Spurs vs. Raptors Previews

[lefty]

That is not funny. Don't even joke like that!

Take it back!

Sorry

[Blackjack]

Bosh will probably get 30+... no matchup for him... at all.

Why, because he added a supposed 20+lbs of muscle?

The guy's problem wasn't his weight against Tim, and to a lesser extent KG, his problem was a mental one. He looked like little brother trying to not piss big brother, to avoid the inevitable beating; it's part of the makeup that leads me to believe he'll never be that number-one to lead a team to a championship.

He'll have to find his own Paul Pierce and really step up his defensive game if he hopes to go the KG championship route; he'll never be able to do what Tim did in his prime..

Maybe tonight's his breakout night against Tim, but there's been nothing, thus far, to prove that he's the matchup nightmare you assume.

[angel_luv]

Sorry

All's forgiven.

It is my fault that for a split second I believed you.

I have been hoping to meet Hedo ever since he was a Spur- so since 2004. And it is always awesome to see Sho.
This is going to be a great night!

[benefactor]

Yes, yes, yes!

I only get to see the Raptors in person once a year.

It will be me and them against thousands and I bet we win!

And have the Spurs lose three straight? Please leave your fan card at the door.

[lefty]

Parker is not playing, and Calderon is 100% healthy and he's been playing great lately.

Duncan is not moving well, so I expect Bosh to have a very good game.

[angel_luv]

And have the Spurs lose three straight? Please leave your fan card at the door.

I am pretty sure someone already consfiscated it.

[duncan228]

Raptors, Spurs look to rebound
'Disappointed' in Dallas
No team in the NBA has played more high-scoring games so far this season than the Toronto Raptors, but that could change on Monday against the stingy San Antonio Spurs.

The Raptors (3-3) end a three-game road trip in San Antonio and will look to finish 2-1 after their worst outing of the season on Saturday, when the Dallas Mavericks converted on 62 per cent of their shots to drub Toronto 129-101.

Chris Bosh led the way offensively with 26 points and 12 rebounds for Toronto, coming off a big win the previous night against New Orleans. Andrea Bargnani added 22, with Jose Calderon contributing 13 points with seven assists.

"I'm disappointed in the way that we played, but [Dallas] had more energy, they had more movement, they had better confidence shooting the basketball, and that's why you get a result like this," coach Jay Triano said.

While Calderon played well against the Mavericks and Jarrett Jack has been solid, backcourt depth remains a concern.

After an initial burst, rookie DeMar DeRozan has looked very much like a player who recently turned 20. DeRozan had just two points against Dallas and was in foul trouble. Meanwhile, veteran swingman Antoine Wright has been off with his shot the last two games, connecting on just three of 15 attempts.

Through six games, the Raptors have averaged 107 points scored and 108 allowed, putting them near the top in the NBA in both categories.

While the Spurs (2-3) have been struggling, they're allowing 98 points per game, putting them in the top half of the league in that category.

As well, Bosh has traditionally had his hands full with one of the best in the game, San Antonio big man Tim Duncan.

The Spurs dropped their second in a row on Friday, a 96-84 result in Portland. Richard Jefferson scored 19 points, with Duncan adding 16 to go along with eight rebounds.

The Spurs return to the friendly confines of AT&T Center, where they have won both outings this season by an average of 18 points.

Like the Raptors and many other NBA teams, putting together a consistent game has been a challenge in the early going.

"We committed too many mistakes from the get-go," said guard Manu Ginobili, who had 17 points and six assists. "It's too bad. It shouldn't be happening. We've really got to step out and try to play 48 minutes."

The Spurs will likely be without Tony Parker. The three-time all-star sprained his left ankle against the Blazers and expects to miss about a week.

The clubs split two games last season, with the home side winning each time.

Toronto will continue a tough stretch of the schedule this week. The Raptors return home for a game against Chicago on Wednesday, but then depart for a four-game trip that will take them to the western U.S.

[angel_luv]

Thanks for the articles, D228!

[duncan228]

Raptors say it's time to step up intensity
'You've just got to bring it,' guard Jarrett Jack says after team struggles with on-again, off-again effort
By Doug Smith

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS–The start of the NBA season was always going to be about learning for the newly-constructed Raptors.

Some lessons are harder to take than others.

Like figuring out how to get intensity from everyone every night.

The most disturbing aspect of the drubbing they suffered in Dallas on Saturday night was a lack of intensity at key moments in the game.

While they finished the first half and started the second exceptionally in New Orleans on Friday, they were bad in Dallas the next night, seeing a two-point deficit grow to seven in the final six minutes of the second quarter and being out-scored 22-10 in the first seven minutes of the third quarter.

"I think everybody could have put out more effort," said guard Jarrett Jack. "It was our first back-to-back ball game (and) that could have been part of it. But everybody in the league goes through it, you can't use that as an excuse.

"You've just got to bring it."

Trouble would seem to be lurking here Monday night if the Raptors don't find a way to stay consistently in the game.

The Spurs, losers of two straight and in the unusual position of having a losing record, are sure to be riled up.

And even without the injured Tony Parker and with changes to the starting lineup every now and then, they remain deep and talented.

"A lot of teams are going through growing pains right now, whether they've been together forever or whether they're putting some new pieces together," San Antonio's Tim Duncan told the San Antonio Express-News. "It's all about getting through those early-season jitters and trying to figure out what exactly your team is made of and how you're going to play."

The same can be said for the Raptors, who have been alternately good and bad through the first six games. They were good against Cleveland, bad in Memphis, okay against Detroit, far better in New Orleans and awful in Dallas on Saturday night. The bench, so integral to the team's success, was terrible against the Mavs, being outscored 58-30 by Dallas's backups and hitting just 10 of 28 field goal attempts.

But it's not as if no one saw this coming. With nine new faces, two starters and every one of the key backups, to be integrated into the system, a hesitant start was not unexpected.

With a 3-3 record after six games – including tough matchups with Cleveland, Orlando and at Dallas – there is no sense of panic or impending doom around the team.

"We just have to work at the things we want to do, focus on ourselves and get better," said coach Jay Triano.

********************

GAME DAY
RAPTORS (3-3) VS. SPURS (2-3)

PROBABLE STARTERS

Toronto: Jose Calderon, DeMar DeRozan, Hedo Turkoglu, Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani.

San Antonio: George Hill, Keith Bogans, Richard Jefferson, Tim Duncan, Matt Bonner.

KEY MATCHUP

Bargnani vs. Bonner

Sure, Bosh-Duncan has a higher profile but the emerging Bargnani – four games of 20 or more points already – against the old Toronto fan favourite will have a lot to do with the outcome. If Bargnani gets going early, it could be a long night for Bonner.

NOTES

* Spurs started Bogans over Michael Finley on Friday night and may stick with him. But with Tony Parker (ankle) out for at least a week, San Antonio may want Finley's offence to overcome the loss.

* Spurs are just 2-3 and come in having dropped back-to-back road games.

* Raptors will need to get better production off their bench than they did on Saturday in Dallas as they have to deal with sub extraordaire Manu Ginobili.

[lefty]

I like DeRozen

[duncan228]

San Antonio Spurs get win at home vs. Toronto Raptors
By: Al McMordie

The Spurs come off the road to enjoy the next week on their home court in San Antonio, starting Monday night when they host the Toronto Raptors.

Our Monday night NBA selection is on the San Antonio Spurs minus the points at home in the AT&T Center over the Toronto Raptors.

The Spurs have gotten off to a miserable start, which has not been altogether surprising to me since I forecasted San Antonio to win less than its projected season win total of 54.5 games. That is not to say that I believe San Antonio won't be a force at season's end – I definitely think it can win the le – but just that I believed there would be growing pains at the beginning of the year.

One trend to note thus far: The Spurs are 2-0 at home, yet 0-3 on the road. That's one reason why I think they'll rebound tonight with a win and cover.

Another is that I really like the player that second year pro George Hill has become. He was lights-out in the Las Vegas Summer League, and coach Gregg Popovich has proclaimed Hill to be his "favorite player."

Tonight will be the Spurs' first game without Tony Parker, who suffered an injury early in the loss at Portland. So, Hill will step into the starting point guard role. And, even though Hill is going to be solid on the court for San Antone, there will be line value since most will just focus on the absence of Parker.

Additionally, the Spurs are real deep this season and have more than enough firepower on the bench to make up for Parker's offense (e.g., Manu Ginobili, Roger Mason). But a silver lining might be that it opens the door for more playing time given to the defensive-minded Keith Bogans. And, after Parker's injury, the lineup on Friday that included Bogans, Hill and Richard Jefferson was especially effective, so I expect Popovich to employ that combination at some point tonight.

Finally, the Spurs come into tonight's contest with two days of rest and have been a big money-maker in that situation over the last 6+ seasons (86-56 ATS). Take San Antonio.

Free Pick: Spurs -6½ (-110)

*******************

Spurs and Raptors light it up at San Antonio's AT&T Center
By: Bob Harvey

Even with Tony Parker out of the lineup, San Antonio's offense should still put points on the board Monday night when the Spurs entertain the Toronto Raptors.

In the up and down world of NBA betting what works one night, doesn’t necessarily work the next. However, wagering on the San Antonio Spurs at home has been a formula that, for me, has been profitable.

Tonight though, the Spurs will be without the injured Tony Parker and it’s got me rethinking a play on the Texas team and focusing more on the total.

Parker rolled his ankle Friday night in a loss to Portland and his 14.8 points and four assists per game will be sidelined for at least a week. The Spurs will take extra precaution with Parker who sprained the same ankle at the start of last season and missed three weeks.

Toronto has improved noticeably on the offensive end. They rank fourth in the NBA in points per game at 107 and 8th in three-point shooting. Chris Bosh has had an amazing starting averaging 28.5 points and 12 rebounds per game. Former #1 pick Andrea Bargnani has also broken out of the game with 21 points and seven boards per contest and free agent acquisition Hedo Turkoglu is posting nearly 15 ppg.

But while they’ve been “tickling the twine” with regularity, they’ve also been giving it back and then some at the defensive end.Toronto ranks near the bottom in practically every defensive category. The Raptors are allowing 108 points per game with the opposition averaging 48% shooting from the field and nearly 45% from downtown.

San Antonio has four players that average double-figures in scoring. Besides Parker, Tim Duncan is netting nearly 15 points and 12 rebounds per contest. Manu Ginobli is at 13 per outing and Richard Jefferson is contributing 12 ppg.

The balanced scoring is a trademark of a Greg Popovich coached time and so is a deep bench. Rookie DeJuan Blair has been better than advertised averaging 7 and 7. Michael Finley and Antonio McDyess are also giving the Spurs quality minutes as well.

Toronto is 4-1 to the 'over' in its last five while San Antonio is 3-2 to the high side. With Turkoglu, Bargnani and Bosh down low and Jose Calderon on the outside without Duncan to hound him, the Raptors figure to continue their early season scoring pace.

A key matchup to watch will be Bosh vs. Duncan. The San Antonio big man has gotten the better of his Toronto counterpart in the past. Duncan has outscored Bosh on average 20-13 in their head-to-head showdowns with Duncan shooting 60%.

I don’t expect much in the way of defense tonight especially in the case of Toronto. I’m going to take the OVER and maybe take a look at a side play on the Raptors as well.

Free Pick: Raptors-Spurs Over 202½