VanVleet: pics no daps – Coronovirus is legit | Powell comes up huge | Clinch playoff spot | Did we enjoy the championship as fans? Did we get a chance?
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10 things: Norman Powell’s career night spoils Stephen Curry’s return – Yahoo!
Five — Fire: Out of all the returning champions, it was Kyle Lowry that drew the most jeers in the Warriors’ new stadium. Of course, there is an irritating element to Lowry’s game as he plays the officials, but it’s also a sign of respect that Lowry left such an impression in the Bay Area. Lowry was back to his old tricks as he set the tone with his intensity and willed the team to victory. Lowry’s statline of 26 points and 10 assists just so happens to be the exact same numbers that he posted in Game 6 of the Finals, where Lowry opened the game with 11-straight points en route to delivering the first NBA championship to Toronto.
Norman Powell has gone from erratic momentum-swinger to Raptors steadying force – The Athletic
If this was the straight-to-DVD sequel of the Finals, Powell was the supplementary character thrust into a starring role. Powell was by no means a spectator during the Raptors’ title run, but his role oscillated and he was used somewhat sparingly in rounds two and four. Over six appearances against the Warriors, he totalled 11 points in 66 minutes, shooting 30.8 percent.
Again, though, a lot has changed since June. Gone are Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green, and in their places are broadened opportunities. Powell has perhaps run with that window more than any other Raptor, turning in what has been by far the best season of his career. Advanced metrics have come back around on him, with Real Plus-Minus and Box Plus-Minus giving him rave reviews and Player Impact Plus-Minus, RAPM and RAPTOR viewing him as a positive, if a little further down the team leaderboard. In other words, the Raptors have needed what he provides, primarily his ability to present a scoring threat every night. His points-per-game have nearly doubled, his usage has ticked upward in far more minutes and another season as a roughly 40-percent 3-point shooter coupled with an improved ability to finish at the rim — where he’s always done well getting to — has resulted in his efficiency soaring. (Powell is above the 80th percentile among wings in both volume and field-goal percentage at the rim, per Cleaning the Glass.)
All of that was on display Thursday as Powell scored a career-high 37 points, driving the Raptors out to the lead in the second quarter, helping them stay afloat during a tougher third quarter and then icing the game late. He knocked down four of his eight 3-point attempts, providing the Raptors with a much-needed threat along the wing and above the break. He got to the free-throw line for seven attempts, a number skewed some by late fouling but very valuable for a knock-down free-throw shooter.
More noticeably, Powell drove the Raptors’ entire transition game, setting the tempo off Golden State misses or turnovers and asserting his preferred style on the game. The Raptors remain the league’s highest-volume transition offence this year, owing to their No. 2 rate of turnovers forced and a general edict to use their speed and aggression on both ends. Powell is paramount to that strategy, ranking third among qualified players in percentage of his possessions that come in transition, per NBA.com. He owns a whopping 68.2 effective field-goal percentage in transition, an elite mix of volume and effectiveness in the open court.
Once Powell got going in transition, everything else seemed to fall into place for him. In the half court, he attacked closeouts and scrambled defences. Nurse sensed his comfort level on the night and began calling his number in more scripted fashion, and Powell responded by attacking into the paint with abandon. Powell has improved demonstrably as a drive this year (and really dating back to late last season), evolving from a one-direction, straight-line driver into someone with a package of approaches and finishes.
Raptors pay tribute to title by winning first visit to Warriors’ Chase Center – Sportsnet.ca
Toronto needed a little bit of everything and then some luck to move on with the win. Leading by four with 27 seconds left the Raptors proceeded to turn the ball over out of timeout, put the Warriors on the line, were blessed with two missed Warriors free throws and then failed to rebound the second miss only to survive as open looks from three by the Warriors — before Norm Powell was finally able to ice it at the line with 15.3 seconds left, capping a career-high 37-point night that would have been spoiled had Toronto blown a nine-point lead in the final three minutes.
The win improved the Raptors’ regular-season winning streak over the once-mighty Warriors to three straight. Kyle Lowry finished with 26 points — just like he did last June — and Serge Ibaka returned after missing four games with knee soreness to provide 13 points and 13 rebounds as Toronto improved to 2-1 on their five-game road trip.
It’s just another signature night in a season full of them for Powell, the blossoming fifth-year guard.
“Honestly, I feel like it’s a broken record with me saying it, but I work on my game, I work on my craft year in, year out, day in, day out and I go out there and try to help the team win,” said Powell. “Good games, bad games, it doesn’t matter to me — as long as the coaches and my teammates trust me to go out there and make winning plays, I go out there and believe in myself.
Raptors beat Warriors with career night from Powell, 121-113 – Raptors HQ
The performances from Powell and Lowry helped lift a somewhat poor game from Pascal Siakam, who looked off all game with his jumper — shooting 5-for-17 overall and 0-for-7 from three, still getting 17 points thanks to a healthy dose of trips to the charity stripe. Siakam was able to score when it mattered, though, and ended up scoring the two crucial buckets in the game — layups to put the Raptors up 117-113 in the final minute.
The Warriors were led by 23 points each from Curry and Damien Lee, as the Golden State superstar looked fully himself even though he was on a minutes restriction — playing 27 in the end. Curry was just 3-for-12 from three, but looked sharp on the court, and his presence helped improve other players and present a ton of open shots for the Warriors offence. As a team, a 14-for-52 night from distance didn’t cut it, but the number of shots without someone in the area was impressive for a team that’s been a bottom feeder most of the season without Curry.
Steph Curry excites in return as Warriors fall to Raptors, 121-113 – Mercury News
Though Curry finished with 23 points on 6-for-16 shooting (3-for-12 from 3-point range), seven assists and seven rebounds in 27 minutes, he needed a few minutes to shake off the rust. In his first 6-minute stint, he missed both of his shots. He didn’t make his first basket — a right-handed floater — until 2 minutes into the second quarter.
But, in his first game since suffering a broken bone in his left hand against the Suns on Oct. 30, Curry delivered several highlight-worthy plays: a behind-the-back pass with his left hand to Wiggins in the first quarter, his first 3-pointer in 156 days with 7:36 left in the second quarter, followed shortly after by a falling-away 30-footer as the shot clock expired.
“He obviously have us a huge lift and he changes the whole game when he is out there,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “Our fans could see it and feel it. We are a different team when he is out on the court. Great to have him back.”
Without Draymond Green (left knee soreness) and Kevon Looney (hip), the Warriors also got contributions from Lee (23 points on 8-for-17 shooting, five rebounds and three assists) and Wiggins (21 points on 9-for-20 shooting, nine rebounds and two assists). Paschall finished with 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting, four rebounds and eight assists.
Guard Norman Powell led the Raptors with 37 points on 13-for-20 shooting and guard Kyle Lowry, who went for 26 points and 10 assists.
The excitement throughout Chase Center was palpable. After all, this had been a long-time coming. Though Curry had originally targeted a return on Sunday, the team directed him to participate in a 5-on-5 scrimmage with the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz on Monday.
Powell’s career night leads Raptors and spoils Curry’s Warriors return | Toronto Sun
There was no championship on the line and the game wasn’t held in Oakland, but there was still some deja vu for the Raptors on Thursday night.
Just like last June, Toronto bested Golden State, spoiling the return of superstar guard Stephen Curry following a 58-game absence.
The Warriors fought hard, but were outlasted by the visitors 121-113.
Toronto clinched its seventh straight playoff appearance after making the post-season only five times in its first 18 seasons.
Norman Powell led the way with a career-high 37 points, Kyle Lowry added 26 and Serge Ibaka returned from a three-game absence and had 13 points and 13 rebounds. The Warriors missed two clutch free throws late and couldn’t connect from three twice after grabbing offensive rebounds, allowing the Raptors to pick up the victory. Curry scored 23 and added seven assists and seven rebounds in an impressive, rust-free performance.
The buzz was back in the Bay — Warriors head coach Steve Kerr joked pre-game about how many more media members had suddenly appeared, jumping on the bandwagon now that Curry was healthy. But the team was without Draymond Green and Kevon Looney, robbing the defence of any resistance, especially at the rim, while all-star guard Klay Thompson won’t play this season after tearing his ACL during the NBA Finals against Toronto. The Raptors weren’t whole either, though Ibaka played. Fred VanVleet and Marc Gasol were both not quite ready, but are close.
Curry looked as good as ever. He connected on a four-point play in the third quarter, buried three-pointers from all over the floor and made some clever passes against an opponent he always beats up on. Only Allen Iverson has averaged more points per game against the Raptors. His new sidekick Andrew Wiggins sparkled in the fourth quarter, finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds.
The Raptors wrapped up a playoff spot (surprise, surprise) on Norm Powell’s monster night against the Warriors | The Star
No one on the Raptors is showing that confidence, and benefitting from it, more than Norm Powell. Even in a season when he’s lost 20 games to a shoulder injury and a broken finger, his ascendant play has been confidence driven.
He got on a roll in the second quarter at the Chase Center on Thursday night that was marvellous; he had 19 points and made seven shots in eight attempts in just 8:34 playing time on his way to a career-high 37-point night.
Meanwhile, in the department of mere formalities, the win clinches a playoff spot for the Raptors, who now lead Boston by two games in the race for the second seed behind East-leading Milwaukee.
The Raptors got a boost from the return of Serge Ibaka, who had missed three games with a flare-up of some right knee soreness. Ibaka had 13 points and 13 rebounds in about 29 minutes, but most important, he helped create a far better roster balance for a Toronto team that had gone a week — and two losses in three games — without either Ibaka or Marc Gasol.
Fred VanVleet (shoulder) and Gasol (hamstring) missed Thursday’s game and there was no official word on whether or not they’ll be available Sunday when the Raptors play in Sacramento.
Curry, playing his first game after missing four months with a broken hand, finished with 23 points in a perfectly managed 28 minutes. The Warriors staggered his use so that he began and finished each quarter, and was on the court for the final 3:52 of the fourth in Golden State’s last run.
But Kyle Lowry made a series of big shots — he had seven of his 26 points in the fourth quarter — as the Raptors hung on. Pascal Siakam had buckets on two consecutive isolation sets in the final minute to seal the win.
VanVleet discusses coronavirus precautions as virus the talk of sporting world | Toronto Sun
“I’ve got two kids at home so everything is extra scary when things happen like that because (the) first people you think about is old people, babies and sick people. (You) just kind of hope for the best, but for us (players), it’s weird.
“We’re in a weird situation. They’re not canceling any NBA games, unless it gets really, really bad. And we have to travel and things like that so I’m sure we’re all exposed but I don’t really get too worked up about things.”
Still, VanVleet said he knows players spread germs all the time by licking their fingers the way Steve Nash did (something VanVleet said he used to copy), or kissing the ball (hello, Serge Ibaka), or whatever.
“I couldn’t tell you how many times I play with my beard, or wipe my face. I got that from Nash,” VanVleet said. “During the game, stuff that you don’t even (see), it’s like second nature and now you’re kind of questioning yourself, you know what I mean?”
“Like, I was at the mall (earlier in the week), I don’t want to be a d—head, but the fans were like: ‘What’s up,’ and I was like: ‘Ah, coronavirus.’ And they’re like, ‘Ah, man, we understand.’ So I got off a couple pictures and things like that, but you’ve gotta be better safe than sorry, I guess. Until we kind of know what this thing is.
“I’m not really worried about (if) I get sick. Whatever, I’m sure I’ll get over it, but, for (his) kids and my grandparents being back and forth (from the U.S.) to Toronto in the last month. So, it’s a lot, for sure,” VanVleet said.
Photo by Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group
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