DeRozan looks good as Raptors beat Bucks | Toronto Sun
DeRozan didn’t shoot better than 36.4% at any point during the exhibition schedule, and had been 12-for-32 (37.5%) through two contests, though, to be fair, some of the attempts were good ones from in close that just didn’t fall. He made seven of 13 shots. Against the Bucks, the NBA’s worst-defending team so far statistically (small sample size alert), DeRozan bailed out a stagnant offence with two scores and a couple of assists in the first quarter, then added nine more points in the second. With Valanciunas having his way with Greg Monroe (he matched DeRozan’s 13 first-half points) and thanks to nine offensive rebounds, the lead was 14 points.
Raptors offer complete effort, stay perfect with win over Bucks | Toronto Star
The Raptors were ready for a Bucks team that has lost its way defensively, giving up 122 points to the Knicks in a season-opening loss and 118 in another to the Washington Wizards on Friday. Led by Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 20 points and nine rebounds, the Bucks have time to turn things around, but it wasn’t happening Sunday. Milwaukee led by three points very early, but the Raptors turned a five-point first-quarter lead into 10 at halftime and opened it up to 21 in the second half. The Bucks scored 30 in the third and got within six, 83-77, with six minutes to go before Terrence Ross’s 11 fourth-quarter points off the bench sparked a 14-0 run to blow the game open. Patrick Patterson played a part in that run and finished with 16 points. “I know one thing. We’re going to go out and compete for 48 minutes and until we get things tied together … there are going to be a lot of question marks,” Casey said. “But I like what we have. I like the fight, I like the toughness, I like our defence-first (mentality) and I like the way our offence moved the ball.” “I think we just went out there and played our game,” said Lowry, who had 15 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals. “We’re getting a lot more comfortable with each other, feeling out where we’re going to be.”
Raptors go for three with a win over the Bucks, 106-87 | Raptors HQ
“I think we just went out there tonight and played our game,” said Lowry afterwards, “We are getting a lot more comfortable with each other, feeling out where we are going to be and the spots on the floor where we need to be at.” For his part, Lowry had 15 points on 5-for-10 shooting and seven assists, Ross, who was dormant for most of the game, went full Terry Time in the fourth, hitting multiple threes to put the game out of reach for Milwaukee. Last but not least, Patrick Patterson continued his hot-shooting ways, confirmed he is probably best off-the-bench, and dropped in 16 points (including four 3s). How’s that for being where you need to be?
Undefeated Raptors rout Bucks, roll into ‘bear’ road trip with momentum | The Globe and Mail
“We didn’t do a good job at the end of the season, so it was going to be either me or Lou [Williams], and it was both … and Amir [Johnson]. It was tough, man, we had something really good. We were the No. 1 team in the East for 61 days and people really expected a lot from us and we didn’t fulfill those expectations.” Vasquez, who was averaging 9.5 points and 3.7 minutes over 23 minutes a night coming off the bench for Michael Carter-Williams, had nine points and four assists on Sunday.
Raptors 106, Bucks 87 – Bucks fall to 0-3 for first time since 1976 | Journal Sentinel
“We’re playing veteran teams that know how to move the ball and they’re swinging it,” Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. “We’re not slowing the ball down with high hands or deflections. “They’re shooting corner threes, which is one of the easiest shots in this league. Right now we’re having a tough time defending that.”
Still defenseless: Raptors 106 – Bucks 87 | Bucksketball
I wrote about this earlier, but it deserves emphasis: 18 offensive rebounds! That led to 19 second-chance points. O’Bryant was a big part of the problem, but Monroe struggled to keep Valanciunas off the glass, and DeMarre Carroll was sliding in for occasional offensive boards too. Defensive rebounding was a problem for Milwaukee last year, and it’s been a problem thus far this year as well.
The Toronto Raptors (3-0) stayed perfect on Sunday night thanks to another hot shooting night at the Air Canada Centre, connecting on 11/25 from deep and grabbing 18 offensive boards to fuel a 104-87 win over the still-winless Bucks (0-3). Jonas Valanciunas scored 19 points to lead six Raptors in double-digits, as Toronto took control of the game in the second quarter and was never seriously threatened the rest of the way out. After the Bucks closed to within 83-77 early in the fourth, Terrence Ross responded with three triples and a layup to spark a 14-0 run to put the game away.
Vasquez returns to Toronto, draws a media crowd | Journal Sentinel
“I miss the city; I miss the fans,” Vasquez said. “But it’s part of the business. You’ve got to move on.
Toronto Raptors show offensive dominance vs Bucks | Raptors Cage
Field goal shooting overall was a respectable 45%, 3PT% was again an amazing 44%, and 18 offensive rebounds meant again the boards were a dominant aspect. The scoring was brilliantly spread out, more so than in either of the previous games. There was no one dimensional play-calling and every one was able to get in on the act. Patterson showed starting potential with his 16 point game but it’ll be tough to take out Scola or Carroll who have been very effective this season thus far. Ross was again in good form – he scored 11 points, going 3-5 from beyond the arc.The Raptors were finding weapons left, right and centre tonight against a Bucks side that just had no answers.
Toronto Raptors facing tough contract decision on enigmatic Terrence Ross | National Post
Casey was referring to Friday night in Boston, when Ross was remarkable. He had 21 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter, and looked engaged on the other end. He was smooth, in rhythm and a big part of the Raptors putting the Celtics away. And then came the first half against the Bucks. On one possession, he lost track of Bucks guard Jerryd Bayless away from the ball, resulting in what should have been a Bucks basket. On the next, he stood flat-footed as Bayless cruised by him for a layup. In the second quarter, he got caught up in a maze of screens, losing Bayless again. He missed all three of his shots in the opening half, including a needless contested 18-foot jumper that doubled as a miscalculated attempt to try to get the Raptors two of the final three possessions in the first quarter. It was Ross at his worst, with Ross at his best still a fresh memory. That is when you remember that in his first three years, Ross has never recorded a player efficiency rating particularly close to even the league average, and his individual defence, which should be a strength given his quickness, has never been reliable.
Should the Raptors make a bet on Ross’ potential? | Sportsnet.ca
His last two games — parts of them, anyway — tell the tale perfectly. On Friday night against the Boston Celtics it was Ross who closed the door for Toronto, as he counted 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, making full use of his 21 minutes of floor time. But as the Raptors improved to 3-0 on the season with an easy 106-87 win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks Sunday, Ross was invisible, at least in the first half when he missed an open three, an open baseline jumper off an inbounds play and a runner he took without much conviction. Defensively he lost his man more than once as well. “Consistency is the key on both ends of the floor, not just his offence but his defence,” said Raptors head coach Dwane Casey, who became the winningest coach in Raptors history with his 157th win, passing Sam Mitchell. “And that’s a huge question with him.” It’s easy enough to suggest that Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri should show some tough love and let the deadline to sign Ross to a contract extension pass and let him prove his worth this season. Without an extension he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer. The Raptors would be able to match any offer he might get. Let him earn it. But even that is complicated.
Ross makes his case for last-minute extension | TSN
His natural ability has never been questioned. The Raptors’ biggest concern in committing long-term money to Ross is the 24-year-old’s inconsistency. Despite his unique and enticing skill set, which is growing increasingly valuable in today’s NBA, that game-to-game – and even possession-to-possession – unpredictability has plagued him throughout his first three seasons as a pro. He’s a former dunk champion with a 51-point game on his resume. He’s a 37 per cent career three-point shooter – having shot over 40 per cent from the corners in each of the last two seasons – and was considered to be Toronto’s top perimeter defender before taking a (massive) step back on that end last year (his defensive rating ranked last among the Raptors’ rotation players). This is what makes him such a frustrating player to watch. One night, when those tools are on display, he’ll look like a budding young star and the next you may not notice him at all. “Consistency, that’s the key, on both ends of the floor, not just his offence, be consistent defensively,” Casey said. “And that’s the huge question with him, can he be consistent?”
Terrence Ross hopes to sign a contract extension with Raptors before deadline | RealGM
8 mill a year… do it.
Has Terrence Ross earned extension from Raptors? | Raptors Rapture
There’s no point in thinking about money unless we decide whether Terrence should be extended at all, so let’s consider that first. TRoss was the #8 selection of Toronto in the 2012 NBA draft, and was viewed at the time as a reach. Most draft boards had Ross somewhere in the mid-teens. [20-second timeout: 2012 has turned out to be an odd year in the draft. Perhaps Bryan Colangelo should have selected giant centre Andre Drummond, whom Detroit scooped up next. After him, one needs to scroll into the second round to find gems like Draymond Green at #35 and Khris Middleton at #39. The balance of the first round selections are either rotation players (Evan Fournier, Jared Sullinger) or flops to date (Maurice Harkless, Royce White).] Sadly for Raptors fans, the skeptics have been right so far, as Ross has been a puzzle no one has cracked.
Raptors coach Dwane Casey notches record win against Bucks | CBC Sports
Dwane Casey entered the Raptors’ record book Sunday but would only talk about it begrudgingly. “I appreciate all the players that have been here,” Casey said in deflecting praise after his franchise-record 157th win as Toronto coach. “DeMar DeRozan has been here through all the whole number of wins. “We started, as Drake says, at the bottom. We’re not there yet. We started 30th in the league in defence and (did) a lot of building. And we’re still building. Nobody wants to hear that but we’re in the middle of a process of getting to where we need to go and we’re not done.”
Photo Credit: Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP
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