The AP reports: With Rajon Rondo running at full speed, the Boston Celtics’ offense has found a new gear. Ray Allen scored 21 points and Boston led from the start in winning its fifth straight game, 118-103 over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Rondo, Kevin Garnett and Tony Allen each scored 15 points for the Celtics, who have won 11 of 12 since a Nov. 1 loss to Indiana… Kendrick Perkins had 12 points and Paul Pierce and Eddie House each had 11 in helping Boston score a season high. Its previous best was 110 points in a Nov. 18 victory over New York… Chris Bosh led Toronto with 24 points, while Jose Calderon had 14 points and nine assists. Andrea Bargnani and Anthony Parker had 14 apiece for the Raptors, who are 2-4 at home.
Category: Toronto Raptors Blog
Raptors blog – Toronto Raptors blog
Jermaine O`Neal day-to-day
The Toronto Raptors announced Saturday that centre Jermaine O’Neal sustained a strained left knee at the 11:37 mark of the fourth quarter during Friday’s game versus New Jersey. O’Neal had medical images taken of the knee Friday night that revealed no structural damage. His status is listed as day-to-day.
O’Neal had averaged 17 points and 13.5 rebounds over a five game stretch coming into Friday’s contest. He has posted averages of 12.9 points and 9.3 rebounds in 12 games this season.
Nov 19: Raptors 101, Heat 95
The AP reports: Dwyane Wade did something the NBA hadn’t seen in more than 31 years. It still wasn’t enough to take down the sharpshooting Toronto Raptors. Andrea Bargnani scored a season-high 25 points, Jermaine O’Neal added 16 points and 17 rebounds, and the Raptors were 8-for-8 on 3-pointers in the second half to overcome Wade’s huge effort and beat the Miami Heat 101-95 on Wednesday night. Wade finished with season highs of 40 points and 11 assists, plus added a career-best five blocks. Since blocks became an official stat, the only other player to have a 40-10-5 effort was Alvan Adams of the Phoenix Suns, who had 47 points, 12 assists and five blocks against Buffalo on Feb. 22, 1977, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Nov 18: Magic 103, Raptors 90
The AP reports: Stan Van Gundy predicted at the morning shootaround that Toronto forward Chris Bosh would score 40 points against his Orlando Magic. The Magic coach turned out to be right—and he still got to smile about it. Jameer Nelson, Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis had 22 points apiece as the Magic overcame Bosh’s 40-point, 18-rebound night in a 103-90 win in a rematch of first-round NBA playoff foes. Bosh, matching up at times with Lewis and All-Star center Dwight Howard, made 14 of 19 field goals and 12 of 16 free throws… Toronto, playing without injured point guard Jose Calderon, was done in by 24 turnovers and by a strong Orlando second quarter, in which the Magic turned a 10-point deficit into a 45-45 halftime tie.
Nov 16: Raptors 107, Heat 96
The AP reports: Chris Bosh scored 27 points, Jermaine O’Neal had 11 points and 18 rebounds and the Toronto Raptors snapped a two-game losing streak with a 107-96 victory over the Heat on Sunday. Kris Humphries scored 14 points and Andrea Bargnani added 12 in his first start of the season. Jason Kapono and Anthony Parker each had 10. Dwyane Wade scored 29 for Miami, with Daequan Cook adding a season-high 16 and Michael Beasley 13. Chris Quinn had 11 points and Udonis Haslem added 10 for the Heat… Toronto guard Jose Calderon sat out with a strained right hamstring and was replaced by Will Solomon, who finished with 15 points and 11 assists.
Nov 12: Sixers 106, Raptors 96
The AP reports: Elton Brand scored a season-high 25 points, Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala each had 18, and the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the Toronto Raptors 106-96 on Wednesday night. Willie Green scored 17 points and Marreese Speights had 12 for the 76ers, who won for the first time in four road games this season… Chris Bosh had 30 points and 12 rebounds, but Toronto still lost for the fourth time in five games after starting the season 3-0. Jermaine O’Neal added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and reserve Andrea Bargnani scored 15 for the Raptors.
Perkins and JO have beef
The Boston Herald (Steve Buckley) reports: According to Kendrick Perkins, these confrontations with Jermaine O’Neal are getting serious. “There’s always words exchanged,” he said. “We do have something personal. That’s how we’ve been since we’ve been matching up. But you know, it is what it is.” Don’t worry, though, Perkins and O’Neal won’t be meeting out on Causeway Street to settle whatever differences they may have. “He’s out there competing,” Perkins said. “It’s nothing personal off the court, but it’s personal when we get on the court.
Nov 10: Celtics 94, Raptors 87
The AP reports: Paul Pierce walked into the postgame interview room with his right hand wrapped in ice, cooling down after a hot shooting final quarter. “We’re cooling it down,” Kevin Garnett joked after Pierce scored 22 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter to lead Boston’s 94-87 comeback win over the Raptors on Monday night… Pierce made 7-of-9 shots in the final quarter—including a pair of 3s just 40 seconds apart midway into the period—as Boston overcame an eight-point deficit en route to its fifth straight win… Garnett added 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Ray Allen had 19 points for the Celtics (7-1). Boston scored 58 points in the second half after getting just 36 in the opening 24 minutes… Jermaine O’Neal recovered from a rough night in Sunday’s win over Charlotte, leading the Raptors (4-3) with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Anthony Parker scored 15 and Jason Kapono 14 for Toronto.
InsideHoops.com Notes: Chris Bosh shot just 3-of-8 for 9 points and 7 rebounds. Jason Kapono shot 6-of-10 for 14 points. Andrea Bargnani did almost nothing in 11 minutes.
Cool stats worth knowing
Phoenix’s Shaquille O’Neal needs 20 points to tie John Havlicek for 10th on the all-time scoring list (26,395). O’Neal is averaging 14.8 points over six games. He scored a season-high 29 points Saturday at Milwaukee. The Suns host Memphis tonight and Houston Wednesday.
O’Neal’s teammate, Amare Stoudemire, has attempted 15 or more free throws in a franchise-record tying three-straight games (Connie Hawkins: January, 1970; Stoudemire: April, 2004). The last player to attempt 15 or more free throws in three straight games was Dwight Howard in December, 2007.
Toronto’s Chris Bosh is the second player in team history to pass the 7,000-point mark in career scoring. He has 7,011 points, second behind Vince Carter, who scored 9,420 points between 1998-2004.
Miami’s Mario Chalmers — one of only two rookies starting at point guard (Chicago’s Derrick Rose) — leads rookies in assists (5.7 apg) and steals (2.8 spg). Rose is second in assists (5.1 apg) and tied for fourth in steals (1.1 spg).
Milwaukee guard and former NBA Development League player Ramon Sessions is averaging 17.2 points, 6.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds.
Atlanta, which remained undefeated (5-0) with an 89-85 triumph over host Oklahoma City yesterday, is off to its best start since the 1997-98 season 11-0.
–NBA News
Nov 9: Raptors 89, Bobcats 79
The AP reports: Chris Bosh had 30 points and 15 rebounds, and the Toronto Raptors pulled away late for an 89-79 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday. Andrea Bargnani scored 18 points for the Raptors, including a key 3-pointer with less than six minutes to go that put them ahead to stay.
Jose Calderon added 13 points and Jamario Moon had 10 for Toronto, which snapped a two-game losing streak after opening the season with three straight wins.
Bobcats rookie D.J. Augustin scored 11 of his 14 points in the second quarter in helping Charlotte take a 45-40 lead at the break. Jason Richardson and Raymond Felton had 12 points each, and Jared Dudley 10.