Toronto Sun | Raptors’ Ross needs to finish season strong
“I think he thinks he’s going hard and playing hard, but for whatever reason that life, that spirit, that fun, that bounce, hasn’t been there,’’ said Casey. “We’re searching for it, trying to get it from him.” In back-to-back losses to Washington and Detroit, Ross did not make a single shot, went scoreless in each game and was yet again victimized on the defensive end.
TSN | Chisholm: Looking at Lowry’s struggles this season
Really, though, when it comes to Lowry the stats aren’t really telling the whole story. Casey has seen fit to neuter Lowry considerably since his freewheeling (and highly productive) preseason games, effectively trying to turn him into a poor man’s Calderon by forcing him into the unnatural role of a facilitator rather than into his natural role as scorer and playmaker. Even with the arrival of Rudy Gay, Lowry remains the team’s best option at creating offense for himself and others, but more often than not he is tasked with entering the ball at the start of an offensive possession then staking out a spot behind the arc to wait for a kick-out.
Sportsnet | Raptors’ Acy learning how to be a pro
…It’s made it more fun. It’s not a lot of workload on myself or just him. We help each other. If it’s something that they ask one of us to do and we can’t do it, I’ll ask him if he can get it for me and I’ll get him next time. Like holding something for one of the guys, just little tedious stuff that kind of gets on your nerves (laughs).
Wizards.com | Game Preview: Wizards vs. Raptors
The Wizards saw these same Raptors on Sunday night at Verizon Center, where they dismantled them 109-92 behind Bradley Beal’s 24 points off the bench. At the time, the Wizards entered that game one game behind Toronto in the standings, but tonight head to Toronto one game ahead. The Raptors returned home on Monday night and lost to the Pistons, while the Wizards knocked off the Bulls on Tuesday night to catapult them ahead of Toronto in the Eastern Conference. The Wiz now sit alone in 10th place, just 2.5 games behind Philadelphia for 9th place. For a team that began the season 4-28, that’s quite an accomplishment.
