Raptors’ frontcourt winning battle but may face adjustment in Game 3 – Sportsnet.ca
In a matchup with plodding big man Marcin Gortat, Washington’s starting centre, Jonas Valanciunas had an opportunity to thrive — and he has, averaging a double-double (14 points on 70 per cent shooting and 11.5 boards) while helping to hold Gortat to just 12 points and nine rebounds total through two games.
Throw in Serge Ibaka — averaging a double-double himself (16.5 points, 10.5 boards) and tied for third in the NBA with 2.5 blocks per game early in the post-season — along with nitro-boosters Pascal Siakam and Jakob Poeltl, and the Raptors frontcourt was poised to be the difference-maker in Round 1.
Raptors fully aware beating Wizards in Washington will be no easy task | Toronto Sun
The Verizon Center might now be known as Capital One Arena, but it’s the same place where Toronto dropped a pair of games three years ago, to bring what had been a stirring 2014-15 season to an unceremonious close.
“We had some tough experiences out there, especially in the playoffs, right?” recalled Jonas Valanciunas after practice on Thursday before he and his teammates took off for D.C.
Did they ever. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined to miss 35 of 51 shot attempts in Game 3, yet the team somehow lost by only six points.
Raptors Practice: Jonas Valanciunas – April 19, 2018 – YouTube
NBA Playoffs 2018: After two playoff games, this is a different DeMar DeRozan – Raptors HQ
DeRozan has always been able to score — Game 2’s 37-point outing reinforced that — and while past playoffs have cast him in a negative light, calling into question his ability to put the ball in the basket is the height of stupidity. In four of the last five seasons, DeMar has finished top-10 in total points scored — fairly cut and dried, I’d say.
So far in these playoffs, DeRozan has shown what a different player he is, compared to past versions that dealt with playoff hiccups. This time out, he’s been the coolest, calmest and most collected player on the court. So much so that there are times I find myself pleading for DeMar to show a little more fire. His demeanour can mislead; drawing some into believing some BS fake news narrative like “He doesn’t leave it all out on the court!” or “He needs to crank up his give a **** meter”, etc.
Bodog: Raps favourite to win the East – Article – TSN
After jumping out to a 2-0 first round series lead over the Washington Wizards, the Raptors odds to win the Eastern Conference on Bodog are 5/4, ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ odds at 8/5. The Cavs are currently tied 1-1 with the Indiana Pacers in their first round series.
The latest odds mark the first time since LeBron James returned to the Cleveland that the Cavaliers aren’t the favourite to win the Eastern Conference.
Raptors Practice: Dwane Casey – April 19, 2018 – YouTube
Raptors’ C.J. Miles getting hot from deep at the right time – The Globe and Mail
“I’m always yelling after making a three, it does something great for my confidence, my team’s confidence, especially in those moments when I’m going into the game because of what they consider my expertise,” Miles said. “Defenders do such a good job of trying to stay with you and keeping you from doing it. So you’ve got to find the creases and take your shot.
“I get a rush from a big three-point shot, like the high flyers get from dunking,” Miles added. “Especially when you can make the other team have to call a timeout.”
Raptors fully aware beating Wizards in Washington will be no easy task | National Post
We had some tough experiences out there, especially in the playoffs, right?” recalled Jonas Valanciunas after practice on Thursday before he and his teammates took off for D.C.
Did they ever. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry combined to miss 35 of 51 shot attempts in Game 3, yet the team somehow lost by only six points.
The finale was far worse. The Raptors trailed by 14 after a quarter and left the floor heads down, humiliated, after falling by 31 points.
Raptors Practice: Jakob Poeltl – April 19, 2018 – YouTube
Toronto Raptors stars DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry talk about their on- and off-court evolution
ESPN: The regular season you guys just put in the books is a pretty big departure for the NBA. Usually if a team hasn’t gotten quite where management wants it to go, they rip up the roster. This team, you guys kept the roster and changed the playbook. Now that you’ve seen that evolution through a season, how do you think it went?
DeMAR DeROZAN: I think you gotta withstand the test of time, you know? You gotta go through them dog days sometimes, to be built even stronger. And I think that’s what we did. You gotta give the credit to the front office, believing. And it’s a testament to us, sticking to our game. And one that continued to get better.
Toronto Raptors on Instagram: “Suuuuuup”
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Raptors want force to be part of J.V.’s nature | The Star
“We’ve got to do a better job of protecting the paint against Wall’s penetration,” Casey said Thursday.
Therein lines a problem that’s been present for some time: The Raptors are better defensively when Valanciunas is on the bench. And that isn’t optimal, considering he’s the team’s fourth-highest-paid player at $15.5 million this season. That truth has been evident in both games against the Wizards. When Washington coach Scott Brooks has gone to a smaller lineup — using, say, hot-shooting reserve big man Mike Scott at the five with starting centre Marcin Gortat struggling — Valanciunas hasn’t been able to stay in the game for long, or at all. Valanciunas has yet to play in the fourth quarter in the series. Lucas Nogueira got big late minutes in Game 1. A smaller Toronto lineup was used down the stretch in Game 2, wherein Scott made four of five shots from three-point range.
‘Family first’ fuels Raptor DeRozan | The Star
“He’s still here — that’s all that matters,” DeRozan said.
DeRozan, whose mother Diane has long suffered from the autoimmune disease lupus, described Frank DeRozan as “a true definition of a father.”
“My dad was everything, from every angle: supporting, pushing, teaching, providing, everything,” DeRozan said. “My dad put the basketball in my hands. My dad took me to the park. My dad pushed me. My dad was my dad. My dad was the reason I wanted to play sports, just like every other kid that looked up to their dad. That’s what he was to me to this day, and what he is to me forever.”
Toronto Raptors on Instagram: “Since 2012”
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Friday Game 3 preview: Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards | The Star
Lowry is 0 for 7 from three-point range on what NBA.com defines as “open” shots, with the closest defender four to six feet away … Teams leading an NBA best-of-seven by a margin of 2-0 have won that series 94 per cent of the time … The Game 3 winning percentage of those teams, mind you, isn’t stellar — about 42 per cent … Allowing the Wizards to shoot 48 per cent from the field through the opening two games certainly hasn’t been ideal for the Raptors. Head coach Dwane Casey has been imploring his team to shore up its defence.
