 7:47 remaining in the third quarter. According to Elias, it is the third fastest double-double in his career. Recorded a season high 38 points and 15 FGM.
• 10/22 vs Lakers, made his Clippers debut recording 30 points and 6 rebounds in 31 minutes. • Missed three game due to Load Management Knee (10/30, 11/6, 11/14). Missed three game due to left knee contusion (11/14-18). Missed two games due to Injury Management: Left Knee Soreness (11/27, 12/9).
2018-19
• In 60 games (all starts), averaged career highs of 26.6 points and 7.3 rebounds, along with 3.3 assists, 1.8 steals in 34.0 minutes
• Tied for sixth in the NBA in scoring, ranked seventh in steals per game and tied for 19th in minutes per game
• Inactive 18 times, was a DNP in three games and DND once
• Sat out 15 games for injury (rest – load management)
• Shot .495 (560-1129) from the floor, .371 (112-302) from three-point distance and a team-high .854 (364-426) at the free throw line • Scored in double digits in all 60 games, 20 or more in 51 contests and 30+ 22 times
• Led the team in scoring in 47 games – the most by a player in first season with Toronto
• Voted by the fans, media and players as a starter for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte – his third career All-Star selection (all starts); totaled 19 points and five rebounds in 19 minutes • Named Eastern Conference player of the Week twice
• Reached 8,000 career points Mar. 14 vs. LA Lakers
• Scored 15 of his game-high 38 points in the fourth quarter Mar.1 vs. Portland; made the game-winning jumper with three seconds remaining
• Recorded 30 points and a career-high eight assists Feb. 11 vs. Brooklyn; converted the go-ahead jumper with 4.4 seconds left
• Scored a team-high 24 points Feb. 5 at Philadelphia; made a career-high 16 free throws and tied a career high with 17 attempts
• Led all Eastern Conference players averaging 30.2 points in January – the highest scoring month of his career; joined Vince Carter (30.7, December 2000) as the only players in team history to average 30.0 points in a calendar month
• Scored 20+ points in a career-long 22 straight games (Nov. 29 – Jan. 27)
• Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played Jan. 7-13; averaged team highs of 30.7 points and 8.7 rebounds in three wins
• Scored a career-high 45 points (16-22 FG, 13-17 FT) Jan. 1 vs. Utah; also set career highs in made field goals (16) and free throws attempted (17)
• Sat out two games with a bruised right hip (Dec. 11- 12)
• Posted a double-double in a career-long three straight games (Nov. 23-27)
• Had 31 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, including a career-high 14 defensive rebounds, Nov. 16 at Boston; became the third player in franchise history to record 30+ points and 15+ rebounds in the same game, along with Vince Carter and Chris Bosh
• Missed two games (Nov. 4-5) due to left ankle soreness
• Contributed 24 points and a team high-tying 12 rebounds in 37 minutes in Raptors debut Oct. 17 vs. Cleveland.
• PLAYOFFS: Averaged 30.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists during 24 playoff games while shooting 29% from the field.
• Won the NBA Championship and captured the Finals MVP honor
• In 24 games he recorded two games with 40+ points, 12 games with 30+ points and eight games with 20+ points.
• Recorded nine double-doubles
DATE OPP. W/L MIN FG FGA 3FG 3FGA FT FTA OR- DR- TOT A ST BS TO PF PTS
9-Dec at IND W Inactive – Injury Management: Left Knee Soreness
8-Dec at WAS W 31:36 12 18 3 6 7 8 0 11 11 5 1 0 4 2 34
6-Dec at MIL L 29:30 5 14 1 2 6 6 1 4 5 4 2 2 5 0 17
3-Dec vs POR W 28:08 3 15 2 5 3 4 1 8 9 5 2 0 1 0 11
1-Dec vs WAS W 26:28 14 21 2 5 4 4 2 4 6 3 1 0 1 3 34
23 LOU WILLIAMS GUARD • 6-1 • 175 • SOUTH GWINNETT HS (GA) • 15
2019-20:
• 11/27 at Memphis, recorded a career-high 13 assists.
• 11/6 vs Milwaukee, recorded a season high in points (34), rebounds (6), assists (11), FGM (9) and 3PM (4).
2018-19:
• 4/15 at Golden State, logged playoff career-highs in points (36) and assists (11) in Game 2. His 29-point second half is a franchise postseason record for any half and his 17 point third quarter tie the Clippers franchise postseason record for points in a quarter. He became the the second player since 1985 to log 30+ points and 10+ assists off the bench in a playoff game
. • 4/13 at Golden State, Montrezl Harrell (26) and Williams (25) became the first pair of reserve teammates on record to each score 25+ points in a postseason game (bench stats first recorded in 1970-71). LA’s reserves tallied 65 points, the ninth-most of any team in a postseason game since 1985.
• 4/7 at Golden State, started in his first game of the season and 20th as a Clipper.
• 3/26 at Minnesota, recorded his 182nd career game with 20+ points off the bench, tying Ricky Pierce for 2nd-most-all-time.
• 3/17 vs Brooklyn, recorded his first career game-winning walkoff buzzer beater.
• 3/11 vs Boston, passed Dell Curry to became the NBA’s all-time leading bench scorer. He finished the night with 34 points and a season-high 14 FGM. He also became the 4th player in 35 years to score 34+ points off the bench in consecutive games and the fourth to score 34+ points in 23 minutes or fewer.
• 3/8 vs Oklahoma City, recorded his second 40+ point game off the bench, moving past Jamal Crawford for No. 2 most bench points on record. He also recorded his 13,000 career point and a season-high four steals. This game is Williams’ 28th career game with 30+ points off the bench passing Ricky Pierce for most on record.
• 2/22 at Memphis, tied Terry Dehere (262) for No. 11 on the Clippers all-time three-pointers made leader board.
• 2/13 vs Phoenix, became the only player in NBA history to record 30 points and 10 assists in fewer than 23 minutes played. He also tied Ricky Pierce for most 30+point games off the bench (27).
• 2/11 at Minnesota, recorded a season-high 45 points and tied his career-high of 16 made free-throws. His 45 points are the most by any • player off the bench since 2009, and mark his NBA record fourth career game with 40+ points off the bench. Only eight reserves have • reached 45 points in a single game over the last 35 seasons.
• 1/25 at Chicago, recorded the first triple double of his career while matching his career-high of 10 rebounds. He is the second player in NBA history (Detlef Schrempf) to record a 30+ point triple double off the bench. At 904 career games, only one player in league history • (Zach Randolph) has notched their first career • triple-double later in their career. • 1/14 vs New Orleans, marked his 900th career game, making him one of only three players since 1985-86 to appear • in over 900 games, but start in fewer than 125 (Steve Kerr, Dell Curry) • 11/8 at Portland, notched his 12,00th career point in the 1st Q.
• 10/30 at Oklahoma City, became the third player since 1970-71 to score over 10,000 career points off the bench • (Dell Curry and Jamal Crawford). • Missed one game (3/28) due to load management. Missed four games (12/11 – 12/17) due to a sore left • hamstring. Left 12/10 at Phoenix early due to injury. Missed two games (1/18-1/20) due to a sore right hamstring.
DATE OPPONENT W/L MIN FG FGA 3FG 3FGA FT FTA OR- DR- TOT A ST BS TO PF PTS
9-Dec at IND W 32:32 2 19 0 5 2 2 0 1 1 6 0 1 1 2 6
8-Dec at WAS W 29:49 7 17 2 5 2 2 0 1 1 6 0 0 1 1 18
6-Dec at MIL L 23:13 5 13 1 4 0 0 0 1 1 3 0 0 5 2 11
3-Dec vs POR W 25:15 4 14 0 4 1 1 0 4 4 7 1 0 3 2 9
1-Dec vs WAS W 23:17 6 10 2 3 8 9 0 1 1 8 0 0 4 1 22
5 MONTREZL HARRELL FORWARD/CENTER • 6-8 • 240 • LOUISVILLE • 4
2019-20
• 12/1 vs Washington, recorded a career-high 15 rebounds. This was the first time that he recorded a double-double in the first half (12 points/10 rebounds). He also became the first player in Clippers history to have 20+ points and 15+ rebounds off the bench.
• 11/24 vs New Orleans, matched his career-high of 34 points and became the fourth player in NBA History to have 34+ points, 12+ rebounds, and 2+ blocks off the bench.
• 11/18 vs Oklahoma City, became the seventh Clipper in team history to finish with 28 points, 12 rebounds (including a career-best eight on the offensive glass) and five assists.
• 11/6 vs Milwaukee, recorded a career-high 34 points as well as season-highs in assists (5) and FGM (13). He also became the first Clipper since Blake Griffin to record 30+ points, 12+ total rebounds and 6+ offensive rebounds.
2018-19
• 4/15 at Golden State recorded a franchise record for most makes without a miss in a playoff game and recorded a career playoff-high of 10 rebounds.
• 4/13 at Golden State, tallied a playoff career-high 26 points, in addition to five rebounds, two blocks and two steals in Game 1. He’s the second player since 1985 to log 25+ points, 5+ rebounds, 2+ blocks and 2+ steals off the bench in a postseason game (Blair Rasumussen, 4/22/86) and the only player to do so in 30 or fewer minutes played. Lou Williams (25) and Harrell (26) became the first pair of reserve teammates on record to each score 25+ points in a postseason game (bench stats first recorded in 1970-71). LA’s reserves tallied 65 points, the ninth-most of any team in a postseason game since 1985
•3/19 vs Indiana, recorded his 17th double-double of the season and 20th of his career. •2/27 at Utah, recorded his 1,000 career rebound. • 1/20 at San Antonio, made first start of the season and scored 18 points, his most in 19 career starts. • 1/8 vs Charlotte, became the only player to log 20+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 2+ steals off the bench this season.
• 12/23 at Golden State, reached 2,000 career points in 3,551 minutes, becoming one of nine active players to reach 2,000 points in as few minutes behind Vince Carter, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Kyrie Irving, Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid and Donovan Mitchell.
• 12/22 vs Denver, recorded his 10th 20-point game and eighth double-double of the season, finishing the night with 20 points and 10 rebounds. He also became one of five players since 1984-85 and the first player in Clippers history (1984-present) with 20+ points and 10 rebounds in under 20 minutes
. • 12/2 at Dallas, marked his third time in his career with consecutive 20+ point games (3/6/18-3/9/18, 11/10-11/12). • 11/20 at Washington, scored 14 points in the 4th Q, which marks the highest scoring 4th Q of his career.
• 11/19 at Atlanta, recorded career-highs of five steals and 15 made free-throws. Became only player in NBA history with 25+ points, 11+ rebounds, 5+ steals & 2+ blocks as a sub.
DATE OPPONENT W/L MIN FG FGA 3FG 3FGA FT FTA OR- DR- TOT A ST BS TO PF
PTS 9-Dec at IND W 29:44 12 22 0 0 2 5 3 5 8 1 0 1 1 3 26
8-Dec at WAS W 25:11 8 12 0 1 4 7 2 3 5 0 0 1 1 3 20
6-Dec at MIL L 23:34 3 7 0 0 5 7 2 5 7 2 0 1 0 3 11
3-Dec vs POR W 29:50 11 13 0 0 4 12 4 5 9 1 1 0 0 3 26
1-Dec vs WAS W 27:18 9 15 0 2 5 9 3 12 15 1 1 1 2 0 23
CONNECTIONS:
• Clippers guard Lou Williams played the 2014-15 season with the Raptors, winning the NBA’s Kia Sixth Man of the Year Award.
• Raptors guard Norman Powell played collegiately for four seasons at UCLA.
• Clippers assistant Rex Kalamian coached Raptors forward Serge Ibaka in the same capacity in Oklahoma City for six seasons (2009-15).
• Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard spent last season with the Toronto Raptors, winning the 2019 NBA Championship.
• Clippers forward Patrick Patterson spent parts of four seasons as a member of the Toronto Raptors (2014-17).
• Clippers forward JaMychal Green and Raptors center Marc Gasol were teammates on the Memphis Grizzlies for parts of five seasons (2015-19).
CLIPPERS 2019-20 ROSTER
NO. PLAYER POS HT WT BIRTHDATE PRIOR TO NBA/HOME COUNTRY YRS
21 Patrick Beverley G 6’1″ 180 7/12/1988 Arkansas / USA 7
7 Amir Coffey (2W) G 6’7″ 210 6/17/1997 Minnesota / USA R
13 Paul George F 6’8″ 220 5/2/1990 Fresno State / USA 9
4 JaMychal Green F 6’8″ 220 6/21/1990 Alabama / USA 5
8 Maurice Harkless F 6’7″ 208 5/11/1993 St.Johns / USA 7
5 Montrezl Harrell F/C 6’7″ 253 1/26/1994 Louisville / USA 4
25 Mfiondu Kabengele F 6’9″ 250 8/14/1997 Florida State / Canada R
2 Kawhi Leonard F 6’7″ 225 6/29/1991 San Diego State / USA 8
14 Terance Mann G 6’5″ 215 10/15/1996 Florida State/ USA R
19 Rodney McGruder G 6’4″ 205 7/29/1991 Kansas State/ USA 3
15 Johnathan Motley (2W) F 6’8″ 230 5/4/1995 Baylor / USA 2
54 Patrick Patterson F 6’8″ 235 3/14/1989 Kentucky/ USA 9
1 Jerome Robinson G 6’4″ 190 2/22/1997 Boston College / USA 1
20 Landry Shamet G 6’5″ 190 3/13/1997 Wichita State/ USA 1
10 Derrick Walton Jr. G 6’0″ 185 4/3/1995 Michigan/USA 1
23 Lou Williams G 6’1″ 175 10/27/1986 South Gwinnett HS (GA) / USA 14
40 Ivica Zubac C 7’0″ 265 3/18/1997 Mega Leks (Serbia)/ Croatia 3
Head Coach Doc Rivers Marquette
Assistant Coaches Tyronn Lue Nebraska Rex Kalamian Cal Poly Pomona Sam Cassell Florida State Brendan O’Connor Saint Anselm Armond Hill Princeton Casey Hill Trinity University John Welch UNLV Jeremy Castleberry SDSU J.P. Clark Flagler Vice President of Player Performance / Assistant Coach Todd Wright Springfield Vice President, Integrated Development & Evaluation Dee Brown Jacksonville University Director of Rehabilitation Maggie Bryant Minnesota Director of Medical Services/Head Athletic Trainer Jasen Powell Cal Poly Pomona Assistant Athletic Trainer Tommy Murdock Chapman University Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Daniel Shapiro Seattle Pacific University Strength & Conditioning Coach Brent Tanaka UCLA
Before we get to The Return of the King (non-LeBron version) and all of the hoopla that will surround Kawhi Leonard’s lone trip back to Toronto this season (barring a Finals meeting, of course), we unfortunately need to reflect on Monday’s hideous contest in Chicago and Sunday’s much more entertaining (but still not rewatchable) game…
Woz Blog: Missing open shots ailing the Raptors right now — Toronto Sun
Booed repeatedly early in the game, George scores 36 points and makes seven 3-pointers in his first trip to Indianapolis as a Clipper and Montrezl Harrell adds 26 on Monday to power short-handed L.A. to a 110-99 win.
Paul George silences boos as Kawhi-less Clippers hold off Pacers — Pasadena Star News
CHICAGO — Any proponent of abolishing back-to-back games in the NBA had to be rushing to grab tape of the first half of last night’s Raptors-Bulls game. Certainly that second quarter had to be a must-have for any such individual. “Running in mud” as Dwane Casey was fond of saying of a game like this […]
Raps snap losing skid but it’s nothing to write home about — Toronto Sun.
GAME #23 – TORONTO RAPTORS (15-7) vs. CHICAGO BULLS (8-16) MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2019 – 8 P.M. (ET) – UNITED CENTER TV: SPORTSNET – RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN
INJURY REPORT AS OF 1:30P.M. MONDAY
TOR@CHI
Chicago Bulls Felicio, Cristiano Out Injury/Illness – Right Wrist; Fracture – Hutchison, Chandler Out Injury/Illness – Right Shoulder; Sprain – Mokoka, Adam Out G League – Two-Way – Porter Jr., Otto Out Injury/Illness – Left Foot; Bone bruise – Strus, Max Out G League – Two-Way – White, Coby Probable Injury/Illness – Right Hamstring; TIghtness –
Toronto Raptors Brissett, Oshae Out G League – Two-Way – Hernandez, Dewan Out G League – On Assignment – Johnson, Stanley Out Injury/Illness – Left Groin; Stress reaction – McCaw, Patrick Out Injury/Illness – Left Knee; Surgery – Ponds, Shamorie Out G League – Two-Way – Thomas, Matt Out Injury/Illness – Left Finger; Middle; fracture – distal phalanx – VanVleet, Fred Questionable Injury/Illness – Right Knee; Contusion
NOTE-A-BULL FOR TONIGHT
Dating to Dec. 2 at Sacramento, Lauri Markkanen has made four three-point field goals in each of his last four outings. This is the longest such streak with four-plus threes of his career and it is tied for the longest such streak by a Bulls player in team history, which was originally set by Nikola Mirotić from March 22-30, 2017. Only two players in the league have accomplished this in five straight games this seasons, Houston’s James Harden (six games) and Washington’s Davis Bertans (five).
TEAM NOTE-A-BULLS
Chicago is forcing the opposition to the turn the ball over a league-best 18.3 times per game this season. Its opponents have committed 20-or-more turnovers seven times this season, which are tied for the most occurrences in the league.
Over its last 10 games, Chicago opponents are shooting .322 from beyond the arc. The only other teams in the league whose opposition is shooting a worse 3-point field goal percentage in its last 10 contests are Denver (.306) Dallas (.306). Overall, Bulls opponents this season are shooting .327 from 3-point range, the third-lowest percentage in the league.
As a team, the Bulls have totaled 401 deflections, which are the most among Eastern Conference teams and ranks third in the league.
The Chicago Bulls 515 points off turnovers are the most in the league. The next closest team are the L.A. Lakers with 455.
Chicago’s 228 steals lead the league. Since 1983-84, the only other seasons in team history the Bulls had more steals through their first 24 games was 1994-95 (231) and 1990-91 (248).
Across the first 23 games of the 2019-20 season, the Bulls are outscoring the opposition, 634-597, in the first quarter. The +37 point differential in the opening frame is the fourth-best in the Eastern Conference and seventh in the league. Over the last five seasons, .861 percent of teams that finish the season with a positive +/- in the first quarter have made the postseason.
The Bulls held the Heat to 49 first-half points on Sunday representing the fifth time in its last 10 games Chicago opponents have scored 50-or-less points in a game’s opening half. Overall, the Bulls are allowing the opposition to score an average of 52.2 points per first half this season, which is the sixth lowest average in the league.
Chicago knocked down 13 threes on Sunday, representing the team’s sixth consecutive contest with 10-plus 3-point field goals dating back to Nov. 29 at Portland. This is tied for the fourth-longest such streak in team history and it is the longest since they did it in seven straight from Oct. 22-Nov. 2, 2018.
The Bulls, 106-99, win against the Grizzlies on Wednesday was the team’s first wire-to-wire victory of the season.
The first half on Wednesday saw Chicago outscore Memphis, 50-35. The Grizzlies’ 35 points were the fewest the Bulls had allowed in a game’s opening half since they held the Nets to 32 points in the first half on April 12, 2017. The last time Chicago held a Western Conference opponent to fewer points in a first half was Dec. 8, 2016 against San Antonio (32 points).
Chicago swatted a season-high 13 shots on Wednesday, the most they have had in a single game since blocking 18 shots on Jan. 1, 2015 vs. Denver.
PLAYER NOTE-A-BULLS
Coby White made three of his attempts from 3-point range on Sunday bringing his career total to 51 threes. He is the only rookie this season who has totaled at least 50 3-point field goals and he is ninth player in league history to make 50-or-more threes within a player’s first 24 career games. He joins Markkanen (55 threes) as the only Bulls in team history to accomplish this.
On Sunday, White dished out a career-high eight assists, which were the most in a single game by a Bulls rookie since Derrick Rose had 11 assists on April 15, 2009 against Toronto.
Thaddeus Young on Sunday went 5-10 (.500) from field, good for his 339th career game with a field-goal percentage of at least .500 when attempting 10-or-more shots. The 339 occurrences are the ninth-most among active players.
With 18 points on Sunday, Zach LaVine’s season total now stands at 536. He is one of 13 players in the league and one of five in the Eastern Conference to reach the 500-point mark this season. This is the second consecutive season in which LaVine has totaled at least 500 points within the team’s first 25 games of a campaign. He joins current member of the Miami Heat, Jimmy Butler (twice), as the only Chicago players to accomplish this multiple times since 2000-01.
Satoransky’s five assists on Friday moved his career total to 900 assists (now 902). With 291 career turnovers, he joins Memphis’ Tyus Jones (928 assists, 207 turnovers) as the only active players in the league with at least 900 assists and fewer than 300 turnovers.
Kris Dunn (three steals) recorded his 14th multi-steal game of the season on Sunday, which are tied for the most such games in the league. His 48 total steals are the second-most in the league.
White hit four shots beyond the arc on Friday, his fifth game of the season with four-plus threes. The five such games are the most among rookies.
LaVine on Wednesday dropped a team-high 25 points. In each of Chicago’s four games from Nov. 27-Dec.4, all of which came against a team from the West, LaVine scored 25-plus points. The last Bulls player to accomplish this when Chicago had played at least four consecutive contests against Western Conference opponents was Hall of Famer Michael Jordan in four straight from Nov. 20-25, 1997 (Elias Sports Bureau).
Wendell Carter Jr. and Daniel Gafford each blocked four shots on Wednesday. This was the first time two Bulls each blocked at least four shots in a single game since Dec. 2, 2015, versus Denver when Pau Gasol (four) and Joakim Noah (four) each accomplished this.
Twelve of Markkanen’s 20 points on Wednesday came from beyond the arc. The four threes brought his career total to 300 (now 312) 3-point field goals. In 141 career games, he became the fifth-fastest player in league history to make 300 threes behind Portland’s Damian Lillard (117 games), Utah’s Donovan Mitchell (132), Minnesota’s Robert Covington (134) and Golden State’s Klay Thompson (138).
Satoransky is averaging 5.2 assists and 2.1 turnovers per game this season. He joins Milwaukee’s Eric Bledsoe (5.6 apg, 2.2 tpg.), Indiana’s T.J. McConnell (5.0, 1.5), Washington’s Isaiah Thomas (5.1, 2.2), Toronto’s Fred VanVleet (7.0, 2.4) and Boston’s Kemba Walker (5.0, 2.2) as the only qualifying Eastern Conference players who are averaging at least 5.0 assists and fewer than 2.5 turnovers per game this season.
Carter Jr. (106) is one of four players in the league with at least 100 screen assists joining Utah’s Rudy Gobert (163), Indiana’s Domantas Sabonis (162) and Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson (103).
UNCONSCIOUS To cap off his career-best 49-point performance on Nov. 23, Zach LaVine hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds remaining. This was the second time in his Bulls career he made a game-winning shot with 1.0 second-orless remaining in the game. Since 2000-01, he is the only Bulls player to make two such shots.
150 On Nov. 23, Wendell Carter Jr. brought down his 150th career offensive rebound in his 61st career game. He became the fourth-fastest player in team history to reach this total behind Elton Brand (33 games), Charles Oakley (56) and Taj Gibson (57).
WHITE’S NIGHT On Nov. 12 vs. New York, Bulls rookie Coby White scored 27 points. Twenty-three of his points came in fourth quarter, the most by a Bulls rookie in any quarter since 2000-01. He made seven threes in the quarter, an NBA rookie quarter record, and he became the youngest player in NBA history to make at least seven threes in a game.
NBA ALL-STAR 2020 Chicago will host 69th annual NBA All-Star at the United Center on Sunday, Feb. 16, marking the third NBA All-Star in Chicago. In addition to the All-Star Game, the United Center will be the venue for the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 14, as well as State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, which features the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, the JBL Three-Point Contest and the Verizon Slam Dunk. Wintrust Arena, home of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, will host the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and All-Star Game practices.
Hate the result, but don’t waste time second guessing the process. Read More
Blaming Nurse for thinking outside the box is a bit rich — Toronto Sun
– Raptors-Rockets was an interesting “experiment,” as Nick Nurse put it. Nurse decided to try something new against James Harden. Did it work? Well, Houston won, but if Ben McLemore is going to hit eight threes against you, as Jay Triano once said, “What the F__ are you gonna do?” If I’m armchair quarterbacking, though, […]
Woz Blog: No need to panic as Raptors reintegrate Lowry, Ibaka — Toronto Sun. …
The Boston Celtics might be getting Gordon Hayward back a little sooner than expected. When the star forward fractured his hand Nov. 9 in San Antonio and promptly got surgery, the ideal timeline was him returning for the Celtics’ Christmas game against the Toronto Raptors. Updates on Hayward have been positive at every turn, and…
Gordon Hayward Injury: Brad Stevens Gives Promising Update On Celtics Star — NESN.com
(14-7) HOUSTON ROCKETS, 119 VS. (15-6) TORONTO RAPTORS, 109 SCOTIABANK ARENA THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2019
TORONTO RAPTORS QUOTES
NICK NURSE (HEAD COACH)
On the amount of threes Houston took… I think that we gave up a couple too many. I think there is a twenty number there and there was a couple of crucial ones and things like that. But I don’t think we played offence well enough. I thought we missed open shots, we just didn’t shoot it very well on the back end. We had a few careless possessions where they scored in transition so it really had nothing to do with the double teams or the offensive rebounding. I think the transition defence hurt us, they did a good job of capitalizing whenever we turned it over and I just think we didn’t play offence well enough either. We didn’t shoot well enough and we didn’t play it well enough.
Is it players not moving on offence? It was just us not being as sharp as we needed to be versus the switching. We really gave in to the switching and when you are switching all over the floor you are trying to keep the ball in front of you and when they would make a switch we would make a six or seven dribbles with the same player. That is falling right into what they want you to do. They load up the rest of players and you are playing one on one and you are not getting as good of looks. Then we always say keep playing, just keep playing through the switches, and don’t react to the switches. We have to be better at that. We are normally better than that offensively.
On Pascal Siakam’s aggressiveness… I think again this is a little bit of a learning work in progress with him, about what is going on each night, what coverages he is seeing, where help is coming from etcetera. I think you need to make your moves and be aggressive but when there are more bodies there you got to be able to find the next play out. I think he knows where his spots are and I think he would probably be the first one to say he probably outside of his spots where he was, makes that spin move and he is not quite to where he wants to be. Well, those probably have to go out, but again it’s a little bit of a learning process and finding those things and we got to be good to get the spacing right, the relocation right and all that stuff so he does have an outlet and space to operate in.
PASCAL SIAKAM (24 points, nine rebounds)
Were you satisfied with how aggressive you were offensively tonight?
I think I did a decent job early on. I got into it a little bit, with the fouls and I felt like, maybe it was fouls, but I have to find a way to not let that take me out of my game or out of rhythm, and just continue to play. But I think early on I was aggressive enough, got a couple of fouls, but I think I did a decent job, you know maybe out there in the fourth quarter finding other ways to score and attack better. I think overall I’m pretty satisfied with what we did. We didn’t play as well, we were banking on them not making shots and they did, so you are going to take that and that was the game plan. Maybe we could have executed a little better, but we will take that.
On double-teaming Harden as much you did… At the end of the day you have to give something up. If we doubled Harden that means someone is going to be open and like I said, we were banking on them not making those shots and they did. I don’t know if you are happy with the result, but that’s what you want to give up; you are going to take that.
FRED VANVLEET (20 points, six rebounds, five assists) On the risk versus reward of doubling Harden…
I thought we did a pretty good job on executing our game plan. I don’t think you make that gamble expecting them to shoot 40 percent and make 22, so give those guys credit, they knocked down shots. That’s what we came up with before the game and you just try to go out there and execute the game plan to the best of your ability. I thought we could have flew around a little bit more, chased down some rebounds to be perfect in it, but for the most part we did a pretty good job. I just thought our offence got stalled out at times and didn’t really help us as much. What did they score, 120 or 119? We would have needed to score a bit more and make some more shots and that’s the game, you roll the dice sometimes and sometimes you lose.
KYLE LOWRY (19 points, five rebounds, eight assists)
On the defensive game plan tonight… I’m not happy we lost the game. At the end of the day, coach and coaching staff put this game plan in and we followed it. We took a chance and we believed in it as players, and they made shots. Ben McLemore eight threes, PJ Tucker, five. Those guys made shots and made threes.
On taking a few games to integrate players back into lineup… You do have a full team and you get guys back. I know people say this, that and the other, but you have to have a full team. When you get everybody healthy, everyone has to find themselves again. It takes time and you know two games, we are 15-6 and I’m sure the world, the earth, is not falling right now, so we are just going to get better and worry about ourselves and continue to get better.
HOUSTON ROCKETS QUOTES
MIKE D’ANTONI (HEAD COACH)
Did you expect them to come out of that (double team of James Harden) to take something else away? They’re known to change up, I didn’t know what they were going to do, triangle and two, box and one, whatever. But the other guys stepped up and James (Harden) is more than happy to just draw the double team. Other than Russ (Russell Westbrook) and James, we took 40 threes and made 19 of them. That’s what you’ve got to do, is wide open shots just knock them down. We put up 119 with James only having 23, so that’s good.
On James contributing defensively as well…
He’s one of our better defenders. A post defender, he’s one of the best in the league and then when he’s on somebody he wants to stop, he carries such a burden sometimes he has lapses as anybody who gets tired would, but he’s a very good defender. He did it tonight, he took the challenge.
DANUEL HOUSE JR. (16 points, three assists)
On Toronto’s defense… We were just trying to find the best open shot. It didn’t matter who took the open shot, we just wanted to make sure that we were all contributing and making the right basketball play to help us win.
Did it surprise you that Toronto stuck with that defense all game? Yeah. After guys start hitting a few shots usually coaches change their defensive scheme. I guess they felt like we were going to cool down, but when you’re giving guys – NBA pros – open looks like that, especially with the amount of time we had, guys are going to knock it down all night.
JAMES HARDEN (23 points, seven rebounds, three assists, five steals)
How much better do you feel the team is at executing against some of these defenses? We’re good. We’re good, especially when we are making shots. We’ve seen so many different defenses throughout the course of the year. Tonight was the first time seeing this defense, but guys did an unbelievable job of moving their bodies and being ready to shoot.
With that many corner threes did you think they were going to change their defensive scheme? I don’t know what they were thinking, but they did a really good job of packing the paint. Even without that defense they are one of the top three in paint points, so we knew we were going to have open threes.
Did you expect to see the blitz for 48 minutes? Nope, and I’ve been seeing it all year long, all year long. All year long I’ve been seeing it, so nothing changed that’s why it was no surprise. That’s why we were able to capitalize like we did. If teams want to go at us like that, it’s opportunities for guys to step up, which I think everybody did.
FINAL SCORE: HOUSTON ROCKETS 119, TORONTO RAPTORS 109
DATE: DECEMBER 5, 2019 ATTENDANCE: 19,800 (Sellout)
FINAL SCORE RECORD HIGH POINTS HIGH REBOUNDS HIGH ASSISTS
Houston 119 14-7 McLemore – 28 Capela/Westbrook – 13 Westbrook – 11 Toronto 109 15-6 Siakam – 24 Siakam – 9 Lowry – 8
KEY RUN Leading 101-100 with 8:39 remaining in the fourth, Houston went on a 12-3 to push the lead to 10 with 6:34 left … Toronto would cut the deficit to six twice in the final four minutes but couldn’t pull any closer.
KEY STAT The Rockets set opponent franchise records in both three-point field goals made and attempted (22-for-55) for a single game … Ben McLemore led the attack from beyond the arc with a career-high eight three-pointers … McLemore’s 17 three-point attempts were also the most attempted by an opposing player in franchise history.
RAPTORS NOTES:
• With the loss, Toronto falls to 15-6 this season and 9-2 at home … The Raptors have lost consecutive games first the first time this season … Toronto begins a two-game road trip Sunday at Philadelphia.
• The Raptors outscored Houston 50-28 in the paint
. • Fred VanVleet finished with 20 points in 38 minutes – his sixth 20-point game in the last eight games … VanVleet is averaging 21.3 points during this stretch. • The Raptors had five players score double figures – Pascal Siakam (24), VanVleet (20), Kyle Lowry (19), Norman Powell (14) and Serge Ibaka (10) … Siakam led the team in scoring for the 13th time … Powell has now scored 10 or more points in 10 of the last 11 games.
ROCKETS NOTES: • With the win, Houston improves to 14-7 on the season and 6-5 on the road … The Rockets have won three of their last four games … The victory snapped a three-game winless streak on the road.
• Houston has now won three in a row vs. Toronto, including its last two trips north of the border.
• The Rockets outrebounded Toronto 54-45, including 20-12 on the offensive glass … Houston had a 24-16 scoring advantage second chance points.
• Ben McLemore scored a season-high 28 points in 29 minutes – his fourth 20-point game of the season and second in the last three games … Someone other than James Harden led the Rockets in scoring for the first time since Russell Westbrook paced Houston in points on opening night (Oct. 24) with 24.
• James Harden recorded 23 points and a season-high five steals in 40 minutes. • Russell Westbrook posted his second consecutive triple-double and fifth of the season with 19 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in 36 minutes of action … Westbrook’s six career triple-doubles against the Raptors are the most by any player.
• The Rockets had five players score in double digits – McLemore (28), Harden (23), Westbrook (19), PJ Tucker (18) and Danuel House Jr. (16).
The view from left field 