Too much Carmelo | Toronto Sun
Bosh is a lot of things, but he's not a ball-handler and you simply can't give him the ball in the open court and ask him to create.
He needs to play off people.
His frustration boiled over with 7:05 left when he got called for a technical foul. After Denver converted from the line, it led 111-93.
Bosh took a seat for good a minute later, making way for the return of Pops Mensah-Bonsu, who was claimed off waivers just prior to tipoff.
Bosh exited after scoring a season-low 13 points. He did record 14 rebounds.
It's doubtful Hedo Turkoglu's presence would have altered the outcome.
"I'm glad to be back,'' the engaging Mensah-Bonsu said. He'll be sporting his familiar No. 44 jersey.
"We had (roster) space,'' head coach Jay Triano said. "He gives us rebounding and energy."
Injuries have hit the Raptors, the latest being to Hedo Turkoglu, who was scratched last night because of a sore left hip. Antoine Wright, who missed Sunday's game in Phoenix with a sore ankle, was pencilled in to start at small forward.
Doug Smith’s Toronto Raptors blog
Chris Bosh is stronger this year, no doubt about it, and he’s rebounding more aggressively more consistently than he ever has. But he’s alone.
Andrea is what Andrea is, a good shooting big who every now and then goes to the rim. He can’t successfully guard Nene any more than you can so they had to try to junk up the defence to lessen the hit they would take.
Antoine Wright’s a lot of things. Strong enough and big enough to guard Carmelo Anthony are not two of them. So they had to junk up the defence on Anthony, too.
Chauncey? Stronger than Jose.
Kenyon Martin? Maybe the most under-rated post defender in the game and a veteran who knows all the tricks.
Graham’s wait well worth it – thestar.com
But the one thing about Graham is that he's never lacked in self-confidence, and while there were doubts about the future, they never really took hold.
"It was a little bit frustrating, but I knew I was going to end up somewhere," the ex-Raptor said Tuesday. "I knew I was going to end up on an NBA team because I'm an NBA player."
And so he is, a Denver Nugget, a rotation player on a good Western Conference team who finally found a home after a free-agent summer of waiting.
"It was very surprising," he said of the wait. "It was a long off-season. I was at a point where I didn't know where I was going to end up … it came down to the last minute and a few teams threw an offer out there so I jumped on Denver.
"I thought it suited me very well."
Raptors choke in Denver’s thin air – thestar.com
"We had no answer for them," said Raptors coach Jay Triano. "Their bigs dominated us. It was a game of points in the paint and they destroyed us."
And the damage was done by many.
Carmelo Anthony, 16 points in the first quarter and 32 in the game, went into the low post and abused whoever tried to guard him. And when Toronto sent a second defender, Anthony simply passed over and out of the double-team to teammates in the paint.
It was a clinic on how to shred a defence.
Raptors come up short in Denver – The Globe and Mail
“Carmelo did a good job of creating shots for other guys,” Raptors forward Antoine Wright said. “He’s just matured as a basketball player. He’s not only looking for his shot but he’s looking how to make players better and I think that’s what beat us tonight.”
After withstanding Smith’s seven-game suspension and a six-game trip consisting of three back-to-backs, the Nuggets weathered a determined Raptors team that was without forward Hedo Turkoglu but didn’t trail until midway through the third quarter.
Nuggets Roll Raptors, 130-112 – ESPN Video – ESPN
Anthony continues scoring tear with 32 in Nuggets' win
Exclusive Game Photos: Suns vs Raptors – Bright Side Of The Sun
Note from Max: Sorry bout the delay guys, but I've been on a 5 day 9 game tear (plus my day gig). On a good note, I have shots of Gentry and some of the other coaches. I could probably do a Gentry only slideshow, there's happy, sad, angry, the whole 7 dwarves in there.
Toronto Raptors vs Denver Nuggets Recap – November 17, 2009 – NBA – SB Nation
Smith said the Nuggets got a stern talking to from coach George Karl at halftime.
"Coach came in here and really let us have it," said Smith. "We were taking quick shots and that led to an easy offense for them. He let us know what was going to go on in the second half. We just produced."
Nuggets get pass happy against Raptors… (recap) – Denver Stiffs
The Nuggets held down the fast-forward button as the Raptors moved in slow motion after the break. Being at the game I couldn't really count, but Denver may have had 152 straight possessions that led to fastbreak points. (A bit of a stretch?) The Nuggets came out of the locker room and just owned the tempo of the second half. The Raptors started missing contested shots and the Nuggets took advantage in a major way. You could see the Raptors become deflated and Chirs Bosh even earned himself a technical foul after getting whistled for a double foul along with Birdman.
Bosh Will Consider Joining Wade — NBA FanHouse
"Much like those other teams that have discussed it with their respective free agents or potential free agents, all three of the players in question (Cleveland's James, Wade and Bosh) negotiated for flexibility for a reason to exercise that,'' Colangelo said in an interview with FanHouse. "The contract (extension to Bosh) has not been offered, it has not been discussed. It's been a point of the discussion from a standpoint of one of the options that is there.
Denver Daily – Melo, J.R. shoot down Raptors
So Karl inserted J.R. Smith into the game, and Smith went off.
In only 12 minutes of first half action, Smith scored 18 points, and his defense helped Denver chip away at the Raptors’ lead.
Then in the closing seconds of the half, Nene hit a streaking Melo for a lay-up, tying the game 64-64. But then things went horribly wrong for the Raptors. Big shots they made in the first half stopped falling in the second half and they just didn’t have the horses keep up with the Nuggets.
Denver almost immediately established they were going to take the game over in the third quarter, and Nene and Chris “Birdman” Andersen starting hitting the boards hard.
Raptors-Jazz Preview – Nov. 18, 2009 – NBA – CBSSports.com
"We had no answer for them inside," coach Jay Triano said. "They posted us up with 3s, and once you try to help on Carmelo (Anthony), when he's making shots, you try to help, he picks you apart by hitting bigs diving to the basket. That second half got away from us."
Toronto was missing Hedo Turkoglu, who sat out with a sore left hip. Antoine Wright, who is dealing with a sore left ankle, started in his place and finished with five points in 17 minutes. It's not certain if Turkoglu will play Wednesday.
Toronto's last win over Utah was a 98-86 victory in 2004. The Raptors have lost the last four in Salt Lake City by an average of 15.5 points.
Nuggets rout Raptors with Melo’s help – The Denver Post
With his retired number in the Pepsi Center rafters, Nuggets legend Alex English watched Tuesday night as Carmelo Anthony played like, well, Alex English.
"The fact that he can score reminds me of me," said English, a Toronto Raptors assistant coach. "Just watching him, he looks stronger than ever. He looks confident."
NBA.com – Raptors/Nuggets Recap
"They cranked it up with their defense in the second half and it made it a lot more difficult," Toronto coach Jay Triano said.
The Nuggets came into the game ranked sixth in the league in scoring, but they feel their defense is the key to winning this year.
"With the way that we can score the ball, 15 game minutes, 16 game minutes of good, solid defense is going to lead to us to have a comfortable lead most nights," Billups said.
It took less than three minutes of defense to put away Toronto. Leading 97-89 heading into the fourth, Denver went on a 9-0 run in the first 2:18 of the quarter to go up by 17 and remove drama from the game.
"We turned the ball over 10 times in the second half and that's what fuels their tempo and gets them up and down," Triano said.
CBC News – Toronto – Anthony leads Nuggets over Raptors
Turkoglu missed the game with a sore left hip and was replaced in the starting lineup by Antoine Wright, who's dealing with a sore left ankle and finished with five points in 17 minutes. All the other starters reached double figures, as did reserves Marco Belinelli (16) and Sonny Weems (12).
Denver didn't grab its first lead until Anthony fed Kenyon Martin for a dunk that made it 70-68 early in the third.
Anthony passes on migraine to Raptors | The Coloradoan,
"It's funny, man, I still have one," Anthony said after the game. "I had the aftereffects. You know if you've ever had one, they don't just go away like that. It will still be lingering around. There were some points at the beginning of the game where I felt it and then some points when I didn't.
"And then I got hit in the head twice and that brought it all the way back."
Anthony used to get migraines all the time but hadn't had one in a while.
"That's why it was weird to all of a sudden wake up with one," he said. "Today I felt lethargic. All I can do is sleep. You've just got to sleep it away. I'm all right, though. I played. We won. I can't complain."
FOX Sports Video on MSN > Chris Bosh
Chris Bosh breaks it down.
While the judge apparently trusts Bosh and thinks he will do the right thing, her order appears to clearly violate federal and California law. The judge's order was issued pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 69(a). FRCP 69(a) states that a federal court may issue an order to execute on a judgment, but "[t]he procedure on execution — and in proceedings supplementary to and in aid of judgment or execution — must accord with the procedure of the state where the court is located."
Ball in Europe – Pops Mensah-Bonsu back with Toronto Euro-Raptors
The Raptors, well-known for their propensity to run with foreign players, adds Pops to a roster than can already put an all-European team out on the floor with guards Jose Calderon and Marco Belinelli, forwards Hedo Turkoglu and Andrea Bargnani, and seven-foot center Rasho Nesterovic.
Nuggets run all over Raps « That’s what I’m saying, guy…
Chris Bosh had a season-low 13 points but grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds for the Raptors, who actually had a 48-33 edge on the boards, including 19-3 on the offensive end. DeMar DeRozan led Toronto with a career-high 17 in just 22 minutes, and Jose Calderon had 16 and seven assists. Marco Belinelli and Sonny Weems chipped in off the bench with 16 and 12, respectively.
A trend? Win 2, Lose 2…Raptors searching for consistency – Hoop Heads North
The Raps need 48 minutes of defensive effort from all 12 players, whether at home or on the road. The Raptors have no problem scoring baskets (they have scored 99-plus points in all 11 games) – they must stop their opposition from doing it so frequently. The Raptors have given up 115-plus points in five of their six losses, and 124-plus in four of those six.
I know Coach Triano preaches this in every practice & every game – the Raptors must find it within themselves as players to bring a committed defensive effort on a nightly basis…otherwise the trend we've just discussed will continue.
FAN590 – Blogs – The Rap » Mile High Meltdown
Smith says:
– “The Nuggets found a way to take the Raptors – especially Jose Calderon and Chris Bosh – completely out of their pick and roll game and they slammed the door on Toronto in the second half. It got ugly in a hurry.”Jones Says:
– “Until the Raptors decide to ‘push back’, physical teams will continue to give them problems all season.”
Raptors Lay A Nugget Against Denver « The Zan Tabak Herald
When a team comes into Denver, the Nuggets have a clear advantage – they’re used to the altitude. So what does Karl do? He plays his starters for the entire third quarter. Naturally, Jay responds by keeping his starters in the game. Our guys get tired and their guys do not. That my friends, was the end of the game.
Dino Nation Blog: Raptors Rewind- Defense Goes Pops
A first for Demar DeRozan he leads the Raps in scoring with 17. Bosh had just 13 on the night only getting to the line twice to go along with 14 rebounds. No time to cry about it though as the Raps hop a plan heading for Salt Lake City and a date with the Jazz.
