Game 48: Magic at Raptors!

Alright! Everything is ok again. Raptors won Friday night against Milwaukee ending a 5(!) game losing streak. Tonight it's the return of Bizmack Biyombo as the Orlando Magic come to to town

• Jared Sullinger did not play Friday night, likely due to his conditioning not being where it needed to be to go up against a face paced Milwaukee team. The Raptors gave him a game with the 905 D-League team to get some reps in. He had a nice game, scoring 18 points.
• DeMar DeRozan will likely be back after missing a few games with a sore ankle. Norman Powell has been great in his stead.
• Bizmack Biyombo makes his first return to Toronto after signing with Orlando in the off season on a 4 year deal. His Magic comes to town with Evan Fornier questionable for today's game
• Raptors will be wearing their Chinese New Year jersey tonight as NBA celebrates the Lunar New Year.
• FORMER RAPTOR ALERT: Besides Father Biyombo, DJ Augustin also plays for Orlando. He had a cup of coffee in Toronto before being waived around the time Rudy Gay was traded to Sacramento. Or he was waived to make room for Nando De Colo, can't remember.

Tonight's Raptor Track!

Alice In Chains - "Rooster"

It is the year of the Rooster, so in honour of that here's some vintage Alice In Chains. The song is inspired by Alice's songwriter and guitar player Jerry Cantrell's father who spent time in Vietnam. His nickname in the war was Rooster.

Raptors 2nd in East 29-18! Magic 12th in East 18-30!

Game 46: Raptors at Grizzlies!

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When was the last time I talked about the Raptors winning? Let's leave that 4 game losing streak behind us and get a W tonight! Raptors in Memphis to take on the Grizz.

• DeRozan will be sitting tonight as he is still dealing with a sprained ankle. Patrick Patterson did come back last night and definitely made an impression bringing energy and shooting the 3. All in all the Raps only lost to the Spurs by 2
• Everyone is good to go for Memphis. Except Brandan Wright and Troy Daniels. Memphis are a big defensive team. Jonas and Bebe (Or the VN Towers as I call them) need to be on their A game
• After this the Raps get a bit of a break and head home for a 3 game home stint, Need to get this one though. No more BS

Tonight's Raptor Track!

Chuck Berry - "Memphis" (featuring John Lennon)

The great Chuck Berry makes his first appearance on Raptortracks! Another fun video for this song is the one where he's performing with John Lennon and Yoko Ono on the Michael Douglas show. Halfway through the song, Yoko feels she's not getting her creativity out and just starts worbbling into the mic. The look on Chuck's face.....haha oh man...so good. Ah hell, i'll just link it here.

Raptors (still) 2nd in East 28-17! Grizzlies 7th in West 26-20!

Game 45: Spurs at Raptors!

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• Bad news for Raptors fans tonight as DeMar DeRozan is expected to miss tonight and tomorrow's game against Memphis with a sore ankle. He came down on Valanciunas' foot after a jump shot in Sunday's loss to Phoenix
• Good news for Raptors fans tonight as Patrick Patterson is expected to be in the line-up. He's been dealing with a sore knee and the Raptors are 5-8 without their energetic 4. Also rumoured to be back tonight is Delon Wright, who's missed the entire season so far after having shoulder surgery
• Despite the fact that Tony Parker will be getting some rest tonight and sitting out, and that Pau Gasol and Johnathan Simmons are also out tonight, the Spurs are still the Spurs and can never be taken lightly
• No former Raptors play for San Antonio but fellow Canadian Joel Anthony has been signed to a 10-day contract. Likely to fill the Gasol void

Tonight's Raptor Track!

The Legendary Shack Shakers - "Old Spur Line"

I can't comment on the content of this...I didn't listen all the way through to this boozy, swingin' obviously Southern inspired track, so I hope there's nothing inappropriate. Maybe i'm too quick to judge here................just listened to the song. Definitely judged too quick! CRANK THIS!!!!

Game 44: Suns at Raptors!

Not sure when the last time I actually did a post when the Raptors and Suns square off! So this is a treat for me! Raps are back home and need a W against the pesky Phoenix squad!

• Boston lost last night as did Cleveland, so a Toronto victory today would be just what the doctor ordered to gain some ground in the race for the #1 spot.
• No word on whether Patrick Patterson or Bebe will be available tonight. Patterson has only played 2 games in January since injuring his knee the last time these two squads met. And Bebe got pegged in the eye in Brooklyn and has been dealing with blurred vision. Phoenix might be without Jared Dudley, but other than that their squad is healthy
• Though Phoenix are at the bottom of the Western conference they cannot be taken lightly. They always give Toronto a tough time and have a tall squad with guys like Chandler, Len, Chriss and Bender, it will be tough for the Raptors to match their height. Expect Siakam to get the start.
• FORMER RAPTOR ALERT: The Brazilian Blur himself is back and i'm sure he'll get a warm welcome from the Toronto fans. Barbosa made his way to Toronto when Phoenix first traded him away for the troubled Hedo Turkoglu back in 2010. Barbosa played a few years with Toronto and won us over with his hustle and his infectious smile. We eventually traded him to Indiana for a draft pick that im not sure we used yet. Barbosa would bounce around from Indiana to Boston, back to Phoenix, before landing in Golden State where he helped his team win the Championship back in 2015.

Tonight's Raptor Track!

Brand New - "Not The Sun"

Tons of great Sun tracks I could picked I guess. This one is a deep track from Brand New's awesome album The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me. Check it out

Terry Jacks - "Seasons In The Sun"

Because i've missed a few Phoenix games i'll add another!! 

Toronto 2nd in East 28-15! Phoenix 15th in West 14-29!

Game 43: Raptors at Hornets!

It's Friday night and the Raptors look to close out a road trip with a victory. They take on the struggling Charlotte Hornets tonight in North Carolina.

• First off, congrats are in order to DeMar DeRozan for getting voted in to the All-Star game in New Orleans as a starter. First time in his career and well deserved. Fully expect Kyle Lowry to join him there on the reserves list
• Another player you can look for on that reserves list is Charlotte's Kemba Walker. He's been playing well despite his team's struggles
• DeMarre Carroll took a leg to the back of the head in Wednesday's game and didn't return. It appears his neck is still sore, but he may try to give it a go.
• FORMER RAPTOR ALERT: Tyler Hansbrough is playing infront of the Carolina fans once again. After spending multiple years as a Tarheel at UNC he was drafted by Indiana into the NBA. Later signing with Toronto for 2 years and then finally signing on with the Hornets. Though he doesn't get much playing time with Roy Hibbert and Cody Zeller on the roster, im sure he's happy to be back in the state he's from.

Tonight's Raptor Track!

Horn - "Things In Themselves"

Just discovered that this band existed this week. A guy I know's uncle was the keyboard player. Though they didn't get much recognition, the fact they have an album uploaded to Youtube is cool enough. From Toronto, a self described jazz band with shades of Frank Zappa.

Raptors 2nd in East 28-14! Hornets 7th in East 21-21!

Game 42: Raptors at 76ers!

Keep those Atlantic division adversaries coming! The Raptors are 9-0 against teams in their division this season and will get another taste tonight as they slide into Philly to take on the rebuilding Sixers.

• Big news for Raptors fans tonight as Jared Sullinger will dress and is likely to make his debut tonight! Not sure how many minutes he'll see, I guess it depends on how well his conditioning is. But joyous news nonetheless!
• Philadelphia has tasted some success lately. A young team with nothing to lose is on the up and up winning 4 of their last 5 games and with their young pieces looking good (Embiid, Noel, Okafor, Saric) Sixers fans have alot to look forward to
• Lucas Nogueira took a hand to the face last night and had blurred vision while back in the locker room. He is out tonight. Lowry will likely play as he was rested last night. No word on whether tonight is DeRozan' turn to rest or not

Tonight's Raptor Track!

The Alarm - "The Spirit Of 76"

The Alarm were a rock group from Wales who rose to fame in the 80's. They released 7 albums before disbanding in 1991. This song has a Springsteen-esque tinge to it. Kinda cool.

Raptors 2nd in East 28-13! Sixers 13th in East 13-26!

Game 41: Raptors at Nets!

Raptors take off for a quick roadtrip and a few more games against Atlantic Division rivals tonight. First stop is Brooklyn to take one the once F*ckable Nets.

• Patrick Patterson did travel with the team and as per usual he is a game time decision. We shouldn't need him tonight, so maybe it's a good night for 2Pat to get some rest. 
• Last time these 2 teams met, on Friday, it was the 3 ball that kept the Nets in it for 3 quarters. Raptors have to figure out a way to get guys like Hamilton, Dunwiddie, Bogdanovic and Harris off the 3 point line.
• Jeremy Lin is the only scratch for The Brooklyn Nets tonight. Still unsure of his time table for return
• FORMER RAPTOR ALERT: Last time they played I had no idea Quincy Acy was a member of the Brooklyn Nets! Acy was drafted in 2012 along with Terrence Ross and spent his rookie year being hazed along side Ross and Valanciunas. He developed into a nice post player/rim protector to come off the bench before he was included in that legendary Rudy Gay trade in his second year and has bounced around the league ever since. He's played with Sacramento, New York, Sacramento again and now, it appears, Brooklyn. Fun Fact we share a birthday! Q!

Tonight's Raptor Track!

Bishop Allen - "Butterfly Nets"

No i'm not calling Brooklyn's NBA team the Butterfly Nets. They are professional athletes and can compete with anyone night in and night out. Bishop Allen are an indie rock group from New York, New York. They might best be known from the movie Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist. They had a performance scene in it.

Raptors 2nd in East 27-13! Nets 15th in East 8-32!