What is it about Washington and Toronto that always leads to close games and crazy finishes during the regular season??
Bismack Biyombo or BB8 will go down as the hero of this game. Rebounding like crazy on both the offensive and defensive glass. He clocked up another double/double performance.
The Wizards were without former Raptor Alan Anderson and John Wall's back court ball-mate Bradley Beal.
DeMarre Caroll and Jonas Valanciunas both returned to the starting lineup, though they both were seemingly on a numbers watch as both only played under 30 minutes. Raptors hold out to win 94-91
Tonight's Raptor Track!
The Who - "Pinball Wizard"
Such a classic song, can't believe I haven't used this one for the Wizards games yet, huh. There Ya go
Raptors now 20-13 going into 2016. Wizards now 14-16
Back from the holidays!! Hope everyone had a great time and enjoyed some Holiday Hoops! The Raptors are fresh off a definitive win in Milwaukee and traveled via bus to Chicago to take on their Conference rival Bulls
From the outside looking in the Bulls appear to be doing alright, albeit 7th in the East, but there are swirling rumours that behind the scenes things are not so hunky dory. Team All-Star Jimmy Butler was recently quoted as saying they need to be coached harder putting the spotlight on first season coach Fred Hoiberg who replaced Tom Thibadeau
Chicago mainstay Joakim Noah will miss tonight's game due to a shoulder strain, which is interesting considering Jonas Valanciunas will return tonight for the Raptors and could have a big game if there is no other big to check him
DeMarre Carroll also returned for the Raptors on Saturday, coming off the bench scoring 7 points and getting 2 boards. Easing him back into it, but also careful not disrupt a starting unit who did well in his absence.
Tonight's Raptor Track!
Wilco - "Via Chicago"
Wilco is a band that managed to be critically acclaimed and amass a large following and still avoid the mainstream spotlight. "Via Chicago" is a hauntingly beautiful tune where singer Jeff Tweedy romanticizes a dream he has about murdering his lover.
Raptors 4th in the East 19-12. Bulls 7th in the East 16-12
Another tough loss on Sunday night came against the Kings. The Raptors host the Dallas Mavericks in an attempt to get the series sweep, before heading to Milwaukee on Christmas Day.
Some good news in Raptorland as it appears Jonas Valanciunas will be back sooner than later. He has been cleared to resume practicing after missing 15 games with a broken hand. Does this mean he'll be available to play tonight? Unlikely, but there's hope
Dirk Nowitzki currently sits 7th on the NBA's all time scorer list behind Shaquille O'Neal. 29 points for the big German tonight will tie and 30 will mean Dirk passes Diesel. Will it happen? Who on the Raptors is going to step up and shut Dirk down? Scola? Patterson?
Last time these two teams met, the Raptors came away with the victory, but Dwight Powell had a great night. Let's see how the young Canadian does tonight, love seeing homegrown talent improve
Tonight's Raptor Track!
Dallas Holm - "Rise Again"
More often than not when the Raptors play the Mavericks it's a Country/Western song that gets featured. No problem here, I like to keep the song selection diverse, but with a name like the Dallas Mavericks...what other genre is really gonna step up? Dallas Holm is also a Christian musician so i'm getting a twofer here...
Raptors 5th in the East 17-12. Mavericks 4th in the West 15-12
Friday night DeMar DeRozan finally overcame a white whale in his career by defeating Chris Bosh. Until then, in his six years in the league, the Raptors had never beat the Miami Heat while Bosh was active on their roster. The score was 108-94. Tonight the Sacramento Kings come to town.
Masai Ujiri has been very active utilizing the Raptors' new D-League affiliate team. It's handy having the Raptors 905 in close vicinity to Toronto so they can effortlessly send players back and forth between the 2 rosters. Today Anthony Bennett played at the 905 game at 2pm and is expected to be present at the ACC when the Kings come to visit at 6pm
The Kings have had their problems in past seasons, and while this year hasn't been perfect for them the addition of Rajon Rondo and rookie Willie Cauley-Stein has given Sacramento fans some hope.
DeMarcus Cousins is a player that always has big games against the Raptors and with Jonas Valanciunas out, Bismack Biyombo and possibly Bebe are going to have to play at their peack to contain him...especially since he's added the 3 ball to his game.
Tonight's Raptor Track!
The Kings - "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide"
The Kings were a Canadian rock band formed in the late 70's in British Columbia. While they toured with some artists like Bob Seger. Eric Clapton and the Beach Boys, they failed to gain much recognition beyond their first single "This Beat Goes On".
Raptors 4th in the East 17-11. Kings 12th in the West 10-16
I am predicting a tough stretch of games for the Raptors before they get a well deserved break over the Christmas Holidays. Tonight they face a tough Heat team in a building where wins have been hard to come by for the Raptors
Though they some how took the Hornets to an over time lost last night, the Raptors need to find someone else to score the ball consistently besides Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.
The Heat are on a 3 game win streak after losing 3 in a row and you can beat they are licking the lips at the sight of the Raptors coming into their home on a second night of a back to back.
Though there are still some questions surrounding players like Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic, the Heat are starting to click with other players like Josh McRoberts, Chris Bosh, Luol Deng and of course Dwyane Wade.
Tonight's Raptor Track!!
Miami Sound Machine & Gloria Estefan - "Conga"
How come I haven't done the Miami Sound Machine for Heat Games? Seems like a given and a great blast from the past!!
Raptors 6th in the East 16-11! Heat 4th in the East 15-9
The road swing continues as the Raptors hope to bounce back after a disappointing showing in Indiana. Tonight we are in Charlotte where the Raptor have had their troubles before.
Charlotte will be without their starting center Al Jefferson as he is serving a 5-game suspension for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy
Though DeMarre Carroll and Jonas Valanciunas traveled with the team, it's highly unlikely that either one goes tonight. Bismack Biyombo will face off against his old team and be matched up with another up and coming center in the league Cody "Big Handsome" Zeller.
The Raptors also get to see a familiar face in Tyler Hansbrough who signed with his hometown Hornets in the off season. He'll be sure to get some playing time since Jefferson is out
Tonight's Raptor Track!
Little Chief - "North Carolina"
Following in the footsteps of some indie/folk bands like Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers and The Felice Brothers, here comes Litte Chief out of Fayetteville, AR. Formed in 2013 their new album Lion's Den has been turning some heads. "North Carolina" is from their first album Somewhere Near The River
Raptors 5th in the East 16-10. Hornets 6th in the East 14-10
Though we may not sit atop the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Raptors have the most wins in the East and are number two behind only the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tonight they head back on the road to take on the Indiana Pacers
Raptors are on the second game of a back to back after taking care of the Philadelphia 76ers at home last night 96-76. Still without 2 of their starters in DeMarre Carroll and JV.
Indiana has been one of the hottest teams in the East, but have cooled down significantly losing 3 of their last 4 games. That's no reason to take them lightly though.
The only injury for Indy is Myles Turner who is out for at least another month with an injured thumb. The Pacers have a ton of weapons though in Monta Ellis, George Hill and Paul George who is having an MVP caliber year.
Tonight's Raptor Track!
R. Dean Taylor - "Indiana Wants Me"
Perhaps the only Canadian signed to the legendary record company Motown during the 60's and 70's he found more success in the UK than he did in his native North America. His biggest US hit was "Indiana Wants Me" which hit #1 there as well as Canada and hit #2 in the UK
Raptors 2nd in East 16-9. Pacers 5th in East 13-9.
Well the homestand keeps on winding on! Raptors are fresh off an impressive win against the 2nd best team in the league, The San Antonio Spurs and await the arrival of the Milwaukee Bucks for some Friday night action
The Bucks are coming off a home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, which featured an absolute baptismal from DeAndre Jordan on Greg Monroe. You better believe the Bucks will be looking for blood
Kyle Lowry had another hot night on Wednesday against San Antonio and is playing like an All Star for two years in a row.
Speaking of All Star...the voting is now open, so get over to nba.com and vote for all your Toronto Raptors...at least Lowry.
Tonight's Raptor Track!
Rammstein - "Buck Dich"
Rammstein are one of Germany's biggest musical exports. Being in the game since about 1994 they're yet to lose a member of the 6 man line up. Some of their most well known songs are "Du Hast", "Sonne" and "Rosenrot" "Buck Dich" is off their album Sehnsucht and it translates to "Bend Over". Which is what we'd like Milwaukee to do tonight!
Raptors 3rd in the East 14-9. Bucks 13th in East 9-14
The homestand continues and the Raptors are coming off a good win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The competition ain't getting any easier though as Toronto hosts the dominant San Antonio Spurs.
Raptors defeated the Lakers without DeMarre Carroll who saw a specialist for some knee pain. The specialist took him out of basketball action indefinitely for a contusion. No word on his return. Lucas Nogueira also missed the game because of an ankle sprain. He's day to day
The Spurs are hot off a game against the Philadelphia 76ers where San Antonio sat their starters Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and others. The Spurs ended up disintegrating the 76ers 119-68. It was sort of a coming out party for their 7'3" Serbian giant Boban Marjanovic, think I have that right, who scored 18 points and won the hearts of a tired Philly crowd
This will be Cory Joseph's first test against his former team and will be looking to have a stand up night. He might not be up against Kawhi Leonard who is dealing with an illness.
Tonight's Raptor Track!!
DJ Quik - "Spur Of The Moment" feat. Ludacris
Like DeMar DeRozan, DJ Quik hails from Compton, California. He's a well known producer, MC, Rapper and DJ who got his name from being able to produce an album quickly. The list of people he's worked with is a veritable who's-who list of the American hip-hop scene. The list is peppered with names like Snoop Dogg, 2Pac, Dr. Dre and on this track from his 2005 album Trauma, Ludacris.
Raptors sixth in the East 13-9. Spurs second in the West 18-4.
Raptors couldn't close out the game and break the Warriors' streak, losing the game 112-109. They are currenty 0-2 on this homestand and hope to turn that around as the Los Angeles Lakers make their only stop to TO this year
This will be the last time Kobe Bryant will play at the ACC as a part of the Lakers. He has announced that he is retiring after 19 years in the league. I'm sure he'll be apart of the All Star festivities when Toronto hosts that in the new year, but from a regular season game perspective this is it for the Black Mamba.
Lakers' guard Nick Young got himself ejected from yesterday's game against the Detroit Pistons after reacting angrily at a foul by Anthony Tolliver. No word that he has been suspended yet, but there are swirling rumours that Byron Scott plans to bench him anyway. Another take away is that the Lakers are on the 2nd game of a back to back. Raptors did not play yesterday
A huge performance form Kyle Lowry against the Warriors that saw him put up a career high 44 points. That can't continue forever if we want this franchise to be successful. Other people need to contribute on a nightly basis. I have faith that they will.
Tonight's Raptor Track!
Smashing Pumpkins - "Farewell & Goodnight"
This one's for you Bean.
Raptors 7th in East 12-9. Lakers 15th in West 3-17
After a disappointing showing against Denver on Thursday night the Raptors open their doors the hottest ticket in town. The streaking Golden State Warriors come to play. Can the Raptors break the streak? Let's find out
20-0. That's fire. That's what kind of start the Golden State Warriors are having, a legendary start to their season. Raptors have to be near perfect to break the streak.
In a slight bit of luck the Warriors will be without Harrison Barnes, he'll sit the game out with an ankle sprain
This game is also the 2nd year that the Raptors will pay tribute to Nelson Mandela who passed away 2 years ago today. Raptors GM Masai Ujiri is African and has worked very hard to give African youth a fair chance through basketball with his organization Giants of Africa. www.giantsofafrica.org
Tonight's Raptor Track!
Disturbed - "Warrior"
The sheer energy and brutality of this track is what the Raptors need to bring to stop the surging Golden State Warriors. Disturbed were on the heavy metal bands that ushered in the genre of the late 90's and early 00's known as Nu Metal. Along with Staind, System Of A Down, Static-X and Powerman 5000, Disturbed's popularity exploded with Nu Metal. "Warrior" is off the 2010 album Asylum.
Raptors 5th in the East 12-8. Warriors 1st in the West 20-0
Here we are at game number 20! After a tough schedule to start the season The Raptors finally get a few games at home and kick off a five game homestand against the visiting Denver Nuggets
Denver is another team who's record fans of the Raptors are watching with great interest. As a result of the Andrea Bargnani trade back in 2013, the Raptors will likely get the lower of the draft picks currently owned by the New York Knicks and the Denver Nuggets. Right now they sit at 13th in the West at 6-13
A couple players to watch on Denver's side are the rookie out of Zaire Emmanuel Mudiay who played professional ball in China last year and Danillo Gallinari who originally came to the Nuggets in the Masai engineered trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to New York. Both players are exciting and are having great seasons.
Jonas Valanciunas is still out for the Raptors but last night's game in Atlanta saw a new hope rise in the center position as Lucas "Bebe" Nogueira got some significant burn. Setting solid screens, grabbing 7 rebounds and two impressive alley-oop dunks are what is causing Raptors fans to say "Where has this guy been?" Expect to see more Bebe tonight.
Tonight's Raptor Track!
Pavlov's Dog - "Gold Nuggets"
Here's a unique one for all you Raptor fans out there. Pavlov's Dog was a prog-rock, art-rock group from St. Louis who got their start in the early 70's. Members of the group had previous success in bands like Yes, REO Speedwagon and King Crimson. Though their first album Pampered Menial was highly praised and cited among some of the most influential prog-rock albums, the band failed to find commercial success and folded after their 3rd album was released in 1977.
Raptors are 4th in the East 12-7. Nuggets are 13th in West 6-13
If you told me at the beginning of the season that the Raptors would be 11-7 after the first month of NBA basketball I would have said sign me up!! That's where we find ourselves as The Raptors enter December and travel to Atlanta to take on the sixth place Hawks
It's the return of DeMarre Carroll to his old stomping grounds. It's not that he left on bad terms and the decision to leave wasn't acrimonious. Expect DC to get a warm reception
Other than losing Carroll to the Raptors the Hawks didn't make too many off season moves this past summer. Pero Antic returned to Europe after 2 years with the organization and Atlanta picked up Tiago Splitter from the Spurs. Splitter is actually out tonight with a hip injury.
This should be a good game as both teams are evenly matched. The Raptors will have to do a better job at defending the 3, which was one major weakness that lead to their loss against Phoenix on Sunday.
Tonight's Raptor Track!
Cancer Bats - "Pneumonia Hawk"
The Cancer Bats are a hardcore group from Toronto, ON. The band was formed by members of another hardcore group At The Mercy Of Inspiration, and have released 5 studio albums since their beginning in 2004. "Pneumonia Hawk" which features George Pettit of fellow Canadian hardcore group Alexisonfire, can be found on their 2006 debut Birthing The Giant.
Raptors 5th in the East 11-7. Hawks 6th in the East 12-8
