Raptors winning with efficiency, defense | Stats & Info Blog – ESPN
The Raptors have been successful in three areas this season. They have the league’s second-most efficient offense (110.4 points per 100 possessions, the second-fewest turnovers per game (11.2) and have forced the third-most turnovers per game (17.5). Their +6.3 turnover differential per game is second-best in the NBA, trailing only the Mavericks (+6.4).
Raptors tie franchise record due to scoring change | Sportsnet.ca
The scoring correction means the Raptors tied their record for largest margin of victory — 42 points in a 96-54 win over Miami on March 19, 2008.
Kelly: Don’t look now, but the Raps are – gasp – the best team in the East | The Globe and Mail
That was the optimistic guess at the start of the year – third or fourth, with a decent shot at winning a playoff round. But this run to the top suddenly looks sustainable. They are beating teams every which way, at both ends of the floor. Every night, there’s a new hero, and usually off the bench. This team is talented, but just as importantly, it’s deep. It’s built to travel the distance of a season. No other Eastern squad has quite the same advantage. The Cavaliers are edging toward a Lakers-level meltdown. It doesn’t look as if Derrick Rose will ever get back to fully fit, which pushes Chicago’s dial toward mediocrity. Washington’s been great, except for that time two weeks ago they got annihilated at the Air Canada Centre. Where Dwyane Wade goes, Miami will follow – so far, so good, but history suggests there’s at least one major breakdown coming.
Toronto Raptors Chat On The Fan 590 | Hoops Addict
I was on The Fan 590 to chat about the strong start the Toronto Raptors have had to their season. We talked about Lou Williams giving the team a scoring spark, if Toronto can be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this season, why Kyle Lowry is the heart and soul of this team and why the road trip at the end of December could be trouble.
Separating the 2014-15 NBA Tile Contenders from the Pretenders | Bleacher Report
A semifinals or conference finals appearance isn’t out of the question, but don’t expect a Cinderella season just yet. Yes, Toronto pulled off a 110-93 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night and currently ranks first in the East with an 11-2 record. There’s no denying the early results. Unfortunately, there’s also no doubt a lot will change between now and April.
Tipoff: Suns at Raptors | Toronto Sun
The Suns are on a bit of an East Coast roll, having won four in a row, although the level of competition has been down with the wins coming over Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia and Indiana. After a comfortable win over the Pacers on Saturday, head coach Jeff Hornacek talked about the Suns finding a rhythm. They rely on strong guard play with Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe both starting and equally capable of handling the point guard duties. The Morris twins provide size in the front court along with Miles Plumlee, who leads the team in blocks and rebounds. Plenty of scoring comes off the bench in Isaiah Thomas and Gerald Green.
Phoenix Suns at Toronto Raptors: Monday NBA game preview | Toronto Star
The Suns can score with the best of them, averaging 105.3 points per game, which is fifth in the NBA. Toronto averages 106.9 points, though, third in the league. . . . The Suns also lead the NBA in brothers with the Morris twins as well as Goran and Zoran Dragic. . . . Phoenix has won four in a row on a five-game road trip that winds up in Toronto on Monday night. . . . Brampton’s Tyler Ennis had a brief stint in the D League, but has been recalled by the Suns. . . . With eight home wins already, Toronto is tied with Portland for the most this season.
NBA Preview – Phoenix Suns at Toronto Raptors – Nov 24, 2014 – CBSSports.com
Phoenix seeks its first five-game road win streak since Feb. 7-28, 2011. The Suns are 4-1 on this six-game trip after winning 122-96 over Philadelphia on Friday and 106-83 over Indiana the next night. ”We’re getting a little bit of a rhythm,” coach Jeff Hornacek said. ”It’s something about being on the road. These guys have come together and everybody is contributing.” The Raptors are averaging an East-leading 106.9 points and the Suns are not far behind at 105.3. Toronto has five players averaging at least 10 points and Phoenix has six, with its bench averaging a league-best 46.5 points. Both teams got big lifts from a reserve in their Saturday wins. Gerald Green scored a game-high 23, raising his average to 14.2 to rank among the leader leaders among reserves.
Air Canada: Sitting on top of the East, the Raptors are flying high | Break Room Material
In an off-season where the landscape in the Eastern Conference changed drastically, the team with the best record to this point is the one that stayed, for the most part, the same. The biggest move made by Toronto Raptor GM Masai Ujiri this past off-season was bringing back Kyle Lowry to insure the core of last year’s Atlantic Division champion stayed intact. Lowry along with DeMar DeRozan, who made his first appearance in the All-Star Game last season and helped Team USA win gold in the FIBA World Cup this summer, make up one of the NBA’s best backcourts. The tandem have led the Raptors to their best start in franchise history, 11-2 after their blowout road win over LeBron and the struggling Cavs.
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