Tag: Toronto Raptors

The Raptors paid tribute to Dejan Milojevic on this scoring play designed by the late coach

This was a beautiful tribute to the late Warriors assistant coach.

The NBA world mourned the loss of Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, who died unexpectedly on Wednesday morning.

Even though Golden State’s game scheduled against Utah was postponed because of the tragedy, the rest of the league had to continue with their games despite playing with a heavy heart.

Milojevic was on the minds of many across the NBA, including Toronto Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic. He said he had known Milojevic since they were teenagers as they are both from Serbia.

After the game, Rajakovic told reporters that he ran a play as a tribute to Milojevic.

“Opening play in the game was [an] ATO that Deki, my friend, I learned that play from him. It’s what he brought to [the] NBA and it’s what he brought to Golden State. I stole that play from him and that was our opening play tonight and we were able to score on it once. I dedicated this team win to our team and to Deki.”

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski confirmed that the set was the opening play of the game.

As noted by Samson Folk, Toronto’s Scottie Barnes was double-teamed on the first possession of the game. So while it was technically not the first play of the game, it was the first “scripted” play of the game.

To make a good tribute an even more beautiful one: The Raptors were still able to score as Gary Trent Jr. hit a 3-pointer, which meant a lot to everyone involved:

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Pascal Siakam, Bruce Brown trade grades: Who won the deal between the Pacers, Raptors and Pelicans?

The Indiana Pacers just got a lot more interesting.

Pascal Siakam was expected to be one of the big dominoes of the NBA’s trade deadline coming up in a few weeks.

Now, he’s off the board.

Siakam has reportedly been traded in a three-team deal by the Raptors to the Pacers in exchange for Bruce Brown and a handful of first-round picks, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Pelicans also snuck into the deal, too, sending Kira Lewis to Toronto and a second-round pick to the Pacers.

The Pacers were considered one of the teams heading into the deadline that seemed prime to make a big move. That big move has come a bit earlier than anticipated.

Let’s dive into trade grades.

NBA fans appreciated Pascal Siakam finally finding a new home after the blockbuster Pacers-Raptors trade

Pascal Siakam’s stressful wait for a trade is FINALLY over.

There have been well-sourced rumors for a long time that Pascal Siakam was not long for the Toronto Raptors. The two-time All-Star and 2019 NBA champion didn’t seem entirely happy in Toronto, especially given the organization’s struggles since getting that fateful championship.

Wednesday afternoon had to be a wonderful reprieve for both parties.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Raptors traded Siakam to the Indiana Pacers for the princely sum of three first-round picks and solid glue guys like Bruce Brown. With all the trade consternation surrounding Siakam lately, you can’t help but feel happy for him to finally move onto greener pastures:

Siakam should be a wonderful big-man fit with Tyrese Haliburton’s rising Pacers. Meanwhile, a Toronto full-scale rebuild is now completely underway. At least Siakam could find his way back onto a new team that might be a championship contender soon enough.

Boston Celtics hold off Toronto Raptors 105-96 in ‘weird win’

Boston took out the clamps in the game’s second half to hold Toronto to just 12.5% from beyond the arc.

In what Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla called a “weird” game, the Celtics beat a reinvigorated version of the Toronto Raptors 105-96 on the road at Scotia Bank Arena on Monday night. Neither ball club shot better than about 40% from the field, and Boston took out the clamps in the game’s second half to hold Toronto to just 12.5% from beyond the arc.

With no Jaylen Brown available (the Georgia native was out nursing a hyperextended knee back to health), it fell on fellow All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum to carry the load as team motivator, and all five starters helped carry the scoring load in his absence, with double figures put up by all five.

With the win, the Celtics have further strengthened their hold on the top of the East, and the hosts of the CLNS Media “How Bout Them Celtics!” podcast took a close look at the contest in their most recent pod.

Check it out above!

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Toronto’s Dennis Schroder had something to say to Jayson Tatum after Celtics’ 105-96 win

“I (have) a lot of respect for him because, at his core, he just wants to win,” said Tatum postgame.

There was a moment in the Boston Celtics‘ 105-96 road win over the Toronto Raptors when it looked like former Celtics and current Raptors floor general Dennis Schroder was about to fight star Celtics forward Jayson Tatum after a collision mid-play. But the glare shot by Schroder at Tatum would misrepresent the bond the two players still have with each other.

After the final buzzer, the German point guard gave Tatum his jersey, signed with the message (via Celtics Blog’s Noa Dalzell) “Brodie for life — go get that chip this year; PS — top 5” written on it in sharpie.

Speaking to the media postgame, Tatum commented on his former teammate via NBC Sports Boston, h/t Dalzell. “Great guy, great teammate, just super competitive,” said the St. Louis native.

“When you get to be around him a lot more that, if he sees something he doesn’t like, he’s going to say it. If he did something I didn’t like, I was going to say it,” added Tatum.

“We had that trust that we just wanted to win. We had hard conversations, but I (have) a lot of respect for him because, at his core, he just wants to win. He’s a hell of a competitor.”

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston’s Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum set the tone with Jaylen Brown out in win over the Raptors

The Celtics escaped with a 105-96 win they had to work for fairly hard, Toronto matching much of what Boston brought to bear save some truly atrocious 3-point shooting.

The Boston Celtics played the new-look Toronto Raptors for the first time since they traded away veteran wing OG Anunoby for former New York Knicks Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett. The Raptors look to be an improved version of themselves as a result of that deal.

The Celtics escaped with a 105-96 win they had to work for fairly hard, Toronto matching much of what Boston brought to bear save some truly atrocious shooting from beyond the arc for the Raps at just 12.5% from 3-point range. With the win, the Celtics swept the season series with Toronto and further cemented their vice grip on the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

NBC Sports Boston’s Eddie House, Brian Scalabrine and Drew Carter joined Amina Smith after the game to talk about the win on “Postgame Live”.

Check it out above!

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Boston fends off ice-cold Toronto squad 105-96

The Raptors’ ability to hit from the perimeter seems to have gone extinct for the night.

The new version of the Toronto Raptors with Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett on the roster via a trade from the New York Knicks gave the Boston Celtics more trouble than they seemed to be expecting in their meeting at Ontario’s Scotiabank Arena on Monday night.

But when Boston took out the clamps in the second half, holding Toronto to just 12.5% from deep, the game was effectively over with all five of the Celtics starters scoring in double figures as Boston went on to win 105-96. Big games from Derrick White (22 points), Jrue Holiday (22 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists), Jayson Tatum (19 points, 14 boards, 6 assists), Kristaps Porzingis (15 points, 6 rebounds), and Al Horford (10 points, 11 boards) earned the team their 31st win of the season.

Boston remains atop the East with a 3-game lead over the Milwaukee Bucks with the win, and will next play the San Antonio Spurs at TD Garden on Wed., Jan. 17.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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Celtics vs. Raptors: Watch, stream, injuries, start time, lineups

The Boston Celtics head north to cross the Canadian border to face the Toronto Raptors on the road after blowing out the Houston Rockets at TD Garden on Saturday.

The Boston Celtics head north to cross the Canadian border to face the Toronto Raptors on the road after blowing out the Houston Rockets at TD Garden on Saturday.

If you happen to be looking for a way to watch the on-court action live on cable television or a local or national online streaming service that carries the game, keep reading. We will get you up to speed on everything else you need to know about the game all in one place. Along with player injuries and likely starters for both teams, we of course will have how to watch it with the rest of the information listed below.

Let’s begin with the players available to play.

Should Golden State trade for Pascal Siakam?

If they did, what would it look like?

The Golden State Warriors may be about to make a major trade.

If that is the plan, could it be for star Toronto Raptors big man Pascal Siakam? With the 2024 NBA trade deadline now less than a month away, one of the worst-kept secrets in the league right now is that the Dubs are down to move pretty much anyone not named Stephen Curry.

Is there a world where the Raptors could be convinced of the potential of Canadian wing Andrew Wiggins playing for a club in his native country? And if they were amenable to such a trade, how would Siakam fit into how the Warriors play? And what about the fact he is in the final season of his current contract? Would that be a problem, or exactly what Golden State needs in terms of cap flexibility?

The folks behind the “Swish Central” podcast recently explored what a trade for Toronto’s Siakam might look like for the Warriors.

Check it out above!

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NBA Power Rankings: Thunder surge past Celtics for the No. 1 spot

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

The NBA is approaching the halfway point of the season, as the contenders and potential playoff teams have emerged after a competitive schedule thus far.

The rumor mill is beginning to heat up with the trade deadline now less than a month away (Feb. 8). Players are beginning to find their names linked in some potential trades as teams look to solidify their futures this season or beyond.

The league is also close to revealing its All-Stars for this season. Two rounds of voting results have been released. The top players appear on the voting leaderboard from each conference, with some newcomers sprinkled into the mix, as well.

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.