Toronto Raptors Blog – Page 45 – NBA Blog

J-Rich, Nick Young lead 76ers over Raptors

Nick Young has some game to go with his style and swagger.

Young scored 23 points off the bench, Jason Richardson had six of his 21 points late in the fourth quarter, and the Philadelphia 76ers rallied to beat the Toronto Raptors 106-98 on Tuesday night.

Known for his cool nickname – Swaggy P – and his Afro hairdo, Young is earning recognition for his play on the court, too. He had four assists and three rebounds to go with his 7-for-13 shooting.

”That’s all part of the Swaggy P movement,” Young said with a smile. ”I felt good.” …

Jrue Holiday had 19 points and 12 assists and Thad Young scored 18 to help the Sixers win their third straight game.

DeMar DeRozan had 24 and Andrea Bargnani scored 22 for the Raptors, who are off to a 3-8 start. Jose Calderon, who had a season-high 18 assists in Toronto’s win over Orlando on Sunday night, got 12 more to go with 13 points…

Lowry, who went to nearby Villanova, returned after missing six games with a foot injury.

— Reported by Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press

Toronto Raptors hire Jamaal Magloire as development consultant and community ambassador

The Toronto Raptors announced Sunday that Canadian-born center Jamaal Magloire has joined the organization as a basketball development consultant and community ambassador. Magloire will assist with player development programs, help the coaching staff with individual skill development of players, and appear at organizational events and functions.

Magloire spent last season in a Raptors uniform, becoming the first Canadian to play for the club. He was born in Toronto and attended high school at Eastern School of Commerce.

A veteran of 12 NBA seasons, Magloire owns career averages of 7.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 22.9 minutes in 680 outings. He appeared in 46 postseason contests, averaging 7.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 19.8 minutes.

Magloire’s best statistical campaign came in 2003-04 when he averaged 13.6 points, 10.3 rebounds and 33.9 minutes in 82 games with the New Orleans Hornets. He was one of only 11 players that season to average a double-double.

Magloire captured Eastern Conference Player of the Month honours in April 2004, averaging 21.7 points and 12.1 rebounds. He was named to the Eastern Conference squad for the 2004 NBA All-Star Game held in Los Angeles, where he totaled 19 points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes.

Magloire was selected in the first round (19th overall) by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2000 NBA Draft. He has seen action with the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, New Jersey Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and the Raptors.

Rondo dishes 20 assists, Celtics beat Raptors 107-89

Rajon Rondo made up for lost time in a big way for the Boston Celtics after missing a game because of a sprained right ankle.

Rondo had 20 assists for the second time this season and added six points to help the Celtics beat the Toronto Raptors 107-89 on Saturday.

Jason Terry scored 20 points, Paul Pierce added 19 points and six rebounds before sitting out the fourth quarter, and Kevin Garnett scored 15 points in 17 minutes of playing time.

The Celtics held big leads early and late, but had to survive several surges in between while winning for the fourth time in five games. And any worries Boston fans might have had about Rondo’s ankle were quickly washed away when he had seven assists in the first quarter…

Garnett was 6 for 7 from the field, and Terry 7 of 10, including four 3-pointers in his highest- scoring game as a member of the Celtics. Rookie Jared Sullinger had his first career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Andrea Bargnani and John Lucas led Toronto with 15 points apiece. DeMar DeRozan, Jose Calderon, Terrence Ross and Linas Kleiza added 10 each for Toronto…

Boston tied its season high for points, matching its total in a 120-107 loss to Miami in the opener.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Raptors players Alan Anderson, Landry Fields, Kyle Lowry suffer injuries

The Toronto Raptors announced Thursday the following injury updates:

Guard-forward Alan Anderson has a partially torn plantar fascia in his left foot. Anderson is estimated to be out for 3-6 weeks during the rehabilitation process. Anderson sustained the injury with five seconds remaining in the third quarter of the November 10 game versus Philadelphia.

Forward-guard Landry Fields underwent ulnar nerve transposition surgery yesterday to address compression/entrapment in his right elbow. The surgery was performed by Dr. Andrew Weiland at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. There is no timetable for a return to basketball activity for Fields. He will be re-assessed in two weeks by Dr. Weiland.

Guard Kyle Lowry has a bruised cuboid bone in his right foot. He will be treated symptomatically with an estimated return time of 1-2 weeks. Lowry sustained the injury at the 1:29 mark of the second quarter November 6 at Oklahoma City.

Nets beat Raptors in Brooklyn debut

Nets win their first-ever regular season game in Brooklyn

Brooklyn made a winning return to major pro sports on Saturday night, as the Nets beat the Toronto Raptors 107-100 in the first game at Barclays Center.

After a 55-year wait that was extended a couple of extra days by Superstorm Sandy, the borough finally has a team of its own again, and the Nets think it’s going to be a good one.

Brook Lopez scored 27 points and Deron Williams added 19 points and nine assists for the Nets. C.J. Watson finished with 15 points and Joe Johnson had 14.

A sold-out crowd of 17,732 that included entertainers Jay-Z, a part-owner, and wife Beyonce chanted ”Brooklyn! Brooklyn!” a few times during the game and loudly at the end, celebrating the name on the front of the shirt much more than the back.

And with good reason. Brooklyn hasn’t had a team to cheer since the Dodgers left for Los Angeles in 1957.

Kyle Lowry had 28 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Raptors, who fell to 0-2. DeMar DeRozan added 25 points.

— Reported by Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press

Toronto Raptors sign guard DeMar DeRozan to contract extension

RAPTORS NEED DEROZAN TO KEEP IMPROVING

The Toronto Raptors announced Wednesday they have signed guard DeMar DeRozan to a multi-year contract extension. Several reports say the deal is for four years and around $40 million. We’ll update that info later tonight if needed.

“DeMar has worked very hard and has been a significant part of the building process here in Toronto,” said Raptors President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo. “We view DeMar as a young, athletic and talented basketball player whose character fits what we are putting together.”

The 23-year-old DeRozan entered the 2012-13 season having averaged 14.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 30.3 minutes in 222 career games with the Raptors, with 210 of those being starting assignments. He has shot .802 (743-927) from the charity stripe.

DeRozan, 6-foot-7, 217 pounds, averaged 16.7 points, second on the team, and a team-best 35.0 minutes last season. He ranked 10th among all Eastern Conference players in post-All-Star scoring at 17.8 points per game. He paced the Raptors in scoring 28 times and had 26 games of 20 or more points. He ranked 12th in the NBA in free throws made and 15th in attempts.

DeRozan appeared in all 82 games in the 2010-11 season, where he averaged a career-best 17.2 points. He had the biggest scoring increase among all second-year players and third in the NBA going from 8.6 points per game in his rookie season to 17.2. He led the team in scoring 17 times and posted a team-best 68 games scoring in double figures. He also was the team leader with 85 steals.

The University of Southern California product was selected ninth overall by the Raptors in the 2009 Draft. He averaged 8.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 77 appearances in his rookie campaign. He became just the fourth rookie in team history to start on opening night.

Toronto Raptors waive Jamaal Magloire

The Toronto Raptors announced Saturday they have waived centre Jamaal Magloire.

The 12-year NBA veteran did not see any game action during the preseason. He appeared in 34 games with the Raptors last season, averaging 1.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 11.0 minutes. Magloire is the first Canadian-born player to play for the Raptors.

The roster now stands at 15. The Raptors open the 2012-13 season October 31 versus Indiana at Air Canada Centre (7 p.m. ET, TSN, Sportsnet 590 The FAN).

Toronto Raptors waive Jerel McNeal and Chris Wright

The Toronto Raptors announced Monday they have waived guard Jerel McNeal and forward Chris Wright.

McNeal saw action in one preseason outing, while Wright was a DNP-CD for all six games.

The roster now stands at 16. The Raptors continue their preseason schedule Friday at Memphis (8 p.m. ET). Toronto opens the 2012-13 season at home Oct. 31 versus Indiana (7 p.m. ET).

Landry Fields happy for fresh start with Raptors

The Knicks had 18.7 million reasons not to bring back Landry Fields. But Fields had his own reasons for not wanting to return.

Fields, now a Toronto Raptor, said he needed a change and that he lost his confidence and comfort level after Carmelo Anthony was acquired.

“It was a fresh start,” Fields said before Friday night’s Knicks-Raptors preseason game at the Bell Centre. “I think I needed that. It couldn’t have come at a better time for me.

“It was an accumulation of things. I probably lost some confidence in myself. I couldn’t really adjust as well as I’d like to. Don’t want to put the blame on anybody else. It really was me; just couldn’t get it done.”

— Reported by Al Iannazzone of New York Newsday

Kyle Lowry makes debut for Raptors

Landry Fields scored 15 points, and Kyle Lowry had 14 points and six assists in his Raptors debut to help Toronto beat the Washington Wizards 104-101 in exhibition play Wednesday night…

Lowry started after missing the first three games of the exhibition schedule – and a good chunk of Toronto’s training camp in Halifax, Nova Scotia – because of a groin injury. The point guard scored Toronto’s first points of the game off a steal and a drive in front of a crowd that included Jon Bon Jovi and former Raptors star Tracy Murray.

— Reported by the Associated Press