Lowry was the team’s emotional and spiritual leader last year when Toronto went from moribund to division champions. As basketball integrates more and more statistical analysis, Lowry’s knack for influencing a game in its crevices can sometimes get lost. Not that Lowry’s contributions go ignored by stats. He is fourth in the Eastern Conference in player efficiency rating, which is a measure of a player’s per-minute statistical production that favours offensive contributions, and first in the Eastern Conference in win shares, an estimate of the number of wins added by a player. He is probably the best candidate to be named the conference’s player of the month next week. Only Chris Bosh, back in January 2007, has done that as a Raptor.
Kyle Lowry making Raptors’ late-second surges a slam dunk | Toronto Star
Lowry has shown an uncanny ability to make big plays at big moments in this wondrous start to the season for the Raptors and the interesting thing about it is the variety of ways that he does it. In Boston, he had a shocking strip of an over-matched rookie and a no-look drop pass to DeMar DeRozan that sealed a win. Against Utah, he made a clutch shot in the dying minutes that basically sealed a win. Monday against Phoenix, he had an amazing few seconds that included a blocked shot, a steal, an assist and an offensive foul charged that was a tour de force. And it was eclipsed in the final 30 seconds by another steal off Isaiah Thomas and a jump ball forced that was the defining late-game play in Toronto’s fifth straight win. “He can’t tell you the technique he uses, he just gets it done,” said Casey. “A loose ball on the floor, he’s going to come up with it; a charge to be taken, he’s going to get it. Last night, it was a blocked shot (and) at his size, he got it. He just finds a way in those situations to get it done and it’s just the DNA of Kyle.”
Lewenberg: Experience paying off for Raptors in crunch time | TSN
Last year, the Raptors finished the season with a record of 9-17 in games within three points or less over the final minute. They were often unrecognizable in the game’s biggest moments. Overall, they ranked ninth in the league in taking care of the ball, but they totaled 14 turnovers in “crunch time”, most in the NBA, even though there were 15 teams that experienced those situations more often. They shot 68 per cent from the line in crunch time, the league’s third lowest percentage, despite shooting 78 per cent (fifth best) on the season. This season, they’re a perfect 4-0 in those same situations, including their latest win over the Suns. They haven’t committed a single turnover and they’ve made 10 of 11 free throw attempts. “That’s all we did in training camp,” said Lowry, whose steal sealed Monday’s victory in the final 20 seconds. “We did late-game situations and coach really hammered it home and made us understand that these are the type of situations that we’re going to be in. (Monday) night was one of the situations that we worked on, a team coming back on us, making threes, small lineup where we just had to make an adjustment. We made some plays at the end to win the game.” Through 14 contests, they still haven’t been pressed into taking one final, game-deciding shot. Most of their key plays in the win over Phoenix, highlighted by Lowry’s takeaway, came on the defensive end.
Lowry, Raptors exceeding expectations | Sportsnet.ca
“We are not worried about our record,” said Toronto point guard Kyle Lowry. “We are just taking it game by game and trying to get better.” Lowry is certainly living up to the latter item on his list. Coming off a career year last season—and a free-agent payday in July—the Bulldog of Bay Street currently ranks fifth among point guards in both scoring and field-goal percentage, third in rebounding, tenth in assists and seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio. Advanced stats support the idea that Lowry is playing better than ever. Player Efficiency Rating (PER), a stat created by ESPN’s John Hollinger, measures a player’s per-minute statistical production. The league average for PER (every season) is 15.00. After finishing last year with an impressive 20.20 PER, Lowry sits near the top of his conference in the stat so far this year—and he has some company in two Toronto teammates as well.
Hey Raptors fans, believe the hype | Toronto Sun
Ross and Jonas Valanciunas still are developing, but now rather than live with the shortcomings of youth that periodically show up, head coach Dwane Casey has enough bullets in his chamber to reload and hit the opposition with a second and different barrage of artillery. That depth has been on full display throughout this sizzling start. Even on the rare occasion where DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, the two mainstays of the starting five have faltered, Casey has found an answer on the bench. Early on it was the hard-nosed defence and more offence than one would expect from James Johnson. Johnson was brought back to Toronto after a two-year hiatus first in Sacramento and then Memphis. He returned a more mature player, a player who knows his role and a better overall player because of it. He’s part of the reason this team has more options. Lou Williams is another part.
Amir Johnson and the Man Clean movement | theScore
Man Clean is basically empowering guys to boast about their Man Clean swagger. Let’s be realistic. Guys don’t clean. When we come into the house, we just throw stuff to the side or sweep stuff under the carpet and call it a day. So I’m trying to preach to guys that it is cool to clean, especially using great tools like Swiffer. It’s easy to use. Growing up, for me, my grandmother says cleanliness is close to Godliness, so you always want to stay clean. I’ve just been around the city, going house to house, showing guys how to clean, and starting this movement.
Eye on Basketball Podcast: Dealing with expectations | CBSSports.com
With the Raptors, are they a great regular season team setting themselves up to grow into a postseason contender? Is the team chemistry carrying them? Are they just taking advantage of a home-heavy schedule? How good is this team with Kyle Lowry handling the ball?
Raptors-Hawks: Wednesday game preview | Toronto Star
Solid road test for the 12-2 Raptors, who play four of their next five away from the Air Canada Centre . . . Toronto might catch a bit of a break, as the Hawks will be finishing up a back-to-back after a trip to Washington on Tuesday night . . . Hawks love to share; in 10 of their first 11 games, they had at least 20 assists as a team and are averaging almost 25 assists per game . . . Kyle Korver began play Tuesday as the only player in the NBA shooting at least 50 per cent from two-point range, 50 per cent from three-point range and 90 per cent from the foul line . . . Atlanta is 5-1 at home and 4-0 against Eastern Conference opponents at Philips Arena . . . A homecoming of sorts for Toronto’s Lou Williams, who spent two seasons with the Hawks before being dealt to the Raptors last summer.
How Many Days Have The Raptors Been 10 Games Over .500 In Franchise History? | Raptors HQ
If someone tells you “stop getting all giddy in November, act like you’ve been there before”, it’s factually correct to tell them you’ve actually never been here before, since the earliest you’ve ever seen the Raptors be 10 games over .500 would be March.
More Raptors Franchise Records Could Fall In Atlanta | Pro Bball Report
If Toronto can control the pace and guard the three-point line effectively enough, the end result in Atlanta shouldn’t be any different than on opening night. The Raptors have an opportunity to match the best stretch of wins in team history with a victory. Toronto has won 10 of their last 11 games and is one win shy of a stretch in 2002 when they won 11 of 12 games at the end of the regular season.
Raptors-Hawks Preview | FOX Sports
Atlanta (7-5) returns home looking to make it three in a row after pulling out a 106-102 victory at Washington on Tuesday. Jeff Teague scored a season high-tying 28 points for the second time in as many games while reserves Mike Scott and Shelvin Mack combined for 30, including the Hawks’ first 16 points in the fourth quarter. “We have a lot of confidence in those two guys,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “They believe in each other and believe in what they’re doing on both ends of the court. At times they can both get going.”
Top 5 Backcourts On The Frontline | NBA.com
here is a new threat out East, and it is from way up North. The Toronto Raptors have come out the gates running to start the new season, and the backcourt duo of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have been the chief conspirators of this success. Together, Lowry and DeRozan log in the most minutes of any backcourt, averaging a combined 38.8 points, 8.8 assists, and 9.3 rebounds. The Raptors lead the Eastern Conference with a 9-2 record.
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