5-19 
12-12*Click on the logos for boxscoresCalderon and Bargs Help Snap Raptors' Losing Streak (104-80 Raptors)December 18, 2009The Memphis Grizzlies managed to show up at just the right time for the slumping Toronto Raptors. The Raptors halted their four game losing skid and returned back to the .500 mark by dominating the league's current cellar dweller, the Memphis Grizzlies. "There's no doubt that we needed this one," stated Andrea Bargnani, who finished with a game-high 27 points.
The first and third quarter is where the Raptors did most of the work in terms of building their lead. Toronto had easily built up a double digit lead in the first quarter and would keep it that way for the entire game. The third quarter helped Toronto build up on that double digit lead and finally blow the Grizzlies out with a 20 point deficit.
Memphis had struggled mightily throughout most of the game to get their offense going. The Grizz shot only 41% and hit 2 of their 13 three point attempts. "Defensively, I'm very proud of how we played tonight," said Raptors head coach Jay Triano. "Say what you want about Memphis being one of the worst teams this year, but we managed to play 4 solid quarters without taking any posessions off in the defensive end."
One of Bosh's 7 offensive rebounds included this sick put-back slam.Notes:-Raptors' injured forward Reggie Evans has been activated for the first time since he injured himself against the Dallas Mavericks, but was played only sparingly for 3 minutes. "We just wanted to test out the finger - We wanted to see if it was working out and he didn't look too comfortable yet," Coach Triano said. "I think it'll be for the best if he sits out this week."
-Memphis' poor performance continues, as they have only won one of their last five games.
Player of the Game:
Jose Calderon
Pts - 22
Rebs - 2
Asts - 11
FG - 8/14
Stls - 2
14-11 12-13*Click on the logos for boxscoresGordon Leads Amazing Fourth Quarter Charge (106-88 Bulls)Dcember 20, 2009The Chicago Bulls flaunted their superior guard depth and without any answer for Ben Gordon in the fourth quarter, things turned ugly quickly for the Toronto Raptors. 'Awful' was the only way to describe the fourth quarter for the Raptors, as they shot only 4 of 17 from the field during that span while also allowing Ben Gordon to score 13 points. Kirk Hinrich also played a great role off the bench 19 points and four assists to make up for Derrick Rose's early foul trouble.
"Gordon is always lights out come crunch time," Chris Bosh said. Bosh was kept in check all game long and struggled from the field, as athletic post defenders Ivan Hrkac, Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas all had their share of locking down the league's leading scorer. Without Bosh providing the offense down the stretch, it was not a wonder why the Raptors had difficulty generating their offense. "This loss is mostly on my shoulders. I should have stepped my game up when it mattered."
The Raptors actually did very well in the early going, forcing Derrick Rose into early foul trouble which saddled him throughout most of the game. The Chicago Bulls seemed to have lost thier composure on offense without their star guard, as they had 9 turnovers in the first quarter alone, but the Bulls tightened their play and only allowed 2 more afterwards. Once back-up guard Kirk Hinrich got into his groove in the third quarter, the Bulls easily erased a 10 point lead and took the lead immediately in the fourth quarter.
"A big part of the Raptors' offense came at the free throw line," Hinrich said. "Once we took that away from them in the fourth quarter it was pretty easy from then on."
An unsung hero was Bulls rookie Ivan Hrkac, as he shut down the paint in the fourth.Notes:-The Raptors will hope to even the score as they play the Bulls once again this week on the 24th.
-Toronto went 0/7 from beyond the arc, snapping their streak of 870 consecutive regular season games with at least one three pointer made.
-This game was huge as Chicago, Detroit and Toronto are all fighting to solidify their positions as the 6th, 7th and 8th ranked teams.
Player of the Game:
Ben Gordon
Pts - 28
Rebs - 1
Asts - 0
FG - 11/21
3ptFG - 5/613-13 
7-17*Click on the logos for boxscoresCarney and Terrell Come Up Big in Bosh's Absence (106-91 Raptors)December 22, 2009The Toronto Raptors managed to get their pay back against the Indiana Pacers despite losing Chris Bosh early in the game. Raptors head coach Jay Triano tried to shake things up on hs team by starting rookie Chuck Terrell, who made his debut a memorable one with 22 points. The biggest surprise of the night however belonged to Raptors guard Rodney Carney. Carney scored a career-high 26 points and made a season-high 6 three pointers. The Raptors, a team that usually struggles from behind the arc, jumped out to an early lead thanks to Carney's hot shooting and rallied behind his 13 points in the first quarter.
It wasn't until the second quarter when the Raptors started really rolling though. The Raps continued to ride the hot shooting of the Raptors trio of Carney, Terrell and Calderon. The third quarter was the point when the Raptors managed to extend the lead to 20 points, and the final quarter consisted of the Raptors toying with the Pacers with their reserves.
When asked about his hot shooting, Carney had difficulty explaining it himself. "It was just one of those games man," smiled Carney. "They left me open for a few posessions early on and then basket just got a lot bigger. I couldn't miss."
The Raptors victory came at a huge price though. Bosh collided in mid-air with Pacers' forward Troy Murphy at the 2:06 mark in the second quarter and landed awkwardly on his right foot after the collision. Bosh attempted to re-enter the game in the third quarter and played for 3 minutes but was forced to sit out because the pain soon became unbearable. "It was a scary moment for us," said Calderon, one of Bosh's closest friends on the team. "Every one held their breath when he limped back on to the bench."
Rodney Carney provided some much needed offense from behind the arc.Notes:-Toronto made a season-high 11 three pointers.
-Pacer guard Marquis Daniels is rumoured to be on the trading block in order to make room for young guards Haji Lo and Brandon Rush
-Rookie Haji Lo is the second Korean player in the NBA next to Ha Seung Jin. He sustained an arm injury after colliding with Chuck Terrell in the first quarter. Lo has averaged 6.2 points off the bench.
-After the game medical staff have confirmed that Bosh's injury is in the achilles area of the foot. The severity of the injury is yet to be known.
Player of the Game:
Rodney Carney
Pts - 26
Rebs - 3
Asts - 2
FG - 10/14
3PT - 6/715-12 13-14*Click on the logos for boxscoresBulls Bully Raptors on Christmas Eve (97-88 Bulls)December 24, 2009The Bulls showed that Christmas isn't necessarily a time for giving as they beat the Raptors by double digits for the second time this week. The Raptors were without ledaing scorer and all-star Chris Bosh for the first time this season, and it showed in their inconsistent play throughout the game.
In place of Bosh, the Raptors started Shawn Marion who finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds. Toronto got off to a solid start as usual in the first quarter, but poor offensive rhythm in the second and fourth quarters cost the Raptors the game. "We played great for quarter one and three," said Rodney Carney, who followed his career high night with another solid 18 point performance. "Whenever we got defensive stops we were successful... But in the second and fourth quarter we just looked lost out there without having Bosh to lean on."
Carney referred specifically to the first quarter when the Raptors forced 8 turnovers which accounted for 14 of the Raptors points in the opening quarter. Later in the third, the Raptors successfully contained Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon, forcing the Bulls to hit only 8 of their 28 shots attempted in the quarter. The Raptors were even within striking distance mid way into the fourth quarter when they were down only 86-85. Unfortunately, the Raptors hit a dry spell while also allowing Ben Gordon to catch fire and nail back to back three pointers while managing to only score 3 points within the final 4:50 of the game.
Gordon forced the issue at times, but came up big when it mattered.Notes:-Chicago has been one of the more preservering teams in the league, as they clawed their way back from an 0-7 start to the season to become the 6th ranked team in hte east.
-Bosh's injury was confirmed to be a torn achilles tendon and did not dress for tonight's game.
-Raptors back-up forward Reggie Evans has yet to fully recover from his sprained finger but saw 8 minutes of action due to Bosh's injury. "Im at about 80% right now, but we need all the big bodies we can get down low to fill in for Bosh," he said.
Player of the Game:
Ivan Hrkac
Pts - 12
Rebs - 8
Asts - 0
FG - 4/7
Blks - 3Raptor of the WeekJose CalderonJose beat out a very solid Andrea Bargnani this week for Raptor of the week honours. Calderon's slow but steady improvement throughout the season thus far has churned Jose back into the lethally quiet and efficient third option that we saw a few seasons back. In addition to the sky-high shooting percentages, Calderon's distribution of the ball has been stellar. averaging just 1.5 turnovers per game and a sparkling 5.2 assist to turnover ratio for the week, we can only hope that with Bosh out Calderon can continue his efficient performance.
PPG - 16.8
RPG - 3.3
APG - 7.8
FG% - 54%
3PT% - 46%*Note: These are only averages for the week.
Bosh Likely to Miss 4-5 WeeksTorn Achilles Tendon Forces All-Star to Sit Out
Mike Ulmer - raptors.com
December 25, 2009
It looks like Santa left a terrible present under the tree for the Toronto Raptors this year. Raptors all-star Chris Bosh landed awkwardly in the second quarter of a blow-out victory to the Indiana Pacers this week and medical staff were quick to admit that Bosh's injury could keep him out of the lineup for at least one month. "We ran some tests immediately after the game," Bosh told the media before the Raptors' loss to the Chicago Bulls. "The trainers kind of looked at the tests and shook their head. I knew then that something was terribly wrong."
Despite the injury, Bosh did manage to hobble back on to the court during the Indiana Pacers game and played the first three minutes in the start of the third quarter. Bosh soon realized that he could barely place any weight on the foot let alone run and jump. "After we iced it a bit and gave my foot some rest I thought I was good to go," recalled Bosh. "The pain came back real quick and I just didn't have the mobility to move the way I wanted to."
This was a huge blow to the Raptors frontcourt as Reggie Evans is also still nursing a sprained thumb injury. This leaves only Andrea Bargnani, Patrick O'Bryant, Nathan Jawai and to a certain extent Shawn Marion as the only healthy big men available. Because of Bosh's inability to play, Evans has forced himself to come back a bit early to relieve some minutes at the power forward spot in place of the 6'10 forward out of Georgia Tech.
Bosh has averaged 22 points per game, 9.8 rebounds per game and 1.04 blocks per game thus far this season, leaving a huge gap to fill on both offense and defense.
Enjoyed the articles as usual, nicely done!
Hope Evans recovers asap.
