The Raptors shared the news on social media by posting their NBA preseason schedule that will see them play two games at their Scotiabank Arena.

The preseason opener against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 4th will be their first home game since February 2020. The Raptors will also open the regular 2021-22 season in front of their home fans, playing against the Washington Wizards.

Due to coronavirus pandemic-related travel restrictions, the Toronto Raptors did not receive clearance to host other teams in their home arena for the 2020-21 NBA season. This forced the team to find an alternative home in the United States, settling for Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay after also considering Nashville, Kansas City, and Buffalo.

Away from home, the franchise didn’t have the best of campaigns. The team struggled with injuries for the better part of the season and finished No. 12 in Eastern Conference with a 27-45 record. This was the team’s worst outing since 2011-12 and first season under head coach Nick Nurse that they didn’t make it to the postseason.

The post Raptors Receive Green Light to Play in Canada Again appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Celtics played the Raptors after a back-to-back road series while also missing a number of their key players, including Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart. Still, that didn’t help The Raptors as they blew a 28-33 lead after the first quarter and then went on to trail by 15 at halftime. Boston continued to dominate in the second half and never looked in danger of losing the game.

Speaking with reporters after the gamer, All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry gave his opinion on his Raptors’ struggles and said that his team has “no swagger” at the moment.

“We just need to get a little bit grittier, get a little bit tougher and a little bit nastier, and have a little bit of a swagger to us,” said Lowry. “Right now, we have no swagger to us.“

Plenty of things went wrong for the Toronto Raptors this season, starting with the fact that they have to play their home games in Tampa Bay due to Canada’s coronavirus restrictions. Besides this, the Raptors are looking lost on the court and don’t have the same feel as the team that won the title in 2019.

The Raptors have been particularly poor on offense this year, being ranked 29th in the league in that department. This includes failing to get to the free-throw line, as they have the least free throw attempts per game so far in the season.

The defense is also problematic, considering that the team managed to blow double-digit leads in each of their five losses.

Raptors will have a chance to bounce back during their tour across the Western Conference this week. They are scheduled to play the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday and will also face the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, and Portland Trail Blazers.

The post Kyle Lowry on Raptors’ Struggles: “Right Now, We Have No Swagger To Us” 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.

The Raptors shared the news on social media by posting their NBA preseason schedule that will see them play two games at their Scotiabank Arena.

The preseason opener against the Philadelphia 76ers on October 4th will be their first home game since February 2020. The Raptors will also open the regular 2021-22 season in front of their home fans, playing against the Washington Wizards.

Due to coronavirus pandemic-related travel restrictions, the Toronto Raptors did not receive clearance to host other teams in their home arena for the 2020-21 NBA season. This forced the team to find an alternative home in the United States, settling for Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay after also considering Nashville, Kansas City, and Buffalo.

Away from home, the franchise didn’t have the best of campaigns. The team struggled with injuries for the better part of the season and finished No. 12 in Eastern Conference with a 27-45 record. This was the team’s worst outing since 2011-12 and first season under head coach Nick Nurse that they didn’t make it to the postseason.

The post Raptors Receive Green Light to Play in Canada Again appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Celtics played the Raptors after a back-to-back road series while also missing a number of their key players, including Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart. Still, that didn’t help The Raptors as they blew a 28-33 lead after the first quarter and then went on to trail by 15 at halftime. Boston continued to dominate in the second half and never looked in danger of losing the game.

Speaking with reporters after the gamer, All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry gave his opinion on his Raptors’ struggles and said that his team has “no swagger” at the moment.

“We just need to get a little bit grittier, get a little bit tougher and a little bit nastier, and have a little bit of a swagger to us,” said Lowry. “Right now, we have no swagger to us.“

Plenty of things went wrong for the Toronto Raptors this season, starting with the fact that they have to play their home games in Tampa Bay due to Canada’s coronavirus restrictions. Besides this, the Raptors are looking lost on the court and don’t have the same feel as the team that won the title in 2019.

The Raptors have been particularly poor on offense this year, being ranked 29th in the league in that department. This includes failing to get to the free-throw line, as they have the least free throw attempts per game so far in the season.

The defense is also problematic, considering that the team managed to blow double-digit leads in each of their five losses.

Raptors will have a chance to bounce back during their tour across the Western Conference this week. They are scheduled to play the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday and will also face the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, and Portland Trail Blazers.

The post Kyle Lowry on Raptors’ Struggles: “Right Now, We Have No Swagger To Us” 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.