Tag: Toronto Raptors

The Raptors may finally have a starting lineup that actually works as well as it should

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TORONTO – The lack of success in the starting lineup for the Toronto Raptors last season was one of the main reasons to doubt their chances of success this year. Its relative struggles as a unit were a little deceptive. The Raptors went 15-6 in games played by Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent Jr., Ug Anunobi, Scotty Barnes and Pascal Siakam together in the 2021-22 regular season. However, these five players outperformed their opponents Only half a point for every 100 possessions In 345 minutes they played together. The team was…

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Raptors’ Fred VanVleet on NBA referees: This is ridiculous

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LOS ANGELES — After Fred Vanvleet finished publicly criticizing an official, who willingly accepted the inevitability of a fine, he says he made a good attempt to avoid talking. “It’s your fault[for asking who was responsible],” VanVleet joked to me in the halls of the Crypto.com Arena after losing 108-100 to the Clippers. “I took a deep breath and everything.” VanVleet was clear in saying that the referees weren’t the reason the Raptors lost — that would be their 37.5 percent accuracy from inside the arc and the Clippers’ superior…

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Bounce: Mind Games with Donovan Mitchell

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Want this content straight to your inbox every day for free? Register here. Scotty Barnes had one of the worst directings possible. What a turn. Beantown Drama Celtics stifle against Cavs Donovan Mitchell rocked both Celtics And Edge in the Cavs’ 118-114 overtime win last night, a resounding punctuation to a ridiculous ending. Let’s go back. At the end of regulation, Boston’s Grant Williams was fouled on an offensive running back attempt. When he came to the line with 0.8 seconds left in the tie game, Mitchell tried to get…

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Birds of Prey show who can stand up for themselves – even without Jacob Poeltel

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WASHINGTON — After the Raptors notched up a necessary overtime win against the Wizards, Jacob Poeltel lay on the massage table, face down, for nearly 20 minutes. He hardly moves, unless the massage therapist is manipulating him. As a few of his teammates were joking about another matchup in a long line of bizarre matches between these two teams, Poeltel was still. Toward the end of the massage, Scotty Barnes, on his way to the bathroom, decided to offer a hand — or two. He acted on Boelte’s left leg,…

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Hollinger: Why Victor Wembanyama race might not be widespread down the stretch

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That alarm bell you just heard? It’s tank o’clock in the NBA. The trade deadline has passed, the All-Star break is over and now it’s time for the league’s bottom feeders to get down to the dirty business of acting in the enterprise’s best long-term interests. With two franchise-caliber talents available at the top of the draft in French center Victor Wembanyama and G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson, the temptation will be strong for teams to give themselves the best possible odds at May’s lottery. However, the actual mechanism…

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NBA Power Rankings: Sixers make jump to contenders tier; Nuggets rise; Team-by-team quarter analysis

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Game flow! Teams would love to be great from the first quarter through the fourth quarter every single night, but that’s not realistic for all 30 teams. We have some teams who consistently start slow and then turn it on. We have teams that begin with a fury and then fade away, hoping to hang on desperately to the victory. Some teams are bad in the first and fourth quarters, but great in the middle. And vice-versa. Some teams come out of halftime with their hair on fire and some…

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NBA All-Star Game 2023: Team James vs Team Antetokounmpo Draft Rosters

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SALT LAKE CITY — The NBA All-Star teams were set for Sunday’s game in a first-of-its-kind stadium-style draft about half an hour before warning. Here’s what you need to know: Team LeBron (led by Michael Malone, Denver). LeBron James (Lakers)Joel Embiid (76 years old)Kyrie Irving (Mavericks)Luka Donjic (Mavericks)Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)Jaylen Brown (Celtics)Paul George (Clippers)Tyrese Halliburton (Pacers)Julius Randle (Knicks)Daron Fox (Kings)Jaren Jackson Jr. (grizzlies) Team Giannis (coached by Joe Mazzola, Boston) Giannis Antetekounmo (Bucks)Jason Tatum (Celtics)Ja Morant (Grizzlies)Donovan Mitchell (jazz)Laurie Markkanen (jazz)Damian Lillard (Blazers)Jrue Holiday (bucks)Gilgos Alexander Tea (Thunder)DeMar…

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Throwback: Zombie Celtics rivalry

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Want this content straight to your inbox every day for free? Register here. How many games do you have to play to win MVP? Let’s discuss. Zombie Celtics rivalry Down four starters, the Celtics nearly beat the Bucks We spent all of yesterday at The Bounce outdoing the Bucks and Celtics in the fight for East supremacy. What happened? Al Horford, Jason Tatum, Marcus Smart And Jaylen Brown missed all of the game! Fortunately, the remaining Celtics took it seriously and pushed the money into overtime last night. Sam Hauser…

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Knicks at NBA trade deadline: Playing the waiting (and money) game and is Gary Harris a perfect fit?

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The NBA is waiting on Toronto, but it’s possible Toronto is waiting on Brooklyn, and it’s possible Brooklyn is waiting on Kevin Durant. Somehow, as we count down the hours to the Feb. 9 trade deadline, this all comes back to the New York Knicks. Ask around the league what people think is the most interesting trade-related topic right now, and many respond with something about the Raptors, who are hanging around the fringes of the Play-In Tournament. Two of their best players, Fred VanVleet and Gary Trent Jr., can…

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The escalating attack of the Birds of Prey brings them down to the costly half in Phoenix

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PHOENIX – The Raptors’ offense should have been the thing that has sunk them this season. There isn’t a lot of natural flow to it because there aren’t a lot of trigger-happy decision makers around. All five members of the regular starting line-up love to dribble and sweep. While Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam, and Scottie Barnes are all gifted passers, none of them are natural conductors in such a way that they get the ball flying around the ground. This was true through most of the first half of the…

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