Raptors stay focused before all-star break | Toronto Star
The Raptors have found ways to prevail during this hot streak that has shown a new-found maturity. There are still miles to go but more often than not, they’ve found a way to win.
“There are a lot of mistakes being made that when you are playing for something it is going to matter. You can make up for it in a regular season game on a Tuesday night but when it really matters is what we are working to get better at,” Casey said.
“We’re still getting better at it,” DeRozan said. “It’s still something we will continue to grow with but we’re more conscious of it now.”
Raptors inching closer to Cavs in crowded Eastern standings | NBA.com
It might be too early to wonder if respected GM Masai Ujiri whiffed a little on Carroll, who has only played 23 games. We’ll see once he returns if he can be the same player he was with the Hawks last season. That said, Ujiri did nicely elsewhere with his gets: Bismack Biyombo, Cory Joseph and Luis Scola. All three have been better than expected, especially Biyombo. The Hornets lost patience with the former lottery pick, a raw but bouncy power forward without an ounce of offensive skill, and that allowed Ujiri to get him cheap.
Biyombo may never hear his number called for a play in his career, but the energy he brings defensively and on the glass makes up for that. He’s grabbing eight rebounds in 22 minutes of action and redirects opponent’s shots. Remember, the lack of defense managed to destroy this team last year, especially in the playoffs.
It all reflects well on Casey. Two years ago when the Raptors came under new management, Casey was on thin ice. At the time, there was support in Toronto for the Raptors tanking in order to increase the odds of drafting the hometown product, Andrew Wiggins. But Casey dug in and brought about a culture change and there isn’t a coach in the East who’s doing better work.
Minute Adjustments: Looking at opportunities to lighten Lowry and DeRozan’s load | Raptors HQ
The Situation: In this matchup against one of the league’s worst teams, the Raptors turned the game around after a short rest for DeRozan to start the second quarter. With him Lowry, Joseph, Scola and Valanciunas, the Raptors went on 12-3 and 11-0 runs to close the half. The Sixers threatened with a 9-0 run late in the third as Lowry sat, but Toronto remained in firm control.
The Opportunity: After a 7-0 run early in the fourth pushed the lead to double digits, the time was right for Casey to get an all-bench unit out there to try and close the game against a lowly opponent. However, Lowry played 10 of a possible 12 minutes in the fourth and DeRozan played five. Cut both those in half and you have an appropriate workload against Philadelphia.
Every 2016 NBA All-Star’s Most Mind-Numbing Stat | Bleacher Report
NBA.com defines a drive as “any touch that starts at least 20 feet of the hoop and is dribbled within 10 feet of the hoop and excludes fast breaks.” No one has been more successful on them than DeMar DeRozan.
The Toronto Raptors shooting guard is scoring 8.7 points per game on drives, thanks in large part to his 51.4 percent shooting and willingness to draw contact. No NBA player has produced a higher average, with Reggie Jackson and his 7.7 points per game sitting in a distant second.
DeRozan may be embarking upon more drives during a typical contest than anyone else, but his gaudy scoring figures aren’t just a product of sheer volume. As you can see in the above graphic, even the other high-frequency drivers simply aren’t putting up the same number of points.
Raptors getting better at closing out contests | Toronto Sun
But Casey doesn’t want to get too comfortable, or more importantly, allow his team to get too comfortable with what they are accomplishing now. He knows all too well what works at this point in the year might not necessarily have the same outcome once the playoffs start.
“We are getting better. We are growing,” Casey conceded. “Guys are understanding that and accepting it. But being in those close situations, believe me, we are not playing great. There are a lot of mistakes being made that when you are playing for something it is going to matter. You can make up for it in a regular-season game on a Tuesday night, but when it really matters is what we are working to get better at. I think our confidence, our maturity, our togetherness has helped us in those situations.”
Casey might sound like a broken record, reminding anyone who dares to suggest his team is on the brink of something special that they’re not there yet, but in DeRozan he has an ally who will listen to that kind of talk all day long.
“You can’t get tired of it,” DeRozan said. “If you’re a real competitor, all you’re worried about is winning, you can’t get tired of that.”
NBA scores 2016: Raptors inch closer and closer to Cavaliers | SBNation.com
This Raptors squad looks different than last year’s, though. They’re tough on defense and, behind Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, have one of the league’s best offenses. Scoring 105.6 points per 100 possessions, they have the No. 6-rated offense in the league. With a defensive rating (points given up per 100 possessions) of 101, they’re ninth best in the NBA on that end of the floor. The Cavaliers are ranked No. 4 and 8 in offense and defense, respectively.
Lowry and DeRozan make the Raptors go, but the bench has been superb, too. Terrence Ross and Cory Joseph give Toronto offensive weapons and Bismack Biyombo and Patrick Patterson play hard when they see the court.
All of the Raptors’ best was on display against the Pistons on Monday. Lowry ran circles around Reggie Jackson, going off for 25 points and seven assists while Jackson turned the ball over six times. Ross led a strong Raptors’ bench performance with 18 points. And DeRozan had 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists while throwing in some slick moves.
The Toronto Raptors Backcourt | BBALLBREAKDOWN
At its best, Toronto has a virtuous cycle of drives and outside shooting that feature DeRozan and Lowry at the center of the action. Their synergy seems more critical than ever to the Raptors’ offense. According to SportVU data, the passes between DeRozan and Lowry comprise over 11 percent of the team’s ball movement, and their assists to one another make up about 13 percent of the team’s total. Both figures represent increases from last season.
Overall, in terms of play types, we see the Raptors striving to take greater advantage of pick-and-rolls with the ball handler and spot-up shooting. The former has been accentuated by DeRozan’s expanded attack, which has come with higher efficiency. The latter has been enhanced by Lowry’s improved marksmanship, whose 1.19 points per possession rank above the 92nd percentile.
A photo posted by DeMarre Carroll (@demarrecarroll1) on
Like it or not, expect another quiet trade deadline for Raptors | TSN
Now’s the time, advocates of this more aggressive method might argue, and they wouldn’t be wrong, necessarily. The Eastern Conference is as balanced as it has been in almost two decades and the Raptors have started to separate themselves as its second-best team, inching closer and closer to Cleveland at the top. Opportunity knocks.
The Blue Jays did it, some Toronto sports fans might point out. They swung for the fences ahead of baseball’s deadline this past summer and it nearly took them to the World Series. So why wouldn’t the Raptors?
The easiest answer: the NBA’s salary cap makes it very difficult to do so. Whether you like it or not, whether he’s even interested in making a big splash or not, that’s the most important thing to consider if and when Masai Ujiri stands pat at the deadline. He may not have much of a choice. In-season trades, particularly big ones, rarely come together for that reason and, based on the team’s current salary structure, the Raptors are especially limited in what they’re able to pull off at the moment.
The good news, at least for their future: they have accumulated a nice collection of cheap assets – two rookies (Delon Wright and Norman Powell), two intriguing sophomores (Bruno Caboclo and Lucas Nogueira) and, most importantly, four first-round draft picks over the next two years, including a likely lottery selection this summer (coming from the Knicks or Nuggets, whichever pick falls lower in the draft order).
Free Association podcast: Vince Carter talks dunk contest; All-Star Preview | Sportsnet.ca
On a very special episode of Free Association—Sportsnet’s weekly Raptors & NBA podcast— Dave Zarum goes in-depth with Vince Carter on his iconic 2000 dunk contest performance. Carter explains the origins of each of his dunks, why he had to beg Tracy McGrady to take part, what it was like meeting Julius Erving, and much more.
Complex: What is a typical day off for you in Toronto?
DeRozan: During the season, I spend a lot of time at home. I just relax. But during the offseason, in the summer, I really got out and experienced Toronto. I went to the mall, went to Wonderland, went go kart racing. There are a lot of things to do in the city.
BarDown: The Six…An NBA All-Star Game Essay
The NBA’s All-Stars land in Toronto this week and what they’ll find when they arrive is a booming city brimming with basketball swagger. In this video essay narrated by Kardinal Offishall, Dave Feschuk explores the roots of the The Six’s roundball obsession from street level.
SLAM: How cool was it hearing your name in a Drake lyric?
CJ: It’s amazing. I was actually at a basketball game [when “Charged Up” dropped]. I was watching Canada in the Pan Am Games. I didn’t get to play because my contract wasn’t done. After the game, I got all these texts. I looked at my phone and said, What the heck’s going on? Drake is one of the best. He does a lot for the city, a lot for the country. I’m happy that I’ve gotten to know him.
Toronto Raptors at Minnesota Timberwolves: Wednesday NBA preview | Toronto Star
KEY MATCHUP
DeRozan vs. Wiggins
The battle of 20-plus scorers: Andrew Wiggins averages 20.7 points per game, while DeMar DeRozan is scoring at a career-best clip of 23.3. They both have help in Kyle Lowry and Karl-Anthony Towns, but it’s a matchup worth watching.
Scouting Report | Wolves vs. Raptors | Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves are coming off of a 116-102 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night.
Towns led the way for the Wolves with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins added 15 points, but shot 5-for-14. Shabazz Muhammad led the second unit with 14 points and nine rebounds. Gorgui Dieng had another double-double, finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Zach LaVine also had 12 points. Ricky Rubio and Nemanja Bjelica added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Wolves-Toronto game preview | StarTribune.com
Players to watch: Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry was voted a starter and shooting guard DeMar DeRozan was chosen a reserve for Sunday’s All-Star Game. Toronto is the first host city to have a pair of guards picked to play in the game since 1972, when the Lakers’ Jerry West and Gail Goodrich were chosen to play at the Fabulous Forum. … With one more victory, DeRozan ties Chris Bosh and Morris Peterson as the all-time winningest players in franchise history. His Toronto teams have won 231 games during his seven seasons there. … Wolves rookie Karl-Anthony Towns’ 19-point, 12-rebound game in Monday’s 116-102 loss to New Orleans was his eighth consecutive double-double. He has 29 of them this season, which ties Kevin Love’s franchise record for rookies. Towns is averaging 21.8 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 blocks in his past nine games.
Raptors-Timberwolves Preview (Feb 9, 2016) | FOX Sports
For Minnesota (16-37), Monday’s 116-102 home loss to New Orleans ended a two-game winning streak, and it has its opponent scoring average at 110.5 over the last four.
While opponents have shot 40.2 percent from long range in those games, the Timberwolves’ perimeter game has been awful over the past six contests while connecting on 25.0 percent and 3 of 24 in the last two.
“We talked less last night,” center Gorgui Dieng told the team’s official website. “I think that’s what coach (Sam Mitchell) was trying to emphasize today, just to make sure we talk more on defense. Talking defensively, especially me and (Karl-Anthony Towns), telling people where they’re at. That was a big communication night and we missed it.”
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