Tag: Toronto Raptors

NBA Power Rankings: Knicks make a jump behind 9-game win streak

Rookie Wire looked at the NBA through games played on Thursday and ranked each team from worst to first.

After an exciting first half of the season, the NBA is closing in on the trade deadline and All-Star Weekend the following week to start the stretch run for teams vying for playoff positioning.

The trade chatter will certainly ramp up considerably before Thursday, with several teams expected to be active. The impending rumors and other speculation should once again create plenty of storylines to watch over the next several days.

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The league announced the 14 reserve players for the All-Star Game on Thursday, with several first-time selections joining the mainstays in the exhibition this year. Of course, the announcement wasn’t without controversy regarding those snubbed players.

To make further sense of it all, Rookie Wire looked at the NBA and ranked each team from worst to first. We will return each week and provide our latest assessment of the best teams and those that are rising.

Raptors at Rockets, Feb. 2: Lineups, how to watch, injury reports, uniforms

In a battle of two top-four picks from the 2021 NBA draft, Scottie Barnes leads Toronto into Houston to face a resurgent Jalen Green and the Rockets.

Third-year guard Jalen Green has suddenly played spectacular basketball over the past five games, but Houston is just 2-3 over that stretch. In Wednesday’s loss to New Orleans (27-21), part of the issue was a superior opponent, and the other part involved off nights by big man Alperen Sengun and several Rockets shooters.

On Friday, as the Rockets (22-25) conclude a three-game homestand at Toyota Center, Houston appears to have a golden opportunity to finally put it all together at the same time.

That’s because their opponent is the struggling Raptors (17-30), who enter with nine losses 11 games. That run largely coincides with a trade of OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks and Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers, which weakened Toronto’s high-end talent.

On paper, this is a game the Rockets need to win as they continue their push for a Western Conference play-in tournament slot. Houston is 17-9 at home but just 5-16 on the road, and they will begin a tough four-game road trip on Sunday with a visit to Minnesota (34-14), where the Timberwolves currently lead the West standings.

Thus, prior to heading out on the road, it would be extremely beneficial if the Rockets can take care of business at Toyota Center by banking a win and securing a winning homestand for the week.

In contrast to Jonas Valanciunas and the Pelicans, the Raptors have recently started an undersized Thaddeus Young at center (due to Jakob Poeltl’s injury), which should be more favorable to Sengun. Houston was out-rebounded versus New Orleans, 56-29, and Sengun shot an uncharacteristic 4-of-11 from the field (36.4%).

Friday’s game is also the first time Fred VanVleet will face his former team since signing with Houston in 2023 free agency. Thus, both teams may have this circled on their calendars, and VanVleet would love to bounce back versus his old team after shooting just 27.9% on 3-pointers over his past 11 games. He should be due!

2024 NBA Mock Draft: Latest first-round projections at midway point of season

Rookie Wire took a look at the 2024 NBA draft class and where the top prospects stand as of Feb. 1.

The top NBA draft prospects worldwide have collectively reached the second halves of their respective seasons as they look to showcase themselves in front of scouts and executives.

The class this year has seen several players help their stock, while others have struggled and fallen down draft boards. Some players have also dealt with recent injuries and other factors that have prevented them from reaching their potential.

The draft is widely considered open at the top of the board, with several prospects in the conversation to be the first selection. Unlike last year, when Victor Wembanyama was the consensus No. 1 pick, there is no clear-cut choice this year.

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Prospects will continue to see their standing fluctuate over the remaining two-plus months of action on the court as scouts have more time to evaluate them. The sheer unknown atop the draft board should create plenty of storylines to follow over the remainder of the season.

The NBA announced on Wednesday that the draft will be expanded to a two-night format, with the first round set to take place on June 26 at the Barclays Center. The second round will be at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in New York the following night.

Rookie Wire looked at the class and where the top prospects stand at this point of the season. The order was determined by the reverse order of the NBA standings as of Feb. 1.

Note: Player fit wasn’t necessarily taken into account with each pick. Pick protections and other notes courtesy of Tankathon.

Raptors guard Markquis Nowell among players selected for G League Up Next Game

Raptors 905 guard Markquis Nowell was among the players selected to compete in the G League Up Next Game during NBA All-Star Weekend.

Toronto Raptors rookie Markquis Nowell was among the players selected to compete in the G League Up Next Game during NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The event will feature four teams of seven players competing in two semifinal games. The winners face off in the championship on Feb. 18 at 1:30 p.m. EST. The teams will be drafted by an influencer general manager, who will also customize their teams’ jerseys.

The 28 players include 10 selected by a fan vote. The remaining 18 players were selected by the G League and include eight members of the Ignite and one from the Indiana Mad Ants as the host team.

Nowell, who is signed to a two-way contract, finished in the top 10 of the fan voting after averaging 15.3 points, 8.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and two steals in 20 games with the Raptors 905. He is seventh in the G League in steals and 11th in assists during the regular season.

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NBA Power Rankings: Suns’ Big 3 flexing during 7-game win streak

Rookie Wire looked at the NBA through games played on Thursday and ranked each team from worst to first.

Teams around the NBA have begun the second halves of their schedules, as the season rapidly approaches the trade deadline and All-Star break next month.

The past week saw plenty of storylines unfold, from some surprising coaching changes to a trade involving the Miami Heat to a few historic performances. The dialogue further showed how entertaining the NBA can be on and off the court.

The action should only continue to heat up with less than two weeks remaining until the trade deadline on Feb. 8. Rumors are swirling around several players and teams, proving that it should once again be a busy acquisition period.

To make further sense of it all, Rookie Wire looked at the NBA and ranked each team from worst to first. We will return each week and provide our latest assessment of the best teams and those that are rising.

NBA Power Rankings: Clippers stay hot behind Paul George’s sensational run

Rookie Wire looked at the NBA through games played on Thursday and ranked each team from worst to first.

The 2023-24 NBA season has reached the midway point of the schedule, as most teams around the league have played in at least half of their games to this point.

The league is less than three weeks away from the trade deadline on Feb. 8, but some teams are already getting a head start on their moves. Toronto stayed active this week after trading two-time All-Star Pascal Siakam to Indiana for players and picks.

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The Pacers drastically improved their chances of returning to the playoffs for the first time in four years with the acquisition of Siakam. The group now has its sights on not only breaking its playoff drought but also making a deep run this year, led by Tyrese Haliburton, Siakam and others.

To make further sense of it all, Rookie Wire looked at the NBA and ranked each team from worst to first. We will return each week and provide our latest assessment of the best teams and those that are rising.

Bruce Brown discusses Raptors debut against Bulls after trade

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Toronto Raptors, Bruce Brown discussed his debut for his new team.

The Chicago Bulls were up north to take on the Toronto Raptors on Thursday night, and they walked away with a 116-110 victory over the Dinosaurs. Led by Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls absolutely dominated the paint, outscoring the Raptors on the interior 74-50. Toronto held on until the final few moments, but that’s when Chicago pulled away.

It was a solid win for the Bulls, but the Raptors are in a state if disarray right now. They traded OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks earlier this year, and just the other day, they moved Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Bruce Brown, Jordan Nwora, Kira Lewis Jr., and three first-round picks.

After the game, Brown spoke about his Raptors debut, explaining his thought process while he was on the floor for his new team for the first time.

“I didn’t know the plays,” Brown said via ESPN. “I was just trying to be in the right spots.”

Brown finished the game with 15 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal while shooting 7-of-10 from the field and 1-of-3 from behind the three-point line.

There’s still a chance that Brown gets flipped to a new team ahead of this year’s trade deadline, but for now, he’s in Toronto and will help their new-look core.

As for the Bulls, they could have some moves to make ahead of the trade deadline, too. Recent reports have indicated that the team would like to trade Zach LaVine, and past that, there’s still a chance more players could be on the move.

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Nikola Vucevic discusses dominant showing in Bulls win over Raptors

After the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Toronto Raptors, Nikola Vucevic spoke about his play during the contest.

The Chicago Bulls traveled up north on Thursday night for a date with the new-look Toronto Raptors. After trading OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks a few weeks ago, they just moved two-time All-NBA forward Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers, completely shuffling their roster around with Scottie Barnes at the center of it.

Unfortunately for the Raptors, they weren’t able to take home a win in the face of a lot of movement, as the Bulls squeaked out a 116-110 victory that came down the final few minutes. However, while the game was close for the most part, the Bulls absolutely dominated the Raptors in one key area of the contest.

Chicago outscored Toronto 74-50 in the painted area. Big man Nikola Vucevic, who helped lead that charge, spoke about his part in the dominance after the game.

“I knew I had a little bit of a size advantage and I was trying to take advantage of it,” Vucevic said via ESPN.

The Bulls center finished the game with 24 points, 14 rebounds (including five on the offensive glass), seven assists, two steals, and one block while shooting 12-of-20 from the field (including 12-of-17 from inside the three-point arc).

With Jakob Poeltl still sidelined for the Raptors, two-way player Jontay Porter has been getting a ton of reps at the center spot, as have veteran big men Chris Boucher and Thaddeus Young.

Neither was able to keep up with Vucevic, however, as he led the way for the Bulls en route to their 20th win of the season.

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Charles Barkley subtly admitted that the TNT primetime Bulls-Raptors game wasn’t all that exciting

Charles Barkley understood if you weren’t excited for Bulls-Raptors.

Inside the NBA co-host Charles Barkley wanted everyone to watch the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors game, even if it wasn’t, y’know, all that exciting.

That’s how Barkley framed his hysterical plug for the game on Thursday night between two teams with a losing record, as he admitted in a program transition that this, well, wasn’t going to be the best game of the season.

If you were excited for the Bulls and the Raptors game, more power to you. It might’ve been a good one!

However, there were probably more than a few casual NBA fans who needed a little extra motivation to stick around for this one as opposed to doing something else.

Barkley likely spoke for plenty of NBA fans who would’ve preferred another game on the Thursday slate to be in the prime time slot.

However, you never know when one of these games could turn out to be a hidden gem. The luck of the draw!

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Former Alabama PG Kira Lewis Jr. headed to Toronto Raptors in three-team deal

On Wednesday, former Alabama point guard Kira Lewis Jr. was traded from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Toronto Raptors as a part of a three-team deal.

On Wednesday afternoon, a three-team deal was agreed upon by the Indiana Pacers, Toronto Raptors, and New Orleans Pelicans. According to ESPN senior NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, former Kira Lewis Jr. was traded from the Pelicans to the Raptors as a part of the trade.

Lewis Jr. has spent the past four seasons as a part of the Pelicans organization. He was drafted No. 13 overall in the 2020 NBA draft by the Pelicans.

This appears to be a good opportunity for Lewis Jr. The native of Meridianville, Alabama played sparingly during his four seasons with the Pelicans. With the Raptors struggling this season, it could be a promising move for both parties moving forward. Lewis Jr. could provide some valuable minutes in the Raptors backcourt.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest news regarding the Alabama men’s basketball program and its former players in the NBA.