knicks

tormtierney

Toronto (53-26) is in the Big Apple tonight to take on the Knicks (32-48) at Madison Square Garden. The Raptors managed to bounce back Friday night, recording a win over Indiana at Air Canada Centre. New York returns home after defeating the last-place Sixers to snap a mini two-game losing streak.

Jerian Grant – New York’s rookie point guard has gotten an opportunity in the starting lineup recently with Jose Calderon having missed four in a row due to a quad injury. Over those four games, Grant has averaged 13 points including a most recent 16 point, six assist, five rebound performance in a win over Philadelphia. If Calderon is unable to go again tonight, look for Grant to continue his run as a starter.

Delon Wright&lt;/strong – Not only is Joseph’s recent play noteworthy, but so is his new look as he sports a protective face mask compliments of an errant Jonas Valanciunas elbow a few games ago. The head gear seemed to not affect the Pickering native when he filled in admirably Friday night for a resting Kyle Lowry. Joseph recorded 18 points and finished one assist shy of a double-double.

Another back-to-back, another opportunity for others to impress.

With DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, DeMarre Carroll and Luis Scola all resting Friday, many expected a tough night for Toronto up against a Pacers team fighting to secure one of the final playoff spots in the East.

The rest of the Raptors apparently didn’t get the memo as they put in a gritty performance en route to a 111-98 victory led by the rookie duo of Norman Powell and Delon Wright.

"They came out and played. That’s one thing you don’t have to worry about and that’s effort and intensity. I thought our young guys came out and played with a lot of effort and intensity,” said Dwane Casey postgame.

The 20th pick in last year’s draft, Delon Wright has found playing time limited with the Raptors, but has kept ready playing steadily for their D-League affiliate Raptors 905.

Always a quiet and humble kid, Wright was just appreciative at the chance to step on the court for some meaningful minutes. “When I first get out there I feel more comfortable. Everybody tells me to just attack and try and make the right play. I try to do that and try to do my best.”

Career highs from both rookies, recording a combined 46 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, plus key contributions from Terrence Ross and Joseph showed not only Indiana, but the rest of the league that the Raptors are not just a two-man team.

game-day-raptors-knicks-3

Game Day: Raptors @ Knicks

A Jonas Valanciunas free throw put the Raptors ahead by 20 midway through the third quarter. Toronto would go into the fourth ahead by 18 and score 36 in the final quarter to coast to an easy 122-95 victory. The 122 points were a season high and helped the Raptors move to 37-18 on the season.

After Toronto trailed by two at the end of the first quarter, the team got down to business in the second. The Raptors outscored the Knicks 31-15 in the quarter and closed the half on a 24-6 run to turn a five-point deficit into a 14-point lead. They wouldn’t trail again.

DeMar DeRozan moved past Chris Bosh and Morris Peterson to notch the most wins in a Raptors uniform. Monday’s win against the Knicks gave DeRozan 233 victories with the franchise. DeRozan scored 22 points against the Knicks, adding three rebounds, two assists and three steals in 32 minutes.

Kyle Lowry recorded his eighth career triple-double, scoring 22 points to go with 11 rebounds and 11 assists in 35 minutes. Lowry has a franchise-record six triple-doubles as a Raptor. He shot 7-for-13 from the floor, 2-for-4 from beyond the arc, a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line and turned the ball over just two times on Monday night.

Bismack Biyombo put in another strong performance off the bench, scoring 10 points and grabbing nine rebounds (five offensive) in 19 minutes. Biyombo was a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor and added an assist and a blocked shot.

“It’s really an exciting time for him. I’m so happy for him. It just shows the adversity he’s been through. When he first started here you would never have thought he would get this record, but now he’s got the record and he did it in less games than the other two.”- Kyle Lowry on DeMar DeRozan’s big night

26… Assists for the Raptors, just one night after the Raptors and Memphis Grizzlies combined for 25 assists.58… Points in the paint for Toronto, just 38 for the Knicks.7… Players in double figures for the Raptors, including three with 20 points: Lowry 22, DeRozan 22, Valanciunas 20.42… Bench points for the Raptors, compared to 27 for the Knicks. Cory Joseph led the way for the reserves once again, scoring 13 points to go with six assists.25… The Raptors have won 25 consecutive games when holding opponents under 100 points.13… Players with playing time in Monday's game as Dwane Casey played every player in uniform.

“It sounds good saying it, honestly. It’s an honour for me. I’ve been here, it felt like since the beginning. Just to have that, that’s big for me. I can't believe it. I really can’t believe it, but hey, it’s in the books now.”- DeMar DeRozan on getting the record for most wins in a Raptors uniform“It was more important for us to get the win as a team and definitely more important for DeMar to have set a record that will be there for a long time. It was just a good win. We have to continue to get better. Now we can get ready for Minnesota take it one game at a time and not worry about anything else.”- Kyle Lowry summing up a good team win that included a triple-double for himself and a record-setting night for DeMar DeRozan“When we gain big leads, we understand that they will fight back. We have to step it up another notch to keep that lead going and finish the game off strong. We were aggressive on both ends. We’re trying to be ultra-aggressive. We knew that if we got stops, we were going to push it. We were trying to get easy shots and everything was going for us.”- DeMar DeRozan on not letting up with the lead“My teammates let me know, I’ll tell you that much. They actually helped me, let me get the triple-double tonight. I thank them all. I appreciate them. It’s crazy how much these guys support me and I support them and we just support each other. It makes our jobs a lot easier when you have that friendship and camaraderie.”- Kyle Lowry on his teammates making sure he got the triple-double

The Raptors look to avenge their pre All-Star weekend loss in Minnesota when they face the Timberwolves at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday at 7:30 P.M. ET.

game-rap-raptors-122-knicks-95

Game Rap: Raptors 122, Knicks 95

Toronto (36-18) will look to keep the momentum going tonight when they visit the Knicks (24-33) at Madison Square Garden. The Raptors are trying to sweep a home and away back-to-back after they defeated Memphis last night at Air Canada Centre. New York last played Saturday when they beat the Timberwolves to snap a seven-game losing streak.

Kristaps Porzingis – The Knicks rookie has entered the league and immediately caused problems for opposing teams' defences. The number four overall pick in this past year’s draft has exceeded expectations and is averaging an impressive 14 points, eight rebounds and two blocks a night. Porzingis likes to be aggressive on the offensive glass so Toronto will have to put a body on him and look to limit second-chance points.

Cory Joseph&lt;/strong – The Pickering native has found a home back in Toronto. The Raptors point guard provides a nice scoring punch off the bench and is putting up career numbers in points, rebounds and assists. He has played especially well against the Knicks this season, averaging 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the two previous matchups. Look for Joseph to continue to be aggressive on the offensive end tonight.

June 25th, 2009 was the day the Toronto Raptors selected DeMar DeRozan with the ninth overall pick in the NBA Draft.

Toronto was coming off a 33-49 season and drafted the 6’7” shooting guard out of USC in the hopes of pairing him with Chris Bosh. But DeRozan found himself on a team looking for a new star after Bosh left during free agency the following year.

Dwane Casey was hired at the beginning of the 2011-12 season and DeRozan kept putting in work and his numbers improved year after year.

Fast forward to today and the team is coming off back-to-back playoff appearances and sits second in the Eastern Conference. DeRozan is now a two-time All-Star and, still only 26 years old, is the new face of the franchise.

With a victory tonight, DeRozan will become the winningest Raptor of all time, surpassing both Morris Peterson and Andrea Bargnani.

“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 get an opportunity to continue growing with that. When I look back on how long I’ve been here, through the tough times, it’s really a great thing,” 					said DeRozan after he was asked about the record following Toronto's win over Memphis last night.

game-day-raptors-knicks-5

Kyle Lowry hit a three-pointer to put Toronto up 11 with 2:51 remaining. He continued shooting and contributed 10 points in the quarter as the Raptors collected the 103-93 victory and moved to 31-15 on the season.

The win was Toronto’s 10th straight, setting a franchise record for consecutive wins, topping the previous record of nine set in 2002 (Mar.22 - Apr. 3 2002). The team is 11-2 in January and 6-0 during this current seven-game homestand.

DeMar DeRozan will join Kyle Lowry representing the Raptors at the 2016 All-Star game after being selected by Eastern Conference coaches as a reserve shortly before tip-off. This is the second All-Star appearance for 26-year-old DeRozan.

Raptors head coach Dwane Casey had strong words of praise for his All-Star backcourt and was pleased that DeRozan was selected by coaches without much campaigning necessary."I think it’s great for the organization from where we came from, where these two young men have come from, Kyle from Houston, and DeMar coming here and growing in the program,” Casey said. “It just says a lot for how hard they’ve worked and developed into who they are.”

On the night that it became official that the the Toronto backcourt would both rep the city in next month’s All-Star game, each All-Star dropped 26 points. The two combined for 52 points, seven rebounds, 14 assists, four steals and two blocked shots. The duo shot 17-for-34 from the floor, 4-for-8 from the three-point line and 14-of-16 from the foul line.

Terrence Ross continued to be a spark off the bench, despite a quite scoring night. Ross scored six points and made two of his six field goal attempts, but added five rebounds, an assist, a steal and two blocked shots. The team was a +23 when he was on the floor, showing the impact he can make even when he isn’t scoring.

“It’s big. I took pride in putting on this Toronto Raptors jersey since I’ve been here, and now to have the All-Star game here, to have two guys represented in it, it doesn’t get any bigger than that. You know it’s definitely a blessing and I’ve got to credit the coaching staff and my teammates for helping Kyle and I get to this point.”- DeMar DeRozan on the significance of being an All-Star in Toronto alongside Kyle Lowry

50… Rebounds for the Raptors compared to 40 for the Knicks. Toronto held a 15-12 edge on the offensive glass.18… Rebounds for Jonas Valanciunas, including eight offensive.62… The game marked Toronto’s 62nd consecutive sellout (including playoffs) dating back to Nov. 11, 2014.10… Assists for Kyle Lowry, and 10 consecutive wins for the Raptors.

“We kind of knew and we all assumed, but I’m glad it’s done and it’s official, and me and him will be representing our city, our country and our organization and we will be doing it together.”- Kyle Lowry on DeMar DeRozan being named an All-Star reserve“It says a lot about the program, I think it’s going in a positive direction. I know sometimes we want more, expect more and we do want more and expect more but I would say that we’re going in the right direction. We’ve got something good going here with the Raptor program and again it’s trending — in Twitter terms — it’s trending in the right direction."- Dwane Casey on what the success of DeRozan and Lowry means for the program“It says a lot. It just lets you know that it’s scary if we get it rolling on both ends, and we play a complete game, anything is possible. We feel that we can beat anybody and compete with anybody on any single night. We have to continue to get better that that.”- DeMar DeRozan on the team finding a way to win easily when they haven’t played particularly well.“No matter if we lose the next 10 or win the next 10, we know the way we need to play, and how we need to play in order to be successful. This winning streak proves that we can play with anybody. We always have to push ourselves.”- Terrence Ross on the 10-game winning streak

The Raptors finish up their seven-game homestand by hosting the Detroit Pistons at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday at 7:30 P.M. ET

game-rap-raptors-103-knicks-93

Game Rap: Raptors 103, Knicks 93

Game six of Toronto’s (30-15) seven-game homestand sees New York (22-25) come to town for a nationally televised affair at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors are fresh off beating a banged-up Wizards team for the fourth time in four attempts this season. The Knicks arrive on the back of an overtime loss to OKC on Tuesday where they were without the services of Carmelo Anthony.

Carmelo Anthony – The Raptors have only lost six games at home all season, the first of those losses came at the hands of the Knicks back on November 10th. Anthony proved to be New York’s catalyst on the night scoring a team-high 25 points, while adding four rebounds, three assists &amp; three steals. Through no coincidence, the Knicks All-Star has averaged 25 points versus the Raps in his 13 seasons in the NBA. Carmelo is one of the best mid-range shooters in the game and T.O. will have to do their best to keep the ball out of his hands as much as possible.

Kyle Lowry&lt;/strong – A positional matchup that the Raptors may look to exploit tonight will be at the point-guard position. Jose Calderon has been running the point for New York this season. Once a fan-favourite here in Toronto, the native of Spain is now 34-years of age and will be faced with the task of guarding an All-Star in Lowry. Over his past 10 games, Lowry is averaging 22 points, five rebounds and six assists, helping his team win nine straight.

The team doesn’t want to talk about it, but with a victory tonight the Raptors can set a franchise record with their 10th straight win.

The streak began back on January 6th in Brooklyn. Toronto was coming off back-to-back losses to Chicago and Cleveland and were looking to avoid dropping three straight for the third time this season.

Fast forward three weeks and everything is looking rosy with the team sitting 15 games above .500 and second place in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Raps haven’t gone on a streak like this since the 2001-02 season when they also won nine-consecutive games. The New York Knicks stand in the way of the franchise record and Toronto won’t be quick to forget their loss to this team back on November 10th.

Off the court this has become a big topic, but Kyle Lowry and the Raps prefer to stay focused and in the moment.

“Right now we’re too focused on our next opponent, which is the New York Knicks. It’s time to get focused for them. We’re just taking it game by game, day by day, hour by hour. We’re coming in tomorrow to watch the film from tonight and start preparing for the Knicks on Thursday,” said the Raptors point guard following their 106-89 victory over the Wizards on Tuesday.

Lowry went on to admit that the team is playing some of their best basketball and will allow themselves to sit back and enjoy it when the time is right.

“I think we'll all look back on it after the season is over. Look at the individual accomplishments, the team accomplishments. Enjoy it when we’re not in the midst of it."

game-day-raptors-vs-knicks-3

Game Day: Raptors vs. Knicks

DeMar DeRozan’s reverse lay-up attempt went in and then out with 5.9 seconds remaining and the New York Knicks ahead by two. The Raptors had to foul on the next possession and Lance Thomas capped off a strong night with two free throws to put the Knicks ahead by four. Despite a Cory Joseph three-pointer, the Knicks made one of two free throws and the Raptors, without a timeout, were unable to connect at the buzzer leaving the Knicks to escape with a 111-109 victory.

Carmelo Anthony appeared to travel and then step out of bounds after the Knicks inbounded the ball with 22.8 seconds on the clock and the Raptors trailing by a point. Neither was called and the Raptors were whistled for a foul on Lance Thomas who made two free throws to put the Knicks ahead by three with 17.2 seconds remaining on the clock. After the game, crew chief Ed Malloy told a pool reporter that the officiating crew did not see Anthony step out of bounds nor did they see him travel. “When we came in and we reviewed the play,” Malloy said. “We did see Anthony step out of bounds and should’ve awarded the ball to Toronto.”

DeMarre Carroll missed his second straight game with a sore left heel. James Johnson started in his place for the second consecutive game.

The team announced that Terrence Ross would be out indefinitely with a ligament injury to his left thumb. The injury was sustained during a basketball workout on Monday after the team returned from their road trip. After the game, Ross spoke with reporters in the locker room while wearing a brace on his thumb.

Kyle Lowry flirted with a triple-double in the loss, scoring 23 points on 8-for-18 shooting to go along with seven rebounds, nine assists, three steals and a blocked shot in 37 minutes of action.

Cory Joseph had another strong effort for the Raptors off the bench. With Carroll and Ross sidelined, look for the team to go small and for Joseph to get a bigger opportunity in games to come. On Tuesday, Joseph scored 12 points to go with six rebounds, eight assists and a blocked shot.

“They had a big night. Lance Thomas, I don’t know how many threes he’s hit this year, he made his threes. The young kid [Galloway] comes in right before the fourth quarter and knocks down a three, so again, you’ve got to make your breaks in this game and we didn’t. We didn't make our breaks. Especially down the stretch.”- Dwane Casey on the New York bench coming up big

4… The Raptors shot just 24 percent from beyond the arc and made just four three-pointers (4-for-17), one more than in Sunday’s loss against the Miami Heat.11… In comparison, the Knicks connected on 11 of their 23 attempts from deep (48 percent).60… The Raptors lost the game despite outscoring New York 60-34 on points in the paint.11… The Knicks attempted 11 more field goals than the Raptors, making 42 of 95 attempts from the floor, compared to 37 of 84 for Toronto.19… second-chance points for the Heat, four for the Raptors.54… Bench points for the Knicks compared to just 23 for Toronto. Lance Thomas scored 17 off the bench and Langston Galloway added 15.

“It’s a fast game. It’s a tough game. He was right there in front of me. We weren’t trying to foul. We were trying to trap. Video showed that he stepped out of bounds. I don't know. I’m going to look at it again; You’ve got a million different angles. I saw with with my own eyes in front of me, but again, it’s a tough game to officiate. I wouldn’t say anything if he wasn’t right there in front of me. I thought he was out of bounds, I guess Tony [Brown] felt like it was different.”- Dwane Casey on the non-call on Carmelo Anthony

“I was just working out and I hit my finger against another player. It hit me in the right spot. I thought it might have been a jam, but it didn’t feel like that after awhile. It started swelling up, so I went to see the trainer. It’s tough. It’s my first time being injured [during the season]. I have to stay active, keep doing what I normally do, work out, stay in shape and stay ready.”- Terrence Ross on his thumb injury“There were a lot of things all night that we were definitely frustrated about. We still had a chance to pull it out. I missed a free throw and even though I missed, we got the ball back and missed a layup. It’ a combination of things.”- DeMar DeRozan on a frustrating loss“Being down Terrence Ross and DeMarre Carroll, we probably have to go that way a little bit. Cory Joseph has done a heck of a job. He’s a heck of a player. He gives us energy and that boost off the bench.”- Dwane Casey on the decision to go small

The Raptors head to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers in the second game of a back-to-back on Wednesday night at 7 P.M ET.

game-rap-raptors-109-knicks-111

Game Rap: Raptors 109, Knicks 111

torjlopez

NEW YORK (CP) - Tim Hardaway Jr. made a call early Saturday to his father, a former teammate of Anthony Mason in Miami and one of the people Hardaway knew would be saddened by Mason's death.

Many of them were connected to the Knicks, so Hardaway was more aware than most what a good effort hours later against Toronto would mean.

"It was tough, but at the same time you've got a game to play and you've got business to take care of,'' Hardaway said. "So we just wanted to go out there and compete for him.''

Hardaway scored 22 points, Langston Galloway made a clinching 3-pointer and the Knicks ended a sad day for the franchise with a 103-98 victory over Toronto, the Raptors' season-high fifth straight loss.

After beginning the night with a moment of silence for Mason, a former Knicks forward who died Saturday at 48, the team finished it by celebrating its second straight victory.

Former Raptors centre Andrea Bargnani scored 19 points and newcomer Alexey Shved had 15 for the Knicks. Lou Amundson scored eight of his nine in the fourth quarter, but the Raptors made a late run after he missed a dunk, cutting a 13-point deficit to two before Galloway's 3-pointer made it 103-98 with 13 seconds to go.

Lou Williams scored 22 points for the Raptors, who fell into a tie with Chicago for second place in the Eastern Conference and are just a half-game ahead of Cleveland for fourth.

Toronto coach Dwane Casey gave slumping All-Star Kyle Lowry a night off to rest, and without him the Raptors couldn't find a way to get out of what Casey called the team's "malaise.''

"We are going to solve this together,'' said Greivis Vasquez, who started for Lowry. "We are not going to point fingers. We are going to gather ourselves and talk to each other and figure it out. Nobody said this is going to be easy.''

Leading by one early in the fourth quarter, the Knicks scored 10 straight points for a 90-79 lead on Amundson's dunk. Jonas Valanciunas scored for the Raptors, but Shane Larkin and Amundson had consecutive baskets for a 94-81 advantage, and Toronto's late run fell short.

Mason was a rugged defender who helped the Knicks reach the 1994 NBA Finals. He was the league's Sixth Man of the Year the following season, and remained popular with fans and teammates long after he was traded away in 1996.

The Knicks honoured him with a video tribute during a first-quarter timeout. Coach Derek Fisher recalled Mason as a "gritty'' player who was always "determined to get the outcome that he sought.''

The current Knicks played the same way, following Friday's double-overtime victory at Detroit with a second straight win after dropping eight in a row.

"Both nights were great teamwork. Everybody that stepped on the floor did something good for the team,'' Bargnani said.

Lowry sat out for the first time this season. He had four points on 1-for-7 shooting Friday night in the Raptors' 113-89 home loss to Golden State, going without an assist for the first time since Oct. 31, 2009, and the first time ever as a starter.

The point guard is shooting under 30 per cent in five games since the break and Casey said before the game he would try to find a spot to get him some rest.

A night after going 1 for 19 in the first quarter, the Raptors made six baskets in the opening period only because DeMar DeRozan botched what should have been a seventh. He was alone on a fast break and tried what appeared would be a 360-degree dunk, but messed something up after takeoff and the ball rolled off the rim.

Raptors: Toronto finished 4-7 in February. The Raptors had been .500 or better for a franchise-best eight straight months. Valanciunas scored 16 but fouled out with 3:11 left.

Knicks: New York was also without its starting point guard. Jose Calderon, a former Raptor, sat on the bench in a walking boot after an MRI of his left Achilles confirmed a strain. Fisher said doctors hope to have a better idea next week when Calderon could return.

Galloway, who made the tying 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds left in regulation Friday, continues to show he's not afraid to take the big shot. "Having that in his DNA, and kind of in his wiring, the way he sees himself, that's why we were attracted to him and why we wanted him to be part of our group,'' Fisher said.

%e2%80%aaraptors%e2%80%ac-edged-by-knicks-for-fifth-straight-loss

‪Raptors‬ Edged By Knicks For Fifth Straight Loss

NEW YORK (CP) – Too many fouls. Way too many turnovers – nine alone from their star point guard.

So what if Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors weren't perfect? Come overtime, they went from flawed to nearly flawless.

"We had so many mistakes on both sides, even defensively," coach Dwane Casey said. "But it was one of those games, if you're serious about winning, you find a way to get it done and our guys did it."

Lowry had 21 points and 11 assists, controlling the overtime period and leading the Raptors to a 95-90 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday night.

Lowry had nine turnovers and missed a jumper that would've won it to end regulation, but then had two baskets and an assist in overtime, accounting for more points than the Knicks managed as a team.

Terrence Ross added a season-high 22 points for the Raptors, who maintained the best record in the Eastern Conference at 18-6.

"It took overtime but I thought everyone stepped it up tonight," Lowry said.

Carmelo Anthony had 34 points and nine rebounds for the Knicks, who played without injured guards Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith.

Anthony missed all three shots in overtime, when the Knicks went 1 of 8.

"They applied a little bit more pressure than they had throughout the course of the game and kind of got us playing a little bit faster than we wanted to play," Anthony said.

Tim Hardaway Jr. got the start and scored 18 points, but missed eight of his final 10 shots and finished 4 of 15. The Knicks, who ended a 10-game losing streak with a victory at Boston on Friday, fell to 5-21.

Ross gave the Raptors an 86-84 lead on a short jumper with 2:39 remaining in regulation and the teams then went scoreless across the next 2 minutes before the Knicks finally tied it on Anthony's drive with 28 seconds to go.

Lowry missed a short jumper before the buzzer but Toronto then held the Knicks without a basket in overtime until Hardaway's meaningless layup with 5.2 seconds left.

Patrick Patterson's 3-pointer opened the scoring in OT and put Toronto ahead for good. Lowry later made a pair of jumpers before feeding Amir Johnson for a basket that made it 95-88 with 1:05 left.

Shumpert is expected to miss at least three weeks with a dislocated left shoulder. Smith is day to day with a small partial tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot.

Coach Derek Fisher said Smith would start, but the former Sixth Man of the Year was ruled out after warming up.

Raptors: Toronto improved to 10-0 when holding teams below 100 points. ... Jonas Valanciunas finished with eight points and 10 rebounds, ending his streak of double-doubles at three games, which tied a career high. The last Toronto player with four in a row was Chris Bosh late in the 2009-10 season.

Knicks: Smith said that the training staff had given him a whole new sole for his sneaker to make his heel more comfortable. ... With Jose Calderon and Quincy Acy, the Knicks' starting lineup had two former Raptors. Andrea Bargnani, Toronto's former No. 1 overall pick who was dealt to the Knicks in the summer of 2013, still hasn't played this season because of hamstring and calf injuries.

While All-Star DeMar DeRozan is out with a torn groin tendon, he's spending extra time around his coaches. Casey said DeRozan has joined some coaches' meetings, where he hears not only strategies, but criticisms of his teammates. Any worry that DeRozan will report what he hears back to them?

"I hope not, and if he does, I'm telling the truth," Casey said. "So I'm not telling him anything I wouldn't tell them to their face."

Lowry is the only player in the NBA averaging 21 points and better than 10 assists in December, and with the Raptors atop their conference, will have a strong case to be back here in February for the All-Star game. "It would be one of them individual goals that you can check off, but I am not worried about right now," he said. "I am just worried about this team to keep getting wins."

knicks

Game Day: Raptors @ Knicks

Game Rap: Raptors 122, Knicks 95

Game Day: Raptors @ Knicks

Game Rap: Raptors 103, Knicks 93

Game Day: Raptors vs. Knicks

Game Rap: Raptors 109, Knicks 111

‪Raptors‬ Edged By Knicks For Fifth Straight Loss

Raptors Outlast Knicks In Gritty OT Win