Raptors 101 - Bulls 71
CHICAGO, Nov. 10 (AP) -- The Bulls' dismal start has T.J. Ford confused.
Carlos Delfino scored 16 points and Chris Bosh added 14 points and six rebounds to help the Toronto Raptors beat the listless Chicago Bulls 101-71 on Saturday night.
The Raptors made quick work out of the Bulls despite playing their fourth game in five nights.
"What's going on with this team?'' Ford said.
Ford had 14 assists and Andrea Bargnani scored 14 points for Toronto, which had its largest win against Chicago in franchise history.
Leading 41-30 at the half, the Raptors opened up the third quarter by outscoring the Bulls 14-1 for a 52-31 lead. Anthony Parker hit a 3 and Jamario Moon stole Luol Deng's bad pass and took it for a breakaway dunk to give the Raptors a 21-point lead that started the boos from the sellout crowd.
Toronto coach Sam Mitchell started Moon to match up against Deng. It was the first start in the league for the 27-year old rookie and he held Deng to 2-of-7 shooting.
"We thought we could use his defense against this team,'' Mitchell said. "I started him because I felt like taking a roll of the dice, I would take a chance tonight.''
Bulls coach Scott Skiles cleared his starters from the floor with 9:35 left in the third quarter, but it didn't help as Parker immediately hit another 3 against the Chicago reserves. Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Ben Wallace, Ben Gordon and Hinrich never returned to the game.
"I never want to do that. On a night when the boo-birds are out I don't want to embarrass the group like that,'' Skiles said. "I thought I would take a gamble right there to see if someone could come into the game and be a catalyst for us. I felt like in unison that group was not performing really well.''
Andres Nocioni led Chicago with 20 points.
The vibe hasn't been good in Chicago since the Bulls were involved in Kobe Bryant trade rumors less than two weeks ago. General manager John Paxson put to rest the Kobe Bryant trade rumors less than a week ago, but some fans continued to chant "Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!'' while the Bulls were down 30-plus points in the third quarter.
"Obviously the Kobe chants is something that never seems like it will never stop being talked about. We understand the crowd's frustration. We're very frustrated as well,'' Hinrich said.
Ford thought the chants have been wearing on the Bulls.
"I'm pretty sure for what it seemed it looked like it kind of affected the guys, but I'm not sure. I'm not in the locker room.''
Notes: Before Saturday's game, the Raptors dropped 15 of their last 17 games against Chicago. ... The restless Bulls fans started the wave in the fourth quarter.
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1:40 AM | Labels: Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors | 0 Comments
Magic Top Raptors Behind Turkoglu’s Big Night
TORONTO, Nov. 7 (AP) -- Thanks to a newfound focus on toughness and togetherness, the Orlando Magic are off to a perfect start away from home.
Hedo Turkoglu had 24 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, Rashard Lewis scored 24 points, and the Magic beat the Toronto Raptors 105-96 on Wednesday night to earn their third straight road victory.
Keith Bogans had 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Dwight Howard added 17 points and nine rebounds for Orlando, which won at Washington on Saturday and beat Minnesota on Tuesday.
"Any time you can get road wins is good,'' Orlando guard Jameer Nelson said. "You're always going to be able to protect your home court because you've got your fans around you. When you come up to a hostile environment like Toronto, New York or Minnesota, you've got to stick together. Everybody who's on that bench and everybody on the court has got to stick together.''
One night after he failed to make a field goal for just the second time in his NBA career, Toronto's Chris Bosh scored 26 points, going 6-for-15 from the floor and making all 14 of his free throw attempts. Bosh also had 10 rebounds.
Andrea Bargnani had 16 points for Toronto, while T.J. Ford had 12 points and eight assists. Toronto has lost three straight after winning its opening two games of the season.
"We have to do a better job of concentrating on getting to the bucket,'' Bosh said. "We're settling for a lot of jump shots and everybody on the team is falling victim to that.''
A 3-pointer by Bargnani with 3:56 left in the fourth quarter gave Toronto its first lead of the game at 92-91. Orlando responded with eight straight points, including back-to-back 3-pointers by Lewis and Nelson and a driving layup by Nelson to take a 99-92 edge with 2:23 remaining.
"Last year, when somebody made a big run at the end of the game, we kind of just folded over,'' Howard said. "In the last two games, teams have been making big pushes at the end of the game and we've held our ground. We didn't get mad or frustrated at each other. We went out there and tried to do the best job we can on defense.''
Nelson finished with 10 points and six assists for the Magic, who had all five starters reach double figures in scoring.
"I like the way our team is responding,'' Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Of course, I'd like it better if we'd just win by 15, but I like the way our team is responding. That's the way you're going to have to play to win games on the road in this league. I'm very, very pleased with them right now.''
Orlando wraps up its road trip at New York on Friday.
"We've got one more test coming up Friday,'' Nelson said. "We have to take care of business.''
Howard said the Magic know they need to do better than the 15-26 road record they posted last season.
"In order for us to become a great team and get respect around the league, we've got to win these games on the road,'' Howard said. "We've been doing an awesome job so far of just concentrating. We trying to mature as a team and every game is a stepping stone for us.''
Turkoglu played 45 minutes, including the entire second half, despite a tender ankle. Van Gundy said it was hard to take him out because of foul trouble to Lewis and Howard.
"It was hurting before the game, but I always tell myself when I'm on the court it means I've got enough,'' Turkoglu said. "I didn't want think about it too much, let it get into my head. I just played through it. I know there's going to be a day off tomorrow. I'll get it treated and feel a bit better on Friday.''
Nelson returned to the starting lineup after sitting out Tuesday's game in Minnesota with a slight concussion, the result of an inadvertent elbow to the head during practice on Monday. He was cleared to play Wednesday night after riding an exercise bike during the morning shootaround, and said he felt no ill-effects.
"The doctors did a good job getting me ready to play and being cautious,'' Nelson said. "I appreciate those guys being cautious and just allowing me to get back to being healthy.''
Orlando led 52-47 at the half.
Notes: NBA executive VP of basketball operations Stu Jackson attended the game. ... Toronto activated forward Maceo Baston before the game and placed forward Jamario Moon on the inactive list.
4:34 AM | Labels: Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors | 0 Comments
Boston 98 - Toronto 95
TORONTO, Nov. 4 (AP) -- Ray Allen made the winning 3-pointer with less than 3 seconds to play, and finished with 33 points in the Boston Celtics' 98-95 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
Kevin Garnett scored 10 of his 23 points in overtime and added 13 rebounds, giving him double-doubles in both of his games for Boston this season.
Paul Pierce added 13 points for Boston (2-0), and James Posey had 11. T.J. Ford led Toronto (2-1) with 32 points, and Chris Bosh had 19 points and 10 rebounds.
The Celtics played without head coach Doc Rivers, who left Toronto early Sunday after his father died in Chicago. Assistant Tom Thibodeau took over for Rivers.
Ford tied it at 95 on a 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds left in overtime, but Allen won it with a 3 from the corner on Boston's final possession.
Allen, who made 11 of 16 shots, passed 17,000 points for his career.
Boston held a 11-point lead after three quarters before Toronto rallied behind Bosh. His basket made it 78-76 with under 1 minute left. Ford tied the game at 78 with a lay-up with 27 seconds left.
Pierce had a chance to win the game in regulation but his jumper from just outside the top of the key went wide, sending the game into overtime.
Allen scored 13 first-quarter points as Boston built a 23-14 lead. The Celtics led 38-31 at the half.
Notes: Toronto forward Joey Graham (strained left quad) was placed on the inactive list before the game. Graham, who is listed as day-to-day, was replaced by forward Jamario Moon. ... Bosh and Andrea Bargnani combined to miss all 12 of their field goal attempts in the first half.
12:41 AM | Labels: Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors | 0 Comments
Celtics coach Rivers leaves team after father's death
TORONTO (AP) — Celtics coach Doc Rivers left the team before Boston's game Sunday against the Raptors after his father died in Chicago.
The Celtics said Rivers left Toronto on Sunday morning. Grady Alexander Rivers Sr. was 76. There was no immediate word on the cause of death.
Assistants Tom Thibodeau and Armond Hill handled the coaching duties in Rivers' absence.
12:59 PM | Labels: Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors | 0 Comments
Toronto Raptros defeat New Jersey Nets
Toronto 106, New Jersey 69
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Nov. 2 (AP) -- Payback was sweet for the Toronto Raptors.
Andrea Bargnani scored 21 points Friday night to lead Toronto to a 106-69 victory over New Jersey in the first meeting between the teams since the Nets ousted the Raptors in the opening round of last season's playoffs.
"It added a lot to it,'' said Chris Bosh who had 15 points. "We did lose in this building in the playoffs. It was a significant factor.''
Juan Dixon scored 14 for Toronto. Jose Calderon, Carlos Delfino and Anthony Parker all had 10 as the Raptors set a team record for margin of victory in a road game. Their previous best was 33 at San Antonio on Feb. 19, 1997.
"We played well,'' Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said. "I didn't realize what the score was because we were on our guys about playing defense. It was a good win, but is only game 2 with 80 more to go.''
Richard Jefferson was the one bright spot for Nets with 27 points.
"We didn't play very well,'' Jefferson said. "To their credit, they shot the ball extremely well.''
Nets stars Vince Carter and Jason Kidd had dismal nights. Carter scored only seven points against his former team, while Kidd had two.
"We took one straight in the mouth,'' Carter said.
Toronto broke open the game with a 17-2 run to start the second quarter and grab a 38-23 lead. Calderon sparked the run with six points.
The Nets, other than Jefferson, were ice cold. He had 13 points in the period on 3-for-4 shooting from the field, including a 3-pointer. He also made all six free throws, giving him 22 points for the half. The rest of the Nets shot 3-for-11 from the field in the second quarter.
The Nets narrowed the gap late in the quarter, but Bosh closed the half by intercepting a pass and beating the buzzer with a shot from beyond the center stripe to give the Raptors a 56-41 lead at the half.
"It's line of vision,'' Bosh said. "I lined up with the goal and I thought I had a good shot. I'm just happy it went in and I think it kind of sparked us.''
It deflated the Nets, as Toronto crushed New Jersey to start the third. After Nenad Krstic scored the first basket of the half for the Nets, the Raptors poured in the next 18 points for an insurmountable 74-43 lead. Parker and Bargnani had 3-pointers in the run. The Raptors closed out the period with an 80-53 advantage.
Notes: Carter scored his 15,000th point with 1:57 remaining in the first period. He became the third-fastest active player to reach that level, doing it in his 623rd game. Shaquille O'Neal got there in 547 games. Allen Iverson needed 557. ... The Raptors ended a six-game losing streak in New Jersey, including three in last season's playoffs. ... Malik Allen was called for a flagrant foul on Calderon in the fourth quarter. ... Jefferson hasn't missed a free throw yet. He has made all 21 to start the season.
1:14 AM | Labels: New Jersey Nets, Toronto Raptors | 0 Comments