The Toronto Raptors host the New York Knicks for the home team’s first back-to-back of the season! Far more importantly, it’s Huskies night!
The Raptors are also coming off a pair of quality road wins, and head coach Dwane Casey seemed a little concerned about the team taking things for granted when they’ve been at home so far (maybe that was due to five of six at home to start the year, as the Raptors protected their own turf well last year). He’s hoping the Raptors come out with more “force” this time around.
Maybe they’ll have some extra fire thanks to the Huskies uniforms, which are so, so, so very awesome. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m. on TSN 1/4 and Sportsnet 590. Here’s the full game preview.
Raptors updates
The big question continues to surround the center rotation, but Casey is (quite correctly) looking it as a strength far more than a controversy. He has three options he trust for different assignments, and he’s going to mix and match accordingly. He even mentioned that Patrick Patterson was a consideration at the five when Kemba Walker was cooking on Friday, as the team wanted foot speed against Walker’s pick-and-roll dominance.
As things stand, Lucas Nogueira is the primary backup to Jonas Valanciunas, and he’s impressed now that he’s finally healthy. Casey spoke highly of his play of late before the game, and I’d provide a quote, but my SD Card is being a pain and not reading my pregame audio. Basically, everyone always knew Nogueira might be good, he’s just been too injury-prone and inconsistent to ever find out for sure.
For what it’s worth, the starting lineup has been outscored by 10.6 points per-100 possessions (PPC) in 82 minutes, but that same group with Patterson in for Pascal Siakam (+18.4 in 38 minutes), with Nogueira in for Valanciunas (+52.9 in 11 minutes), or with Patterson and Nogueira both in (+81.3 in 7 minutes) have been successful in mega-small samples. None of the Raptors’ lineups have played a ton together yet, but it’s interesting to look at which of these groups are backing up qualitative fit with quantitative success.
And yes, every lineup involving Norman Powell has been hot fire (he’s second only to Nogueira in net rating).
UPDATE: Powell is starting for DeMarre Carroll. No word yet if Carroll is injured or just getting the second night of a back-to-back off. This is a big test for Powell (and likely Patterson and Siakam) opposite Carmelo Anthony.
UPDATE II: Carroll will dress but is not expected to play. He’s getting a rest on the second night of the back-to-back.
PG: Kyle Lowry, Cory Joseph, Fred VanVleet
SG: Norman Powell, Terrence Ross
SF: DeMar DeRozan, Bruno Caboclo
PF: Patrick Patterson, Pascal Siakam
C: Jonas Valanciunas, Lucas Nogueira, Jakob Poeltl
OUT: Delon Wright, Jared Sullinger
TBD: DeMarre Carroll
Knicks updates
No updates on the Knicks’ side, though I’d expect Carmelo Anthony and Brandon Jennings to not both get tossed early in this one, which will help.
PG: Derrick Rose, Brandon Jennings, Sasha Vujacic
SG: Courtney Lee, Justin Holiday, Ron Baker
SF: Carmelo Anthony, Lance Thomas, Mindaugus Kuzminskas
PF: Kristaps Porzingis, Maurice Ndour
C: Joakim Noah, Kyle O’Quinn, Willy Hernangomez, Marshall Plumlee
Assorted
- Bruno Caboclo and Fred VanVleet have been recalled from Raptors 905. As I wrote yesterday, those two will probably be up and down a lot in the coming weeks, as the schedules for the two teams overlap favorably (with the exception of a road trip that will force a stay-or-travel decision on VanVleet).
- Here’s a fun 905-related quote. RIP, Bruno.
Oh god. Bruno Caboclo has no regard for his own life. Asked him about dunking on Coach Stackhouse: "All day, bro."
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) November 12, 2016
- Here’s a fun 905-related quote. RIP, Bruno.
- One of my favorite things about media access is getting here early and watching some of the young guys put in individual skills work. The best part might be when Jama Mahlalela and Jamal Magloire are working a guy out at the same time, because the dueling positivity vs. trash talk is hilarious. Today, Pascal Siakam was told he better work on his game because “you ain’t winnin’ no beauty paegant” (it got more profane from there). Meanwhile, Mahlalela just says nice things and encourages and is mega-positive. Literally the devil and god waging war for the souls of the rookies.
- It’s Huskies night!
Good dog pic.twitter.com/QrrIYGFqbI
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) November 12, 2016
The line
After sitting off the board all morning, the Raptors opened at -7.5 (I had predicted -7, throw a parade for me, I am amazing). The over-under is at 208.5, which seems way too high given the pace of these two teams (the Raptors are among the slowest, the Knicks average), so I suppose that’s a bet against defense winning out here on the second night of a back-to-back. The sharp in me knows I should adjust my prediction from the preview to reflect Vegas’ over-under, but the lazy, stubborn, I-didn’t-actually-bet-on-this-game in me is sticking with Huskies 102, Knicks 95.
