Raptors hear wake-up call loud and clear | Toronto Sun
Raptors head coach Dwane Casey made a point of hammering home that the effort he was seeing from his team was not in question. But obviously something changed. You don’t go from a team that is playing at an elite level to one that struggles to put away Philadelphia and allows Detroit, even a rejuvenated Detroit, to come into your building and leave with a win to say nothing of what they let happen Friday night. “We can go either way,” veteran forward Amir Johnson told reporters Saturday. “It’s a marathon in the season. We can either step it up, or drop down to the eighth seed and play a team we don’t want to see in the first round. We know we have to pick it up. I think everybody’s ready to start playing. Nobody’s frustrated. We just know what we have to do.” This players’ only meeting sounded like a team finally accepting that things weren’t the same anymore, that they had slipped and it was time to get back to where they were.
What to do with Raptors’ Terrance Ross? | Toronto Sun
The Pelicans fell to lowly Philadelphia on Friday, largely because stars Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday missed the game due to injury. Both are questionable for this one. Holiday had returned from missing most of last season in stellar fashion and the hope is his injury troubles have not resurfaced. The Pelicans recently got back talented shooting guard Eric Gordon who gives them another high-level offensive player. Tyreke Evans has been excellent as an undersized small forward and New Orleans has managed to go 19-20 in the tough West. In the East, they’d be fighting for homecourt advantage in the playoffs. Centre Omer Asik has been a disappointment, while Ryan Anderson continues to provide firepower off of the bench. The team scored only 34 points in the second half against Philadelphia and committed far too many turnovers.
New Orleans Pelicans at Toronto Raptors: Sunday NBA game preview | Toronto Star
The Pelicans list Davis and Holiday as questionable for the game. Davis missed Friday’s 96-81 loss at Philadelphia because of a sprained toe. Holiday sat it out with an ankle injury. . . . At 19-20, the Pelicans are hanging around the Western Conference playoff race, ninth before Saturday play and 3.5 games behind eighth-place Phoenix. . . . Some raw numbers on how dominant Davis can be: He’s had nine games of 30 points and 10 rebounds, 10 more of 20 and 10, and four times he’s had at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots in a game.
New Orleans Pelicans (19-20) at Toronto Raptors (26-13) preview | NOLA.com
The Pelicans suffered one of their worst losses of the season on Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers, 96-81. The Pelicans were outplayed from start to end. They turned the ball over 20 times, trailed by as much as 19 in the fourth quarter and made only 38.7 percent of their shots for the entire game. Philadelphia came in as the worst shooting team in the NBA, making only 41.1 percent of their shot. But in the third quarter they made 66.7 percent of their shots to extend their lead to 17. The Pelicans have lost two of the first three games on their five-game road trip that concludes on Monday against the New York Knicks, who have lost 16 consecutive games. The Pelicans have lost six of their past seven road games. They are 1-8 against Eastern Conference teams on the road. Starting forward Anthony Davis (sprained left toe) and point guard Jrue Holiday (inflammation in right ankle) both sat out Friday night’s game. Their status has not been determined yet for Sunday’s game. Without them, the Pelicans starters were outscored 75-44 by the 76ers starters.
Game Preview: New Orleans Pelicans at Toronto Raptors | The Bird Writes
The Raptors have the offense in both their starting lineup and bench rotation to make this an ugly game. New Orleans needs to have capable defenders out there to make sure this doesn’t become a blowout. The coaching staff, mostly Monty, needs to make sure to call timeouts when he sees the Toronto offense clicking. Throw your best defender on Lowry, Pondexter/Gordon on shooters and make sure this doesn’t end quick.
Raptors vs. Pelicans – 1/18/15 NBA Pick, Odds, and Prediction | Sports Chat Place
The New Orleans Pelicans continue their inconsistent ways by losing four of their last six games. On the season, the Pelicans are averaging 100.8 points on 45.6 percent shooting and are allowing 100.7 points on 46.4 percent shooting. Tyreke Evans is averaging 16.7 points and 5.4 assists while Ryan Anderson is averaging 15.2 points and 5.2 rebounds. Omer Asik is grabbing 10.1 rebounds and Dante Cunningham is producing 3.3 rebounds. The New Orleans Pelicans just can’t get on the same page this season and string together some victories to improve in the standings. The good news is that the Pelicans are shooting 37.4 percent from deep in their last five games. The bad news is that Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday are both questionable for this game with injuries.
New Orleans Pelican (19-20) at Toronto Raptors (26-13): 3 keys to victory | Raptors Rapture
The Pelicans have a formidable bench, highlighted by stretch-4 Ryan Anderson, and versatile Tyreke Evans, a former Rookie of the Year. Those two will likely play as much or more as several starters. [20-second timeout: Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday are both listed as questionable for today’s game. If either, or both, can’t answer the bell, this preview goes out the window, and the Pels will be scrambling their lineups.] Others from the grab-bag Pels roster who may see action include ex-Raps John Salmons and crazy tall Alexis Ajinca, and college star/pro washout Jimmer Fredette.
DeMar DeRozan Shows Why He’s Still The Raptors All-Star | Pro Bball Report
“Every year he has brought something new to the team. Our first year here (he was) more of a volume scorer, he had to get up so many shots to get his points. Then teams started double-teaming him and then he developed his passing. He is still developing a consistent three-point shot – that will come. I think the older you are, the easier that becomes, but he has brought something new offensively – another way to score to the table each and every year and it’s of his own doing.” Starting last season, DeRozan finally figured out how to get to the free throw line in a big way and he was one of the top players at getting to the charity stripe prior to his injury this year. “Shoulder hitting, creating contact, attacking, being aggressive, going to the basket, being physical and going to the rim, I think that’s another side of his offensive maturity,” Casey said. “I think that’s a big plus for him getting to the free throw line – him being the aggressor and not fading away and bailing the defense out.
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