Kyle Lowry lifts Raptors with record-setting fourth quarter | Toronto Sun
Asked how he was feeling at the time, Lowry quickly replied: “Like sh–, but it’s a basketball game, you get two halves, and my teammates always count on me. So I went out there and left it on the floor tonight.” Lowry finished with 31 points, five assists and five rebounds. DeRozan added 17, but head coach Dwane Casey said a turnaround at the other end sparked it all. “I thought our whole defensive disposition turned up in the second half and that was the difference in the game,” Casey said. Indeed, Atlanta’s typically precise passing had given the Raptors fits early, along with a non-stop stream of Toronto turnovers, but the now 12-7 squad persevered and eventually pulled off the stunner over 12-9 Atlanta.
Battling injuries, Raptors take on fighter’s attitude | Sportsnet.ca
“Lucas came in and played a hell of a game on both ends,” Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan told reports after the game. “Got in the right spots and got a rhythm going offensively.” The Raptors were plus-22 with Nogueira on the floor, even though he played just 17 minutes. Before Wednesday, Nogueira had just 11 minutes played on the season. The seven-footer’s length inside was paramount in disrupting the shots and space of the Hawks’ undersized front line of Al Horford and Paul Millsap.
Raptors rebound to stun Hawks | Toronto Star
“You see me joke all the time, but after these jokes I’m working hard with all the coaches … they work me hard every day to stay ready and contribute like tonight,” he said. “I’m so happy to be part of this team and, like, it’s no surprise. Maybe for some guys it’s a surprise, but not for me because every day I work so hard and you wait for this chance tonight.” Coach Dwane Casey went with an unorthodox lineup down the stretch featuring two point guards in Lowry and Cory Joseph, DeRozan at small forward and a front-court of Patrick Patterson and Nogueira. It worked tremendously as the Hawks shot just 27 per cent in the quarter. “Like I tell all the young guys: be ready. He was ready,” Casey said of Nogueira. “I just commended him in front of the team. He did an excellent job coming in and being a deterrent.” That was music to Nogueira’s ears. “I’m so glad he said that, and I’m so glad he believes in me,” he said. “The first (thing is) I have to believe in myself, but it’s very important the coach believes in you to put you in the game. Sixteen minutes, I didn’t expect that, but I have to be ready for whatever he wants.”
Call it the flu game or the Bebe game: Raptors beat the Hawks 96-86 | Raptors HQ
Seriously, Bebe played a total of 16 minutes tonight and was a game-high +22 on the night. He had 4 points, 7 rebounds, and a block, but more importantly, he made himself a threat on the pick and roll, and did a masterful job of being active on the defensive end. Not to be outdone, Kyle Lowry had 22 points in the 4th quarter alone (a franchise record), shooting 7-8, for a total of 31 on the night. The Raptors outscored the Hawks 39-20 in the 4th quarter alone. (Final Boxscore here)
Game Rap: Raptors 96, Hawks 86 | Toronto Raptors
Lucas Nogueira has been waiting for a chance to show what he can do in the NBA. After a strong stint with Raptors 905, Nogueira returned to the Raptors when Jonas Valanciunas broke his hand against the Los Angeles Clippers. Nogueira got his opportunity on Wednesday night, and he ran with it. Playing the entire fourth quarter, Nogueira’s defence and energy helped spark the Raptors as they made their furious comeback. Nogueira finished with four points (2-for-2 field goals), seven rebounds and a blocked shot in nearly 17 minutes of action. The team was a +22 when he was on the floor.
— Raptors Republic (@raptorsrepublic) December 3, 2015
Atlanta Hawks collapse in 96-86 loss to Toronto Raptors | Peachtree Hoops
Following the break, though, the execution waned a bit on both ends. Toronto’s offense continued to sputter, shooting just 41% from the floor in the third quarter, but the Raptors were able to score 25 points by taking care of the ball (one turnover) and the visitors managed to cut the lead to just seven points before the margin settled at 66-57 after three quarters. Though Atlanta entered the night with a 35-game streak of holding fourth-quarter leads at home, that would be tested in a big way down the stretch, as the Raptors kept coming until they spoiled that statistic entirely. Toronto pecked away at the advantage until the 6:28 mark, when Kyle Lowry gave the Raptors the lead with a circus lay-up. In general, Lowry was able to get anything he wanted in the fourth, scoring 22 points in the frame, and he was the impetus for Toronto’s massive push, including a personal 8-0 run to give the Raptors a wildly unexpected 82-75 lead.
Love Lowry. pic.twitter.com/etQBtEqj7x
— Raptors Republic (@raptorsrepublic) December 3, 2015
Five observations from the Hawks’ 96-86 loss to the Raptors | AJC
The Raptors point guard simply took over the fourth quarter. He scored 22 points in the period, including a run of 12 straight Raptors points. The Raptors turned a nine-point deficit into a seven-point advantage, 82-75, with his layup with 4:22 remaining. They would lead by as many as 10.
Bebe! pic.twitter.com/Dyt7CSAu4d
— Raptors Republic (@raptorsrepublic) December 3, 2015
Raptors-Hawks Report Card | myAJC
The fourth-quarter scoring totals. It was written on the Hawks locker room board. It was nearly all of Mike Budenholzer’s entire opening statement following the game. It was mentioned by more than one player in post-game interviews. It was the reason the Hawks lost.
Atlanta Hawks at Home to Toronto Raptors, 96-86 | ATL All Day
What seemed to give the Raptors the edge tonight was that they fared better on the glass (TOR 50, ATL 43) and shot better from the field (TOR 45.6%, ATL 36.7%). Those aren’t staggering deficits for the Atlanta Hawks, but do stand as a big enough of a discrepancy to yield a 10-point lose to an Eastern Conference foe.
Toronto Raptors get another statement victory on the road | Raptors Cage
It wasn’t pretty, but when it mattered most the Raps executed. That is seriously a sign of a good team. The Raps shot 45% on the night, and just 25% from three. Lowry evidently was the story of this game, though. DeMar DeRozan chipped in and inefficient 17, while Cory Joseph added 10. Patrick Patterson showed some life, hitting two big threes late. Terrence Ross also contributed 8 – it was nice to see the bench guys provide a spark.
Raptors benefiting from tough early-season schedule | Sportsnet.ca
And yet it feels as if the 2015-16 Raptors are playing a lot better heading into December than the 2014-15 edition. So what’s changed? It’s simple, really: the schedule. This season, Toronto have only played in the friendly confines of Air Canada Centre six times. By comparison, Last season’s team played 11 of its first 17 games at home before December. Cliché as it may seem, going out on the road and learning how to win with a whole new group of guys appears to have solidified the Raptors’ trust in each other and help coach Dwane Casey figure out the rotations and lineups he likes in more hostile environments.
The Importance Of Luis Scola’s Newfound 3-Point Shot | Hoops Habit
Being able to move Scola around the three-point line means that power forwards guarding him will have to extend out to the three-point line. If the defenders don’t extend out, Scola has the ability to make them pay by knocking down a three-pointer. His three-point shot hasn’t taken away from his ability to shoot mid-range jumpers or work around the basket. While he won’t be a top scoring threat, Scola has a complete offensive package that is needed to survive as a power forward in the NBA.
Thoughts on Ross, Duncan, and more | TSN
In his last game in October, at Boston, Ross scored 21 points on 8-12 shooting in 21 min. Then, the month of November was rough. In the 10 games he played, he averaged 3.6 points per game on 26 percent field goal shooting and 26 percent three-point shooting in 17 minutes per game. With the start of December games Wednesday in Atlanta, hopefully for his sake he gets this bad stretch behind him. He’s due.
Harsh Take: Welcome to the Wonderful World of Bismack Biyombo | Raptors HQ
It’s really a testament to Bismack that despite his limitations offensively, he remains a very easy player to root for. Firstly, he’s a good defensive player and rebounder who he cleans up everything around the rim. And secondly, where Andrea Bargnani looked like a guy who played basketball only because he was tall, Bismack uses every ounce of sweat falling off his receding hairline into the game. The dude plays his ass off. Biyombo is a physical specimen, and a great athlete, but he doesn’t have fluid mobility or any finesse to his game. I was actually thinking — what sport would it be funniest to watch Bismack play? Here are the nominees:
Ujiri inspires at UOIT speech | The Oshawa Express
“If a person like me has the position that I have, has been blessed to have a journey like that, if nothing else I have an obligation to go back and give to the next person. It’s important, I have to,” Ujiri says. “There have to be people from all over the world that follow after me, so that when you are the first, there are people that come after you. If I become the one and only one who does it, that means I didn’t do a good job at all and I didn’t create a path for anybody else.” Along with his work in Toronto, Ujiri is a director with Basketball Without Borders. The program is a global outreach program by the NBA that looks to promote education, sportsmanship and healthy living across the globe. But Ujiri says he doesn’t see his charitable efforts as “giving back” per se; he says it’s an obligation to his belief that everyone should have to help others. Ujiri says the vast majority of the world’s people are good people, and they have a responsibility. “The 90 per cent of people should be better at making the 10 per cent better. If we just made an effort to make the next person better, or make the next person feel good, or to make the next person think about it in a different way, we would be so much better,” he says.
Photo Credit: Curtis Compton / Atlanta Journal Constitution
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