Among those whom the Raptors have obtained permission to interview are Golden State’s Kenny Atkinson, Miami’s Chris Quinn, Milwaukee’s Charles Lee, and Phoenix’s Kevin Young. The Raptors are also seeking to interview other candidates.

Candidates outside of the NBA that the Raptors have been in contact with include WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon, who led the Aces to the 2022 WNBA championship and was voted the WNBA’s coach of the year.

Former head coach Nick Nurse was dismissed from his role last week after the Raptors’ elimination from the Eastern Conference play-in tournament at the hands of the Chicago Bulls. The team went 41-41 this season.

The post Raptors Broaden Search for Next Coach appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Siakam incurred his injury during the third quarter of the Raptors’ 111-110 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The 28-year-old player immediately left the court after suffering his injury.

Losing Siakam will place a large strain on the Raptors, particularly since he is the team’s leading scorer this season. Prior to his injury, Siakam had been averaging 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists for the season, all of which are career-high figures for the power forward.

In addition to attaining the Raptors’ top-scoring average, the Cameroonian national possesses the top rebounding average and shares the top assist average with teammate Fred VanVleet.

Currently, the Raptors are sitting in fifth place on the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 6-4.

The post Raptors’ Siakam Out For At Least Two Weeks appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Barnes underwent an X-ray following the conclusion of the game, however, the result came back negative. According to Raptors coach Nick Nurse, it remains unclear whether Barnes will require an MRI as well as the severity of his injury.

With 5 minutes and 15 seconds left on the clock in the second quarter, Barnes collapsed after landing awkwardly on his right foot following a layup. He immediately left the court, sitting on the bench during an injury timeout before returning to the court to take a free throw which he missed. Following the free throw, Barnes left the court and headed for the locker room where he remained for the rest of the game.

“You never want to lose a guy,” coach Nurse exclaimed. “Obviously he goes out and they’re talking about X-rays right away so you’re concerned it could be something really serious. We’ll just see.”

Last season, Barnes averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, beating Cleveland’s Evan Mobley to become Rookie of the Year.

The post Toronto Raptors’ Barnes Exits Heat Game Early Due to Injury appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The 2019 NBA champions Toronto Raptors officially announced on Friday that the team will temporarily relocate to Tampa Bay for the start of the 2020/21 NBA season. The decision comes after the team couldn’t get the Canadian government to loosen their coronavirus pandemic-related travel restrictions for “non-essential” travelers.

Raptors, however, remain hopeful that they still might get to play at home at some point this season if the health situation improves.

“They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I’m not sure that’s possible for us — we love Toronto and Canada, and we know we have the best fans in the NBA,” said Raptors’ president Masai Ujiri in a statement issued on Friday. “For now, I’ll ask you to cheer for us from afar, and we’ll look forward to the day we are all together again.”

Raptors expected that they might have to find a new home for some time now, which is why the organization spent the past couple of weeks looking for alternatives. There were reportedly several locations in play, including Florida, but the team ended up settling on Tampa.

Raptors will be the first NBA club in the city and are scheduled to play in Amalie Arena. They will share their new hope with reigning Stanley Cup champs Tampa Bay Lightning.

The new NBA season is scheduled to kick off on December 22nd, while the teams are expected to enter the training camp on December 1st.

The post Raptors Officially Relocate to Tampa Bay for the Start of 2020/21 NBA Season appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Despite facing the two-time reigning NBA Champions, the upstart Toronto Raptors have taken a commanding 3-1 series lead after a 105-92 win at Oracle Arena in Oakland this weekend.

The Raptors will have a chance to wrap up the series and claim their first ever NBA Championship in a Game 5 matchup at home on Monday night.

The Warriors, who are still without superstar forward Kevin Durant, simply couldn’t find enough offensive spark to get past the Raptors and superstar Kawhi Leonard.

If the Raptors are able to close out the series, Leonard will certainly take home the Finals MVP honors, and deservingly so. The forward dominated yet again in Oakland in Game 4, scoring 36 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a monster double-double performance.

Toronto also benefitted from a big night from Serge Ibaka off the bench. Ibaka tallied 20 points in limited action, asserting his will in the paint.

While Steph Curry and Klay Thompson scored 28 and 27 points, respectively, their teammates just couldn’t provide enough buckets to keep up with Toronto.

Game 5 will be played in Toronto in front of what is sure to be a fired-up crowd on Monday night.

The post Raptors Defeat Warriors in Game 4, Take 3-1 Series Lead appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

After seeing Game 1 slipping out of their hands in the final two minutes, Raptors were in danger of allowing that to happen in Game 3 as well. They entered the final minute of the game with a five-point lead but failed to score a single basket since then and allowed Bucks to force overtime. Two teams ended level in the first overtime as well, and only in the second one, Toronto managed to get the badly needed win.

Kawhi Leonard scored game-high 36 points for Toronto Raptors, while Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell added 25 and 19 points respectively. 

“It’s playoff basketball,” – said Leonard after the game. “I want to win. … We’re still here. Nobody wants to go home. We’re going to keep striving to reach that goal. That’s what I pride myself on, both ends of the floor.”

Milwaukee Bucks, on the other side, were led by bench players George Hill with 24 points and Malcolm Brogdon, who provided 20 points. Bucks’ superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, on the other hand, had his worse game in the playoffs, managing to score only 12 points and fouling out of the game.

“At the end of the day, we didn’t have our best game,” – said Antetokounmpo. “But obviously our team is special, and even though their leaders had a bad night, they were able to send this game into double overtime.”

Raptors and Bucks play again on Tuesday night in Toronto.

The post Raptors Hold Off Bucks, Win in Double Overtime Game 3 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Good thing for the Raptors, they have a player named Kawhi Leonard who took care of business.

Leonard hit an incredibly difficult fadeaway jumped over the 76ers’ Joel Embiid as time expired to lift Toronto to a 92-90 Game 7 win. Their victory qualifies the Raptors for a date with the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line.

The Raptors hosted the 76ers in the series finale, and the game lived up to its billing. The two teams fought tooth and nail, with several lead changes occurring throughout the second half of the game.

After Embiid tied up the game at 90 after hitting two free throws with only 12 seconds left on the clock, it was clear the the Raptors wanted to get the ball to Leonard for a final shot.

He got it, he made it, and he sent his team on to the next round.

The Scotiabank Arena went berserk, as Toronto advanced to its second conference finals in franchise history.

There, the Raptors will have a tough task as they look to tame Giannis Antentokoumpo and the 1-seeded Bucks.

The post Kawhi Leonard’s Buzzer-Beater Beats 76ers in Game 7 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Toronto won the first game by a 108-95 margin, but Philadelphia was able to eke out a 94-89 win in one of the lowest-scoring games of this year’s NBA playoffs.

This win is even more important considering that they traveled to the Air Canada Centre to achieve it and that now they have home-court advantage in the remaining five games of the series.

Monday night’s game can be resumed as a duel between 76ers forward Jimmy Butler and Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard, two of the biggest stars on either team who both put up big numbers on Monday.

Butler scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to spur his team to its victory on Monday. No other Sixers player scored more than 13 points all night.

Kawhi Leonard outdid Butler, scoring 35 points, but it was ultimately not enough for his team to take home the victory. The Raptors got only a paltry 5 points from bench players on Monday night, while the 76ers totaled 26.

Game 3 of the series will move to Philadelphia and be played on Thursday night.

The post 76ers Even Series with Raptors in Game 2 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Among those whom the Raptors have obtained permission to interview are Golden State’s Kenny Atkinson, Miami’s Chris Quinn, Milwaukee’s Charles Lee, and Phoenix’s Kevin Young. The Raptors are also seeking to interview other candidates.

Candidates outside of the NBA that the Raptors have been in contact with include WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon, who led the Aces to the 2022 WNBA championship and was voted the WNBA’s coach of the year.

Former head coach Nick Nurse was dismissed from his role last week after the Raptors’ elimination from the Eastern Conference play-in tournament at the hands of the Chicago Bulls. The team went 41-41 this season.

The post Raptors Broaden Search for Next Coach appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Siakam incurred his injury during the third quarter of the Raptors’ 111-110 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The 28-year-old player immediately left the court after suffering his injury.

Losing Siakam will place a large strain on the Raptors, particularly since he is the team’s leading scorer this season. Prior to his injury, Siakam had been averaging 24.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists for the season, all of which are career-high figures for the power forward.

In addition to attaining the Raptors’ top-scoring average, the Cameroonian national possesses the top rebounding average and shares the top assist average with teammate Fred VanVleet.

Currently, the Raptors are sitting in fifth place on the Eastern Conference standings with a record of 6-4.

The post Raptors’ Siakam Out For At Least Two Weeks appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Barnes underwent an X-ray following the conclusion of the game, however, the result came back negative. According to Raptors coach Nick Nurse, it remains unclear whether Barnes will require an MRI as well as the severity of his injury.

With 5 minutes and 15 seconds left on the clock in the second quarter, Barnes collapsed after landing awkwardly on his right foot following a layup. He immediately left the court, sitting on the bench during an injury timeout before returning to the court to take a free throw which he missed. Following the free throw, Barnes left the court and headed for the locker room where he remained for the rest of the game.

“You never want to lose a guy,” coach Nurse exclaimed. “Obviously he goes out and they’re talking about X-rays right away so you’re concerned it could be something really serious. We’ll just see.”

Last season, Barnes averaged 15.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, beating Cleveland’s Evan Mobley to become Rookie of the Year.

The post Toronto Raptors’ Barnes Exits Heat Game Early Due to Injury appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The 2019 NBA champions Toronto Raptors officially announced on Friday that the team will temporarily relocate to Tampa Bay for the start of the 2020/21 NBA season. The decision comes after the team couldn’t get the Canadian government to loosen their coronavirus pandemic-related travel restrictions for “non-essential” travelers.

Raptors, however, remain hopeful that they still might get to play at home at some point this season if the health situation improves.

“They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. I’m not sure that’s possible for us — we love Toronto and Canada, and we know we have the best fans in the NBA,” said Raptors’ president Masai Ujiri in a statement issued on Friday. “For now, I’ll ask you to cheer for us from afar, and we’ll look forward to the day we are all together again.”

Raptors expected that they might have to find a new home for some time now, which is why the organization spent the past couple of weeks looking for alternatives. There were reportedly several locations in play, including Florida, but the team ended up settling on Tampa.

Raptors will be the first NBA club in the city and are scheduled to play in Amalie Arena. They will share their new hope with reigning Stanley Cup champs Tampa Bay Lightning.

The new NBA season is scheduled to kick off on December 22nd, while the teams are expected to enter the training camp on December 1st.

The post Raptors Officially Relocate to Tampa Bay for the Start of 2020/21 NBA Season appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Despite facing the two-time reigning NBA Champions, the upstart Toronto Raptors have taken a commanding 3-1 series lead after a 105-92 win at Oracle Arena in Oakland this weekend.

The Raptors will have a chance to wrap up the series and claim their first ever NBA Championship in a Game 5 matchup at home on Monday night.

The Warriors, who are still without superstar forward Kevin Durant, simply couldn’t find enough offensive spark to get past the Raptors and superstar Kawhi Leonard.

If the Raptors are able to close out the series, Leonard will certainly take home the Finals MVP honors, and deservingly so. The forward dominated yet again in Oakland in Game 4, scoring 36 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in a monster double-double performance.

Toronto also benefitted from a big night from Serge Ibaka off the bench. Ibaka tallied 20 points in limited action, asserting his will in the paint.

While Steph Curry and Klay Thompson scored 28 and 27 points, respectively, their teammates just couldn’t provide enough buckets to keep up with Toronto.

Game 5 will be played in Toronto in front of what is sure to be a fired-up crowd on Monday night.

The post Raptors Defeat Warriors in Game 4, Take 3-1 Series Lead appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

After seeing Game 1 slipping out of their hands in the final two minutes, Raptors were in danger of allowing that to happen in Game 3 as well. They entered the final minute of the game with a five-point lead but failed to score a single basket since then and allowed Bucks to force overtime. Two teams ended level in the first overtime as well, and only in the second one, Toronto managed to get the badly needed win.

Kawhi Leonard scored game-high 36 points for Toronto Raptors, while Pascal Siakam and Norman Powell added 25 and 19 points respectively. 

“It’s playoff basketball,” – said Leonard after the game. “I want to win. … We’re still here. Nobody wants to go home. We’re going to keep striving to reach that goal. That’s what I pride myself on, both ends of the floor.”

Milwaukee Bucks, on the other side, were led by bench players George Hill with 24 points and Malcolm Brogdon, who provided 20 points. Bucks’ superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, on the other hand, had his worse game in the playoffs, managing to score only 12 points and fouling out of the game.

“At the end of the day, we didn’t have our best game,” – said Antetokounmpo. “But obviously our team is special, and even though their leaders had a bad night, they were able to send this game into double overtime.”

Raptors and Bucks play again on Tuesday night in Toronto.

The post Raptors Hold Off Bucks, Win in Double Overtime Game 3 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Good thing for the Raptors, they have a player named Kawhi Leonard who took care of business.

Leonard hit an incredibly difficult fadeaway jumped over the 76ers’ Joel Embiid as time expired to lift Toronto to a 92-90 Game 7 win. Their victory qualifies the Raptors for a date with the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line.

The Raptors hosted the 76ers in the series finale, and the game lived up to its billing. The two teams fought tooth and nail, with several lead changes occurring throughout the second half of the game.

After Embiid tied up the game at 90 after hitting two free throws with only 12 seconds left on the clock, it was clear the the Raptors wanted to get the ball to Leonard for a final shot.

He got it, he made it, and he sent his team on to the next round.

The Scotiabank Arena went berserk, as Toronto advanced to its second conference finals in franchise history.

There, the Raptors will have a tough task as they look to tame Giannis Antentokoumpo and the 1-seeded Bucks.

The post Kawhi Leonard’s Buzzer-Beater Beats 76ers in Game 7 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Toronto won the first game by a 108-95 margin, but Philadelphia was able to eke out a 94-89 win in one of the lowest-scoring games of this year’s NBA playoffs.

This win is even more important considering that they traveled to the Air Canada Centre to achieve it and that now they have home-court advantage in the remaining five games of the series.

Monday night’s game can be resumed as a duel between 76ers forward Jimmy Butler and Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard, two of the biggest stars on either team who both put up big numbers on Monday.

Butler scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to spur his team to its victory on Monday. No other Sixers player scored more than 13 points all night.

Kawhi Leonard outdid Butler, scoring 35 points, but it was ultimately not enough for his team to take home the victory. The Raptors got only a paltry 5 points from bench players on Monday night, while the 76ers totaled 26.

Game 3 of the series will move to Philadelphia and be played on Thursday night.

The post 76ers Even Series with Raptors in Game 2 appeared first on yoursportspot.com.