Grizzlies

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Jonas Valanciunas calmly sank a pair of free throws with 10 seconds remaining to put Toronto ahead by four. The Raptors were able to hang on for the 99-95 comeback win against the Grizzlies to grab their 51st victory of the season.

With Boston's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night, Toronto officially captured the Atlantic Division title. It was the team's third consecutive division title.

Luis Scola sat for his second consecutive game with a sore knee. Although Dwane Casey said before the game that he would be able to go if needed, the team opted to take the opportunity to get Scola some more rest down the home stretch of the regular season. Jason Thompson started in his place.

Toronto led by four after the first quarter, but came out flat in the second, getting outscored by the Grizzlies 30-18. Despite the Grizzlies playing undermanned due to a never-ending rash of injuries in the second half of the season, the Raptors managed to fall behind by eight at the half. Toronto struggled from the floor in the second quarter, and wasn't quite able to match Memphis' energy.

Things picked up for Toronto after the halftime break, as the third quarter was the complete opposite of the second. The Raptors outscored Memphis 29-19, and went into the fourth ahead by two. Toronto's bench had an extremely slow start on Friday, but the starters were able to pick up the slack.

Terrence Ross shook off the slow start to have a strong finish, scoring all 12 of points in the fourth quarter. Ross made four 3-pointers in the quarter, as he helped Toronto hold off a scrappy Grizzlies team that did not stop fighting.

Jonas Valanciunas was huge on both ends of the floor for Toronto. He finished with 11 points, 14 rebounds, three steals and seven blocked shots without a turnover. Valanciunas played 36 minutes, and while he was only 1-for-5 from the floor, he was nearly perfect at the line, making 9-of-10 free throws, including a pair in crunch time to seal the victory.

DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points and Kyle Lowry added 22, but for the second straight game, it was rookie Norman Powell who proved a boost as he continues to impress with his poise. Powell played 31 minutes against the Grizzlies and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line, including 2-for-2 from beyond the arc. He finished with 14 points, four rebounds, a team-high five assists, two steals and a blocked shot. He also threw down another insane two-handed dunk in traffic.

“He did a good job. He did his job in the paint defensively against Z-Bo, especially in the second half. He took up space. He fought for space. Challenged all shots, went up and snapped rebounds down. Made his free throws. That was huge too down the stretch. His 14 rebounds were huge.” - Dwane Casey on Jonas Valanciunas’ big night

12…Made 3-pointers for the Raptors, seven for Memphis.

17…Turnovers for Toronto compared to 14 for the Grizzlies.

7…Players in double-figures for Memphis, compared to five for the Raptors.

52…Points scored by Memphis reserves. Toronto’s bench finished with 19 points, 12 coming from Terrence Ross’ fourth quarter flurry.

93…Percent shooting from the free throw line for the Raptors who made 27 of 29 attempts. The Grizzlies sot 82 percent from the line, making 14 of 17 attempts.

“We’re developing a winning culture. We’ve been building that the last three, four years now. Just building and continuing to grow as a team. Playing teams like Memphis, you know exactly what you’re going to get every single night with that cast they have down there.”- Kyle Lowry on continuing to build an identity“That’s what we’ve been trying to do the last three or four years. Develop a winning culture, winning habits. Sometimes it’s not pretty. Sometimes is slower than we all want, but I think we’re getting there. We’re taking steps in the right direction.”- Dwane Casey on the growth of his team“He played well. Seven blocks, 14 rebounds, 11 points. He made free throws. He just played aggressive and it definitely helped us get the win tonight.”- Kyle Lowry on a big night from Jonas Valanciunas“Kyle’s spirit. His toughness, his spirit carries us. I looked up at one point, he was up there rebounding with all those bigs, throwing his body in there. That’s who he is. We follow his lead and he sets the tone for us.”- Dwane Casey on Kyle Lowry’s leadership

Up next: The Raptors have a quick turnaround, heading to San Antonio to take on the Spurs in a back-to-back on Saturday at 8 P.M. ET. On the season, San Antonio is a perfect 38-0 at home.

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Game Rap: Raptors 99, Grizzlies 95

tormtierney

Toronto (50-24) closes out their season series with the Grizzlies (41-34) tonight at FedExForum in Memphis. The Raptors enter the game on a high after securing a franchise record 50th regular season victory with a win over the Hawks Wednesday night. The Grizzlies are sitting firmly in the middle of the Western Conference despite dropping four straight.

Zach Randolph – With Memphis missing two key core pieces in Conley and Gasol, 15-year veteran Randolph keeps ticking along. The 35-year old has been a model of consistency since he joined the Grizzlies and is once again averaging solid numbers of 15 points and eight rebounds on the season. Randolph is a crafty post player and Toronto will have to keep tabs on him around the offensive glass.

DeMar DeRozan&lt;/strong – DeRozan was solid in the Raps win over Atlanta recording a game-high 26 points to go along with six assists and five rebounds. Over his last four games, the Raps All-Star is shooting a sparkling 52% from the field including 63% from behind the arc. DeRozan will be up against good defenders tonight in Tony Allen &amp; Matt Barnes but should still see the bulk of the touches on offence for TO.

Its official. Toronto recorded its first 50-win season after Wednesday’s victory over the Hawks.

It was only fitting that DeRozan, a lifetime Raptor, was the stand-out performer on the night.

“It means a lot. This group, I have to tell everybody, is going to go down in the record books. That’s big. You can never take that away."

His backcourt teammate Lowry has been here for four seasons and acknowledged the team’s growth over his time in Toronto.

“38, 48, 49, 50, pretty good progression. I think everyone in this organization who’s been here has built it up to be a winning organization. We’ve been on the right track and continue to grow.”

Always one striving for perfection, Coach Dwane Casey was asked his thoughts on the accomplishment and responded in typical Casey fashion.

“I think for our organization, for our program that we’re building, I think it’s a good step for us. Again, like I told the team, we’re not done yet…”

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Game Day: Raptors @ Grizzlies

Cory Joseph connected on his second three-pointer of the game to put Toronto up 10 with 1:09 remaining. Memphis wouldn’t score again and the Raptors would get the 98-85 victory. The win moves Toronto to 36-18 on the season.

The Memphis squad that faced off against the Raptors had a different look than the one we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. In addition to Marc Gasol being out with a broken foot and Tony Allen missing the game with a sore knee, the Grizzlies also were trying to get new players acquainted with their system after a busy deadline week. The Grizzlies added Lance Stephenson, P.J. Hairston, and Chris Andersen to their roster last week.

DeMar DeRozan tied Chris Bosh and Morris Peterson for most wins in a Raptors uniform with Sunday’s victory. The trio have each notched 232 wins with the franchise. DeRozan looks to break the tie and move into first place when the Raptors take on the Knicks on Monday night.

Kyle Lowry led the way in Toronto’s bounce-back win, scoring 18 points on 6-for-13 field goals. Lowry went 4-for-5 from the free throw line, dished out seven assists, grabbed four rebounds and added a steal in 40 minutes.

Cory Joseph scored 14 points off the bench to lead the reserves. Joseph’s buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the first quarter gave Toronto a two-point lead going into the second quarter. The team never trailed after Joseph’s bucket. His second three-pointer came with 1:09 remaining and put Toronto up 10 and sealed the victory. The team was a +11 in Joseph’s 26 minutes.

“I thought the defence was in the game. Everybody’s knees were bent, down in the stance, ready to play and out of vacation mode, I think. If you look around the league, the scores have all spiked up and I say this again, I think the whole league has to get used to that long week of time off and get back into game shape, get the sea legs back, get the mentality back and play basketball.”- Dwane Casey on his team’s defensive effort after a lacklustre performance in Chicago

25… Assists for the Grizzlies and Raptors combined in the game. Lowry recorded a game-high seven assists.40… Points in the paint for the Raptors, compared to 32 for the Grizzlies.16… Season-high 16 points for former Raptors player Vince Carter on 4-for-8 field goals. Carter also had seven rebounds an assist and two steals in 31 minutes.47… Rebounds for the Raptors, 44 for the Grizzlies. Jonas Valanciunas helped Toronto get the edge on the glass with his 10-point, 12-rebound double-double.21… Points from DeMar DeRozan who also added five rebounds, four assists and 10 trips to the free throw line in the win.24… The Raptors have won 24 consecutive games when holding opponents under 100 points.

“He was a big inspiration to me growing up, playing basketball, watching him, Air Canada. There were a lot of situations where I was out in the driveway trying to do the things he was doing back then. It’s obviously a great moment for me, being able to play against him now and see how far I’ve come. It’s great that he’s still here. It’s definitely a special moment.”- Cory Joseph on playing against Vince Carter on the ACC court“I’ve got to beat both of them [laughing]. I kept seeing it on Twitter the last couple of days. That’s how I really knew. It’s a cool thing, honestly, just to be in the record books, and got an opportunity to continue growing with that. When I look back on how long I’ve been here, though the tough times, it’s really a great thing.”- DeMar DeRozan on tying Chris Bosh and Morris Peterson for most wins in a Raptors uniform“It’s a good win for us just in general. It’s a good win for us, two-game losing streak, get back off that and now we’ve got to continue to get better and worry about the Knicks.”- Kyle Lowry on snapping the two-game losing streak“I’ve realized it. I see it a lot now. I’m appreciative of my time, I know it. I can’t help but read about it. I did an interview about it, so I have much respect for it. I’m just glad that you guys are getting to hear my side and my appreciation about my time here because this is where it started. Plain and simple, this is where it started.”- Vince Carter on being able to reflect on the impact he’s had on basketball in Toronto“Whenever you suit up to play Memphis you know it’s going be a grind it out game. It’s the type of team they are. It’s the type of team they’ve been for a long time, so you know you have to bring your ‘A’ game and be ready to lace them up and play a grind it out game.”- Cory Joseph on needing to play defence first against the Grizzlies

The Raptors fly to New York to take on the Knicks in a back-to-back on Monday at 7:30 P.M. ET.

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Game Rap: Raptors 98, Grizzlies 85

Toronto (35-18) will try and bounce back tonight when they welcome Memphis (32-22) to Air Canada Centre for a 6pm tip-off. The Raps dropped their seventh straight to the Bulls after surrendering a 13-point lead in Chicago Friday night. Memphis comes to town having won seven of nine after defeating the Timberwolves at home two days ago.

Zach Randolph – He may be getting on in years but the 34-year old seems to cause Toronto fits whenever the Grizzlies and Raptors lock horns. In his 15th season, Randolph is averaging a respectable 14 points and eight rebounds and has Memphis in the thick of the playoff hunt in the Western Conference.

Jonas Valanciunas&lt;/strong – Tonight’s frontcourt battle should be a good one as Randolph will have to contend with Valanciunas who is coming off an impressive 25 point, 12 rebound performance Friday night. JV looked refreshed following an extended break for All-Star Weekend and will try to stay aggressive against the undersized Grizzlies.

It looked good early on for Toronto Friday night, coming out strong against Chicago with a 35-point first quarter. Things didn’t go so smoothly the rest of 				the way with the Raptors surrendering a 13-point lead &amp; eventually falling to an undermanned Bulls team who had lost five straight up until that point.  After the game, Coach Casey was frank in his assessment of his team’s performance.

“You give up a 37-point quarter, 51% (shooting) for the game, give a kid a career-high (McDermott) 30 points, we had no defensive disposition at all. If we think we are going anywhere playing like that, we’re kidding ourselves.”

With Jimmy Butler, Nikola Mirotic and Joakim Noah all out injured, and the Bulls on the second night of a back-to-back, Friday’s game represented a perfect opportunity for the Raps to snap their seven-game losing streak to Chicago. Unfortunately others stepped up and Casey was left searching for answers.

"Call it lack of focus, the All-Star break or whatever. We need concentration. Our defensive presence was not there."

All-Star point-guard Kyle Lowry tried to spark a late rally for the Raptors, helping cut the deficit to two late in the fourth. But that was as close as the team came with Lowry finishing with a team-high 27 points and eight assists. After the game he recognized Toronto can’t afford to turn it on and off when they choose.

"We just have to worry about having defensive intensity for 48 minutes. I think communication is the big thing. We have to open our mouths and speak to each other. Don’t be afraid to yell and scream. With defensive focus I think we can win a lot of games,” said Lowry postgame.

If Friday’s result represented a wake-up call for the Raps, tonight’s matchup against the visiting Grizzlies is an opportunity to continue their strong play at home where they sit at 18-6 on the season.

Toronto split last year’s series with Memphis at one apiece but will not have to contend with both Marc Gasol (injured) and Jeff Green (traded) tonight.

The Raptors can take solace that in their remaining 29 games, they are 32-13 versus the opposition this season. Onwards and upwards.

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Game Day: Raptors vs. Grizzlies

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (CP) - The Memphis Grizzlies know how to grind out a win, even on a rare night when they struggle on the glass.

Marc Gasol scored 26 points, Zach Randolph had 19 points and 13 rebounds, and the Grizzlies beat the Toronto Raptors 92-86 on Wednesday.

"It wasn't the prettiest game,'' said Memphis guard Mike Conley, who finished with 12 points.

"It was a tough game for us. Nothing came easy. The ball didn't bounce our way very often, but we found a way.''

The Grizzlies broke open a close game with a 13-3 run midway through the fourth quarter. There were 14 ties and six lead changes for the night.

Gasol was 9 for 16 from the field, and also had seven rebounds and five assists. Randolph was 8 of 14.

Jeff Green made his first start for Memphis since he was acquired from Boston in a three-team trade on Jan. 12. He had six points on 2-of-6 shooting in 26 minutes.

Green and the Grizzlies are still getting used to each other.

"We're going to get it right,'' Randolph said. "It's a good thing. Trying to figure out the chemistry with Jeff and put him in the lineup.''

Toronto had five players score in double figures, but dropped to 3-8 in its last 11 games. Lou Williams scored 21 points, Kyle Lowry had 20 points on 7-for-23 shooting and Jonas Valanciunas added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Raptors shot 32 per cent (27 for 85) from the field. It was the lowest percentage for a Memphis opponent this season.

"We can't hesitate,'' Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. "We have to walk into our shots shots we normally make and knock them down. The shots will fall.''

Memphis scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter for a 68-61 lead with 10 minutes left. But Lowry's six straight points near the midway point of the period got Toronto within one.

The Grizzlies then scored 13 of the next 16 points to put it away. Randolph's layup made it 84-73 with 1:47 left.

Lowry made a 3-pointer for Toronto's only points during the Memphis surge.

The Raptors' rebounding ability kept them in the game for much of the night despite their poor shooting performance. Toronto finished with a 50-45 edge on the glass, including 21 on the offensive side, leading to 20 second-chance points.

But Memphis outscored Toronto 46-38 in the paint.

"You won't see that happen a lot against us, 21 offensive rebounds,'' Randolph said. "It was just one of those nights. A lot of long shots and the ball just fell in their hands.''

Neither team led by more than six points in the first half, with Memphis carrying a 41-38 advantage into the locker room. Gasol had 15 points at intermission.

Raptors: DeMar DeRozan, who was held scoreless in Toronto's win Monday over Milwaukee, had six points on 2-of-11 shooting. "I think he just missed some good looks,'' Casey said.

Grizzlies: Randolph's double-double was his seventh straight after missing nine games with a sore knee.

With Memphis up by 11 in the final 2 minutes, Randolph grabbed a rebound and headed up the left side of the court, beating the Raptors down the floor for a layup.

"I've been doing it a long time, going coast to coast,'' he said. "It was just one of those plays.''

Grizzlies

Game Rap: Raptors 99, Grizzlies 95

Game Day: Raptors @ Grizzlies

Game Rap: Raptors 98, Grizzlies 85

Game Day: Raptors vs. Grizzlies

Raptors Outmuscled By Grizzlies On The Road