Filling in for Sam as Raptors ready for Pacers.
Toronto Raptors Game Preview: Raptors @ Pacers
Key to Victory #2: Rein in the turnovers Toronto’s ball security seems to be returning to form after the eight-turnover performance on Sunday. However, for the month of January, the Raptors have averaged an alarming 15 turnovers per game. Luckily for them, their opponents this evening have struggled even more in this department, coughing the ball up 15.5 times per night this month. Whichever team is able to take care of the rock should walk away with the victory. Key to Victory #3: Pack the paint It is no secret that Indiana’s offence is the team’s Achilles heel. Sitting 22nd in the NBA in terms of points per game, the Pacers labour on the offensive end. Their numbers from three-point range are flat-out terrible. Frank Vogel’s squad knocks down under six triples per outing, shooting just 28 per cent on these attempts. The Raptors would be wise to protect the interior and force their opponents to fire away from downtown.
Toronto Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan looking more like himself after injury — but he’s not there yet
“I almost forgot how I used to get to the free-throw line. But it felt good,” DeRozan said. “I just wanted to go out there and be aggressive. I came in [to the practice gym on Saturday] night and got some work in, working on my rhythm, working on a lot of in-game shots I always take.” Yet, it still was not classic DeRozan. Only two of the free throws were products of an aggressive move to the rim, a third-quarter drive in transition. The rest came off of fouls as he was taking jump shots. DeRozan is very good at drawing fouls on the perimeter, but it is the harm in the paint that is both sustainable and serves to loosen up a defence around him.
Raptors arrive as Pacers seek 2nd win in a row
A new beast in East: The Eastern Conference includes new bullies at the top, with Atlanta on a 16-game winning streak and the Raptors battling Washington for the second seed. Toronto is only 5-5 in its past 10 games, but it is the top-scoring team in the conference at 105.8 points and a plus-5 in offensive production (that's No. 2 in the East). In addition to all of Lowry's points and assists, he averages 4.9 rebounds. Former Pacer Tyler Hansbrough hasn't been much of a factor, averaging 3.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in 13.4 minutes.
Raptors working on getting back to where they were | Sports | Toronto Sun
The Raps had 23 assists, six more than the 17 they averaged over the four games coming into the win over Detroit on Sunday. “It was definitely big,” DeMar DeRozan said of the assists numbers. “That’s how we’ve got to play. When we play together like that and get everybody going we’re tough to beat. That’s how we played last year.” Earlier, the Raptors were just shooting the ball at a very high percentage. Whether it was Lou Williams or DeRozan or Lowry, a lot of the early success was attributed to efficient shooting rather than good ball movement leading to open looks. Again, another small step in the right direction. But no one is kidding themselves in that Toronto locker room either. For every step they’ve made in the right direction this past week, there remains areas of concern. A big one right now is the easy dribble penetration opposing point guards seem to be making. Whether it’s D.J. Augustin on Sunday night, Michael Carter-Williams two nights before that or Brandon Jennings a week earlier, teams seem to show no fear and the Raptors are showing little resistance to those trying to get into Toronto’s paint. A large portion of these forays into Toronto’s interior come as a result of the Raptors’ inability to properly defend opponent’s pick-and-roll action. Kyle Lowry, who is well aware of the trend, didn’t want any part of explaining why this is happening. “We have to look at the tape to find out,” he said after Sunday’s game. Similarly Casey kind of hedged his answer when asked about defensive concerns at the point of attack. “I don’t know,” Casey said. “We have issues everywhere defensively. Sometimes you have to pick your poison as far as the three or the tough two’s. In our pick-and-roll scheme, it’s not just one person. It’s the big and the small so we have to get better.” The workmanlike defence that was the hallmark of last year’s club was not in evidence to a large degree on Sunday night but a few nights earlier in Memphis it was. Even the game before that loss in Memphis, the Raptors looked stout
The Best Play I Ever Made | The Players' Tribune
My first thought as soon as I stole the ball was simply, “Where’s Kyle? Where is Kyle?” I knew I wanted the ball in Kyle Lowry’s hands. I passed it to him near the top of the arc thinking that he’d try to attack and score. Kyle drove to the basket and had me on his right and John Salmons on his left. The defense collapsed on him, so he passed it back to me. I knew time was ticking, so I wanted to get a quick shot off. As I was about to shoot, out of the corner of my eye I saw Deron Williams chasing me down, so I did a quick fake. He bit, and I took the shot.
Toronto 2015 Midseason Report Card | NBA.com
With half a season to go, the Raptors have plenty of time to pull things together defensively and get back to where they were early in the season. But there's been enough concern, especially with Ross' development, for Casey to make a lineup change in Game 41. The top six teams in the East won a total of one playoff series last season. There will be a lot of new blood in the conference semis this year, and the Raptors are still on their way to the best season in franchise history.
Bruno Caboclo: It's Time for the Toronto Raptors Rookie to Play
Assuming the Raptors have no intention of moving Caboclo anytime soon, they need to use him. He has shown his potential. Obviously, he isn’t ready for the pressure of a close game, but he is ready to at least run the floor. The more he sits, the more his confidence will drop. I’m not saying he should be playing nightly, but he should be considered as much as possible.
Best Bench In The NBA Belongs To The Toronto Raptors | Pro Bball Report
The depth and consistency of the Raptors bench continued to show through as the team went into a minor nine game slump that started with an overtime loss in Portland early in January. Toronto went through a stretch of seven losses and just two wins as the team went with three different starting lineups. Those starting units looked lost, scoring 5.5 fewer points per game and surrendering a -6.9 points differential, however, the bench still averaged over 40 points and maintained a +1.7 points differential despite the rotation changes, Williams shooting 23.5 percent from deep (33.9 percent season average) and Patterson shooting 28.1 percent from three-point range (41.3 percent season average).
Tipoff: Raptors at Pacers | Sports | Toronto Sun
Jonas Valanciunas vs. Roy Hibbert While Valanciunas is steadily developing into a reliable big man in the NBA game, Hibbert's game has gone backwards. A one-time imposing scorer and rebounder, Hibbert's game appears to be on the decline. He's still averaging just over 11 points a game, which is right around his career average but his rebounding numbers are down about two a game from his most dominant season a couple of years ago. Valanciunas had 14 rebounds and 10 points in the first game between the two this season while Hibbert had just six points and two rebounds in 27 minutes.
In our third episode, Koreen and MacKenzie discuss Patrick Patterson — don’t call him 2Pat — and his rebounding, DeMar DeRozan as he gets comfortable after a long injury layoff, and the tough task of choosing all-star reserves.
Game Preview: Pacers vs Raptors | Indiana Pacers
However, the Pacers' toughest challenge comes at the start of the homestand. The Raptors have the best offense in the Eastern Conference, averaging 108.9 points per 100 possessions. Toronto started the year off strong and resided in first place in the East for multiple weeks, but they've struggled a bit of late, going 5-7 in January. However, the Raptors recently regained the services of shooting guard DeMar DeRozan, an All-Star in 2014, who missed 21 games with a torn left adductor longus tendon. Toronto initially struggled to reintegrate DeRozan into the lineup, dropping three of their first five games after his return, but they've won their last two games. When healthy, DeRozan provides nice balance to one of the league's best backcourts. Point guard Kyle Lowry was recently voted in as a starter for this year's All-Star Game, his first All-Star selection. Lowry leads the team in both points (19.6 per game) and assists (7.4 per contest). DeRozan plays the Starsky to Lowry's Hutch, adding 18.1 points per game.
