RAPTORS TO SELL LIMITED NUMBER OF TICKETS FOR TAMPA GAMES

TORONTO RAPTORS ANNOUNCE PLANS TO HOST LIMITED NUMBER OF FANS FOR GAMES AT TAMPA’S AMALIE ARENA WITH RIGOROUS NBA AND LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH PROTOCOLS

Tickets go on sale Thursday at Ticketmaster.com for December 18 pre-season game and first 11 regular-season games

As the Toronto Raptors prepare to play home games for the opening of the 2020-21 NBA season at Tampa’s Amalie Arena, the team announced plans to host a limited number of fans beginning with its pre-season game against the Miami Heat on Friday, December 18. Tickets for the pre-season game, and the first 11 regular-season games, will go on sale Thursday morning, Dec. 17.

Fan attendance protocols will involve extensive health and safety measures, including socially distanced seat availability. There will be fewer than 3,200 seats available for the pre-season game, and 3,800 seats for regular-season games. There will be no floor seats, and no seats sold within 30 feet of the court. Additional measures include: all fans two years of age or older being required to wear a mask for the duration of their time within the venue; enhanced surface and air disinfection systems; physical distancing in the stands and while navigating the venue; a health survey screening for all guests as they enter the facility; cashless payments in the parking lot and for food and beverage services; and bags are prohibited for all Raptors games at the arena.

“In these unique and challenging times, the Raptors are grateful to be able to work closely with the NBA, the Lightning organization and local public health officials to create a safe opportunity for a limited number of fans to take in games,” said Tom McDonald, Vice President of Ticket Sales and Service for MLSE. “As the Raptors call Tampa home for the start of the NBA season, the team looks forward to the opportunity to thank the community for their support while continually emphasizing the important steps required of all of us for a full return of fans when it is safe to do so.”

Tickets for Raptors home games will be sold on Ticketmaster.com starting as low as $30 beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday with the sale of the pre-season game along with the first 11 regular seasons games through to the end of January. As an extended health and safety measure, all tickets will be accessible by mobile only.

“AMALIE Arena is thrilled to play host to the Raptors and the NBA and we are proud of our partnerships with local public health agencies that allows a safe return to live events,” said Steve Griggs, Chief Executive Officer of the Tampa Bay Lightning and AMALIE Arena. “The safety of our guests and our community is our top priority and these rigorous health and safety protocols have been put in place to ensure that our fans’ experience at AMALIE Arena is both safe and enjoyable. We look forward to a safe and successful stay in Tampa for the Raptors.”

Raptors GM on season after 3 positive tests: ‘We think, following these protocols, we can get through this’ — WFLA

The general manager of the Toronto Raptors, Bobby Webster, is not overly concerned about the three positive COVID-19 tests discovered within the organization prior to the start of training camp.
Raptors GM on season after 3 positive tests: ‘We think, following these protocols, we can get through this’ — WFLA

Ujiri: Raptors’ unique trait is ‘togetherness,’ says Toronto will adapt to Tampa — Global News

As the NBA’s only team playing outside of its market — and country — this season, the Toronto Raptors have numerous hurdles to clear.
Ujiri: Raptors’ unique trait is ‘togetherness,’ says Toronto will adapt to Tampa — Global News

RAPTORS FIRST-HALF SCHEDULE

RAPTORS SCHEDULE NOTES

RAPTORS ANNOUNCE 2020-21 FIRST HALF SCHEDULE

The Toronto Raptors announced their 2020-21 first half schedule on Friday. The Raptors will tip off their 26th season in the National Basketball Association on Wednesday, Dec. 23 when they host New Orleans at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Amalie Arena will be the team’s home for at least the first half of their schedule. This marks the 11th time in the past 12 seasons – and the 20th time in team history – the Raptors have started the regular season at home. Toronto’s road debut is set for Friday, Dec. 26 when they visit San Antonio.

The longest homestand of the first half schedule is five games from Jan. 14-22, while the longest road trip is six games which occurs Feb. 2-12. The Raptors will have five back-to-back sets, with four of those being a road games followed by another road game.

The first half schedule features seven U.S. national television appearances. Toronto has three games on NBATV and two games apiece on ESPN and TNT. The Raptors local television schedule will be released at a later date.

This season marks Toronto’s 17th in the Atlantic Division, joining Boston, Brooklyn, New York and Philadelphia. The Raptors were a member of the Central Division from 1995-2004.

For the first half schedule, all weekday home games will start at 7:30 p.m. Weekend home games will tip at either 6 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.

Each team will play 72 games in the 2020-21 season, facing each opponent in its conference three times (42 total games per team) and each opponent in the other conference twice (30 total games per team). In the First Half, each team will play 37 or 38 games, including a minimum of 17 home games and a maximum of 20. Nearly 52% of all regular-season games (558 of 1,080) have been scheduled for the First Half.

The schedule incorporates steps to reduce travel, including the use of a “series” model. In some instances where a team is scheduled to play twice in one market, those games have been scheduled to be played consecutively. Each team will play an average of four “series” in the First Half – two at home and two on the road. Additional steps include more instances of teams playing consecutive road games against teams that are geographically close, and roughly 50% fewer instances of teams making single-game road trips.

RAPTORS 2020-21 FIRST HALF SCHEDULE NOTES

Atlantic Division

Boston (H: 1/4, A: 2/12, 3/4); Brooklyn (A: 2/5); New York (H: 12/31); Philadelphia (H: 2/21, 2/23, A: 12/29); Total (H: 4, A: 4)

Central Division

Chicago (H: 2/28); Detroit (H: 3/2); Indiana (A: 1/24, 1/25); Milwaukee (H: 1/27, A: 2/16, 2/18); Total (H: 3, A: 4)

Southeast Division

Atlanta (A: 2/6); Charlotte (H: 1/14, 1/16); Miami (H: 1/20, 1/22, A: 2/24); Orlando (H: 1/31, A: 2/2); Washington (A: 2/10); Total (H: 5, A: 4)

Northwest Division

Minnesota (H: 2/14, A: 2/19); Portland (A: 1/11); Total (H: 1, A: 2)

Pacific Division

Golden State (A: 1/10); Phoenix (A: 1/6); Sacramento (H: 1/29, A: 1/8); Total (H: 1, A: 3)

Southwest Division

Dallas (H: 1/18); Houston (H: 2/26); Memphis (A: 2/8); New Orleans (H: 12/23, A: 1/2); San Antonio: (A: 12/26); Total (H: 3, A: 3)

Games by Month
December:	4 (2 home, 2 road)	January:	16 (9 home, 7 road)
February:	15 (5 home, 10 road)	March:	2 (1 home, 1 road)

Games by Day
Sunday:	6 (4 home, 2 road)	Monday:	5 (2 home, 3 road)
Tuesday:	5 (2 home, 3 road)	Wednesday:	6 (3 home, 3 road)
Thursday:	4 (2 home, 2 road)	Friday:	7 (3 home, 4 road)
Saturday:	4 (1 home, 3 road)

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Longest Homestand

5 games: 1/14 vs. Charlotte, 1/16 vs. Charlotte, 1/18 vs. Dallas, 1/20 vs. Miami, 1/22 vs. Miami.

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Longest Road Trip

6 games: 2/2 at Orlando, 2/5 at Brooklyn, 2/6 at Atlanta, 2/8 at Memphis, 2/10 at Washington, 2/12 at Boston.

Back-to-Back-Games
Overall: 5
Home game, followed by home games: 0	Home game, followed by road game: 1
Road game, followed by home game: 0	Road game, followed by road game: 4

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Raptors set roster

RAPTORS FINALIZE TRAINING CAMP ROSTER

The Toronto Raptors have finalized their 2020-21 training camp roster after making the following signings. The roster currently stands at the maximum of 20 players.

· Restricted free agent forward Oshae Brissett and free agent centre Henry Ellenson have signed multi-year contracts.

· 2020 first round draft pick Malachi Flynn (29th overall) has signed a rookie scale contract.

· 2020 second round draft pick Jalen Harris (59th overall) has signed a two-way contract.

· Free agent forwards Alize Johnson (AL-uh-zay) and Yuta Watanabe (YOU-tuh wah-tuh-NAH-bay) have signed one-year Exhibit-10 contracts.

The team will hold individual workouts and training camp at Saint Leo University, located just a few miles north of Tampa, in the town of Saint Leo in Pasco County, from Dec. 1 – 11. All workouts and practices will be closed to the public. Additionally, no visitors will be permitted at the Marion Bowman Activities Center during this time. Daily player and coach media availabilities will be virtual, and there will be no in-person opportunities for b-roll or interviews.

2020-21 TORONTO RAPTORS ROSTER

(as of December 1, 2020)

NO.	PLAYER	POS	HT	WT	BIRTHDATE	PRIOR TO NBA / HOME COUNTRY	NBA EXP.
3	OG Anunoby	F	6-8	232	7/17/1997	Indiana / England	3
	Aron Baynes	C	6-10	260	12/9/1986	Washington State / New Zealand	8
95	DeAndre’ Bembry	F	6-5	210	7/4/1994	Saint Joseph’s / USA	4
25	Chris Boucher	F	6-10	200	1/11/1993	Oregon / Canada	3
11	Oshae Brissett	F	6-8	210	6/20/1998	Syracuse / Canada	1
0	Terence Davis II	G	6-4	205	5/16/1997	Mississippi / USA	1
44	Henry Ellenson	C	6-10	240	1/13/1997	Marquette / USA	4
8	Malachi Flynn	G	6-1	185	5/10/1998	San Diego State / USA	R
2	Jalen Harris*	G	6-5	195	8/14/1998	Nevada / USA	R
12	Alize Johnson	F	6-9	212	4/22/1996	Missouri State / USA	2
5	Stanley Johnson	F	6-7	245	5/29/1996	Arizona / USA	5
27	Alex Len	C	7-0	250	6/16/1993	Maryland / Ukraine	7
7	Kyle Lowry	G	6-1	196	3/25/1986	Villanova / USA	14
22	Patrick McCaw	F	6-7	185	10/25/1995	UNLV / USA	4
24	Norman Powell	G	6-4	215	5/25/1993	UCLA / USA	5
43	Pascal Siakam	F	6-9	230	4/2/1994	New Mexico State / Cameroon	4
21	Matt Thomas	G	6-4	190	8/4/1994	Iowa State / USA	1
23	Fred VanVleet	G	6-0	195	2/25/1994	Wichita State / USA	4
18	Yuta Watanabe	F	6-9	205	10/13/1994	George Washington / Japan	2
1	Paul Watson*	G-F	6-6	210	12/30/1994	Fresno State / USA	1
*Two-way contract player

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Raptors to play three preseason games

RAPTORS PRESEASON SCHEDULE

The Toronto Raptors announced Friday they will play a three-game preseason schedule as part of the 2020-21 campaign. The Raptors will travel to play two games at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. The first game against the Hornets will played Dec. 12 at 7 p.m., followed by another game Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. The Raptors will return to their temporary home in Tampa and complete the preseason by hosting the Miami Heat at Amalie Arena on Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. Broadcast details for the preseason will be provided at a later date.

DATE	OPPONENT	LOCATION	TIME
Dec. 12	Charlotte	at Charlotte	7:00 p.m.
Dec. 14	Charlotte	at Charlotte	7:00 p.m.
Dec. 18	Miami	at Tampa	7:00 p.m.

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VanVleet says he’s excited about Raptors’ time in Tampa — The China Post, Taiwan

Fred VanVleet hasn’t been back to Toronto since March and isn’t sure when he’ll be back to the city that he’ll technically be calling home for at least the next four years.In the interim, warm weather will suit him just fine.VanVleet — the guard who finalized his four-year, $85 million contract to remain with the Raptors on Tuesday — said he’s excited for the team’s looming temporary move to Tampa, Florida. Toronto will play its home games for at least the first part of this season in Tampa because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and how the U.S-Canada border remains closed to non-essential travel.“Toronto has turned into my second home, so obviously we miss the city but I think we’ve got to be excited about what’s ahead of us,” VanVleet said. “I can’t not be excited. It won’t make the experience that great. So, we were in Florida for a while with the bubble in Orlando and right back there in Tampa, so hopefully it’s a good experience.”For the second time this year, the Sunshine State becomes home-away-from-home for the Raptors. They were in Fort Myers, Florida in June for training camp before moving to the restart bubble in Lake Buena Vista, Florida — near Orlando — for the resumption of the regular season and then their Eastern Conference playoff matchups against Brooklyn and Boston. They left the bubble in mid-September after being eliminated by the Celtics in the second round, and not even three months later, they’re headed back for training camp and soon a new season.The bubble had no fans until the NBA Finals, and that was limited to basically just player family members. The ticketing situation for Raptors’ “home” games in Tampa remains unclear, and some NBA teams have already said they’ll open the season with no fans in the seats.“I think it’s less of a sting because we haven’t played in front of fans in so long, but also once we knew that Toronto was up in the air as far as us being able to return, I was just happy that it was somewhere warm,” VanVleet said. “So, Tampa is right there and, and hopefully we’ll spend our time there and do what we got to do and then make our way back to Toronto at some point.”Keeping VanVleet — who averaged a career-best 17.6 points last season and was a key part of the Raptors’ run to the 2019 NBA championship in Kawhi Leonard’s lone season with the team — was a top priority for Toronto this offseason. The Raptors will look different; Marc Gasol went to the Los Angeles Lakers and Serge Ibaka to the Los Angeles Clippers, and VanVleet is of the belief that the Raptors are being written off again in the same way they were in past years.“I’m excited about what we’ve got,” VanVleet said. “I think we’re kind of headed back in a direction where we were pre-Kawhi, where people are overlooking us again — which is not a bad place to be in. So, we’ve got a lot of work to do and we’ve got to get a lot better as individuals. We’ll roll out there and see what we can do. I’m excited. I can’t wait to get back to work.”___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
VanVleet says he’s excited about Raptors’ time in Tampa — The China Post, Taiwan

Clippers nab veteran center Serge Ibaka on Day 2 of NBA free agency — Whittier Daily News

At the end of a quiet second day of NBA free agency, the Clippers made some noise. That sound? Celebration. And maybe some relief. Serge Ibaka agreed to a deal with the Clippers on Saturday evening, according to multiple reports. The 7-footer reportedly will sign for two years, $19 million, with a player option for…
Clippers nab veteran center Serge Ibaka on Day 2 of NBA free agency — Whittier Daily News

Raptors to play in Tampa

STATEMENT FROM MASAI UJIRI

“The Raptors worked diligently with public health officials at the local, provincial and federal level to secure a plan that would permit us to play our 2020-21 season on home soil and on our home court at Scotiabank Arena. These conversations were productive, and we found strong support for the protocols we put forward. Ultimately, the current public health situation facing Canadians, combined with the urgent need to determine where we will play means that we will begin our 2020-21 season in Tampa, Florida.

We want to thank all levels of government and their public health officials for their dedication to this process, and for looking after the health of Canadians. We commit to continuing our work together, planning for a safe return to play in Toronto. And as an organization, we remain committed to doing all we can to promote and demonstrate public health measures to help combat the spread of COVID-19 in Canada.

So we’ll be away from our home and our fans for now. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I’m not sure that’s possible for us – we love Toronto and Canada, and we know we have the best fans in the NBA. For now, I’ll ask you to cheer for us from afar, and we’ll look forward to the day we are all together again.”

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Deputy public health chief says challenges remain for Toronto Raptors to play at home — Global News

Canada’s deputy chief of public health says the Toronto Raptors have presented a good plan to play at home this coming NBA season, but concerns remain over enforcing strict health protocols and travel over the border with the United States.

Dr. Howard Njoo said Friday that public health officials from Ontario, Toronto and the Public Health Agency of Canada have had discussions with the Raptors, who are hoping to play at Scotiabank Arena despite spikes in COVID-19 cases at home and in the U.S.

Deputy public health chief says challenges remain for Toronto Raptors to play at home — Global News

NBA Rumors: Raptors Likely Could Make Tampa Bay Area Temporary Home — NESN.com

Sign In First, it was Louisville. Then, it was Nashville. Now, it looks like the Tampa Bay area is emerging at one of the Toronto Raptors top choices for a temporary home should they not be able to play the NBA’s 2020-21 season in Canada. Naturally, the Raptors would prefer to play at home if…
NBA Rumors: Raptors Likely Could Make Tampa Bay Area Temporary Home — NESN.com