The AP reports: Carmelo Anthony scored 15 points, and the Denver Nuggets beat the Toronto Raptors 105-94 in the first NBA game played in the Alberta capital in nine years. Forward Chris Bosh scored 17 points and point guard Jose Calderon had 18 points for the Raptors, who trailed 24-17 after the first quarter of the exhibition and never seriously challenged the rest of the way… Bosh was 5-for-8 from the field with three rebounds. Calderon was 5-for-11 to go with five rebounds and seven assists. He made two 3-pointers.
Category: Toronto Raptors Blog
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Oct 19: Lakers 112, Raptors 89
The AP reports: Jordan Farmar scored 16 points and sparked a fourth-quarter surge with an electrifying dunk over Chris Bosh, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 112-89 victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night. Kobe Bryant had 13 points and six assists in 24 minutes before sitting out the fourth quarter. Trevor Ariza also was a factor in the final period, scoring six of his 14 points. Lamar Odom, still adjusting to his new role as a reserve, had 10 points in 19 minutes. Anthony Parker led Toronto with 14 points. Just 16 days earlier, Parker’s sister Candace – who plays for the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks – became the first player to be honored as that league’s MVP and rookie of the year in the same season.
Oct 18: Raptors 93, Clippers 89
The AP reports: Chris Bosh scored 26 points, Jermaine O’Neal added 20, and the Toronto Raptors capitalized on the absence of three injured Clippers regulars to beat Los Angeles 93-89 on Saturday. O’Neal, preparing for his first season with the Raptors after eight years with Indiana and four with Portland, finished 7-for-15 from the field in 33 minutes and grabbed nine rebounds. Bosh had 11 boards. Reserve Ricky Davis led the Clippers (3-1) with 14 points. First-round draft pick Eric Gordon, the third player off the bench, had 10 points in 18 minutes after scoring 33 points in Wednesday’s victory over Sacramento.
Raptors starting SF battle
The ultra-athletic, defensive-minded Jamario Moon started at small forward for the Raptors last season. Will he retain the job? Or will Joey Graham shock Raptors faithful and move ahead of Moon in the depth chart? The Toronto Sun (Mike Ganter) reports:
After the game, Sam Mitchell muddied the starting small forward waters a little bit more. “Does Joey start or Jamario come off the bench?” Mitchell asked in his post-game comments. “Does Jamario start and Joey come off the bench? I don’t know yet.” Mitchell’s problem right now is his second unit is giving him almost nothing. Anyone who witnessed the second quarter last night, when the Raptors were outscored 34-20 and turned the ball over seven times with the starters on the bench, is aware of that. “We know Andrea (Bargnani) can score,” Mitchell said. “We know Jason can score and get some shots, but we have to find that other guy. One thing Joey has shown an ability to do is put the ball on the floor and get a shot for himself or get to the basket and create some contact.”
Obviously whichever player best fits in with the starters should be the one to start. Simple formula that applies to every team.
Oct 16: Wolves 90, Raptors 86
The AP reports: Ryan Gomes scored 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, and Blake Ahearn added 15 points to help the Timberwolves beat the Toronto Raptors 90-86 on Thursday night… Rodney Carney and Randy Foye each had 13 points, and Al Jefferson had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Timberwolves, 4-1 in exhibition play… Andrea Bargnani led Toronto (3-2) with 22 points. Joey Graham added 12, and Kris Humphries had 10. Chris Bosh had 10 points in 21 minutes, and Jermaine O’Neal was held to four points in 15 minutes.
Raptors backup PG competition
Now that TJ Ford is gone, traded to the Pacers in the offseason for Jermaine O’Neal, Jose Calderon is the official point guard of the Toronto Raptors. But who is his prime backup? The Toronto Sun (Mike Ganter) reports:
Up for grabs, it now appears, are the backup minutes to point guard Jose Calderon. Those minutes initially appeared destined to find their way to Will Solomon, the former Memphis Grizzlies player who has spent the past six years honing his craft in the European leagues. And that may still wind up being the case, but rather suddenly Croatian rookie Roko Ukic is getting some consideration there as well… “Right now we are giving (Solomon) an opportunity,” head coach Sam Mitchell said. “I haven’t decided yet because Roko is getting better every day. Roko is doing some things and I have to get him more (court time). I’m probably going to be trimming Jose’s minutes back a little bit and start playing those two guys more so I can really, really get a good look at both of them.”
The Raptors host the Timberwolves for a preseason matchup tonight.
Discuss the team on the InsideHoops Toronto Raptors message board.
Oct 12: Sixers 85, Raptors 79
The AP reports: Thaddeus Young scored 17 points, Andre Igoudala added 13, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Toronto Raptors 85-79 in an NBA preseason game Sunday. Philadelphia rookie Marreese Speights scored 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter, and Louis Williams chipped in 10 points for the 76ers (2-1)… Jason Kapono led Toronto with 14 and Will Solomon had 12. Andrea Bargnani and Anthony Parker also scored in double figures, netting 10 points each, for the Raptors (2-1). Elton Brand had 10 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes for Philadelphia.
Oct 8: Raptors 113, Knicks 111
The AP reports: Losing in Mike D’Antoni’s preseason debut isn’t keeping the New York Knicks from enjoying life with their new coach. Chris Bosh had 20 points and seven rebounds and the Toronto Raptors beat New York 113-111 on Wednesday night… Zach Randolph, who had 19 points and 13 rebounds, isn’t worried about his place despite D’Antoni’s up-tempo style… Andrea Bargnani added 15 points, Kris Humphries had 13 and Jermaine O’Neal added eight points and six rebounds for Toronto, which won for the second time in two nights… David Lee led the Knicks with 22 points and nine rebounds, Nate Robinson added 16 points and Wilson Chandler had 15. Stephon Marbury came off the bench to score 10 points in 23 minutes.
Oct 7: Raptors 104, Cavs 84
The AP reports: LeBron James played just 8 minutes in the first quarter before he raised his hand for a substitute and coach Mike Brown pulled his superstar for the remainder of Cleveland’s preseason debut… Toronto’s Jermaine O’Neal, acquired from Indiana in a July trade, scored 11 points in his Raptors debut. O’Neal missed 40 games last season because of lingering knee problems and dropped weight over the summer to ease the pressure on his joints. Will Solomon scored 17 points, Andrea Bargnani 15 and Kris Humphries 14 for the Raptors, who didn’t attempt a 3-pointer in the first half but dropped six from long range after halftime… Zydrunas Ilgauskas scored 16 points and Williams, acquired in an August trade from Milwaukee, added 12 points, four assists and three rebounds in 26 minutes.
Nathan Jawai heart tests raise concern
As a result of concerns raised during routine pre-season cardiac screening, Toronto Raptors center Nathan Jawai will be held out of practice until further tests are conducted. It is anticipated that these tests will be concluded later this week.
The club acquired the draft rights to Jawai (pronounced JA-why) from the Indiana Pacers on July 9. He was the 41st overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft. He is the first indigenous player from Australia to be drafted by an NBA team.