Timberwolves

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The Raptors reeled off a 13-4 run to close the game and secure the 114-105 victory. With the score tied at 101 and 3:48 remaining, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan each made two three-pointers to help stave off a Timberwolves team that did not go away easily. The win moves Toronto to 38-18 on the season.

There was a lot of offence and almost zero defence in the first 24 minutes of the game, with a Cory Joseph three-pointer giving Toronto a 61-58 lead at the break. Toronto shot 55 percent in the half, while giving up 58 percent shooting to the Timberwolves.

With Minnesota outscoring Toronto by two points in the third, the Raptors led by just one point to begin the final quarter. Toronto never trailed in the fourth, but allowed the Timberwolves to tie the game with 3:48 remaining on a Zach LaVine put-back dunk before ramping things up defensively and using a flurry of threes to close out the game.

Although both teams were whistled for 22 personal fouls, things got testy throughout. After being upset with two non-calls, then getting tagged with an offensive foul, Terrence Ross was whistled for two technical fouls, getting ejected from the game. It was Ross’ first time getting ejected in his four-year NBA career.

Canadian sophomore Andrew Wiggins celebrated his 21st birthday with friends and family in Toronto on Tuesday. The good times continued for Wiggins in the first half on Wednesday, as he scored 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting before the halftime break.

DeMar DeRozan scored a game-high 31 points on 11-for-19 field goals. DeRozan made both off his attempts from deep, shot 7-for-8 from the free throw line and added four rebounds, four assists and two steals in 38 minutes of action.

Cory Joseph put in one of his best performances as a Raptor against the Wolves, exploding for 18 points on 6-for-8 shooting in 23 minutes off the bench. Joseph added two rebounds and six assists. When he was on the floor, the Raptors were a +21 in the game.

“We executed. We got stops when we needed to, we got buckets when we needed to, but they fought extremely hard. Nothing came easy. We just tried to close the best way we could.”- DeMar DeRozan on closing out the game

10… Three-pointers for the Raptors, compared to six for the Timberwolves. Toronto had six threes prior to the fourth quarter, where DeRozan and Lowry secured the victory with four consecutive threes.56… Points in the paint for Toronto, 40 for the Wolves.40… Bench points for the Raptors, 25 for Minnesota. Cory Joseph’s 18 led the way, but Toronto also received a big boost off the bench from Bismack Biyombo (six points, 11 rebounds, three blocks), Patrick Patterson and Terrence Ross prior to his ejection.13… Fast break points for Toronto, three for the Wolves.21… Points, six assists for Kyle Lowry. Lowry scored 12 of his points in the decisive fourth quarter.

“They came in and saved the day. I thought Patrick, Bismack, Cory, Kyle, that group, DeMar [too] came in and set the tone at the end and got stops. I don’t know what that run was, but it was pretty significant after it was 101-101. We can’t wait to get kicked in the teeth like that to get going. It was a gutsy win. We found a way to win defensively and DeMar DeRozan made some big plays down the stretch.”- Dwane Casey on the performance of the bench and his two All-Stars to close out the win“We just keep competing and we stick with our principles. Making sure at the end of the day we stick with the things we know how to do defensively. Our defence will always start our offence and for the time being we continue to grow defensively and get better.”- Kyle Lowry on how they pulled out the victory“Cory’s great. Hell of an addition for us. Smart player. Understands score, possessions, defensive possessions. When you have a smart guy like that it’s definitely beneficial.”- DeMar DeRozan on the play of Cory Joseph down the stretch“That’s most definitely the message. Just like tonight, we’ve got to move on from it and understand we’ve got a bigger task each day that we do get closer to the playoffs. It’s about us continuing to get better, figuring out ways to win games when things aren’t going our way, stay composed and keep learning. Never be satisfied with anything.”- DeMar DeRozan on Dwane Casey's call for focus each day

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in town to take on the Raptors at the Air Canada Centre on Friday at 7:30 P.M. ET.

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Game Rap: Raptors 114, Timberwolves 105

Toronto (37-18) returns home to Air Canada Centre where they will host Minnesota (18-39) for a 7:30pm tip-off. After falling to the Bulls following the All-Star break, the Raptors enter tonight’s game having recorded back-to-back wins over Memphis and New York. The Timberwolves are fresh off a 124-122 victory over the Celtics in Minnesota Monday night.

Karl-Anthony Towns – Minnesota’s first overall pick is playing well past his years. He currently leads all rookies in both points (17) and rebounds (10) per game. The Raps are familiar with what the seven footer can do after he put up a career-high 35 points and added 11 rebounds when the Wolves beat T.O. in Minnesota on February 10th.

DeMar DeRozan&lt;/strong – DeRozan matched Towns with 35 points of his own in the teams' first meeting. That was a season-high for the Raps All-Star shooting guard who is averaging 23 points a game. Despite a slow start against the Knicks, DeRozan still managed to score 22 in a lopsided victory. Raptors fans will be hoping he can replicate his performance from February 10th but this time with Toronto emerging victorious.

February 10th’s result is a good example that you cannot take any game or team for granted.

The Raptors showed up in Minnesota that night confident after having won three in a row and 14 of 15. The Timberwolves meanwhile were sitting at 16-37 on the season and were near the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

The end result was a Wolves victory after they erased an 18-point deficit midway through the game. It was a stop-start affair with the teams shooting a combined 85 free throws, the Wolves accounting for 53 of them.

That wasn't the first time where Toronto surrendered a double-digit lead to go on and lose this season. Closing out games has been a bit of a concern for this team at times so when the Raps were able to put away New York the other night, it allowed the starters to rest, something which Kyle Lowry welcomed.

“That was an unbelievable effort from our team tonight. It got everyone some rest that needed it. Go home tomorrow, get a little bit of rest on the off day and prepare for Minnesota,"said Lowry.

With the February 10th matchup being Toronto’s final contest prior to the city hosting All-Star Weekend, some players may have had an eye on the extended break. Tonight there is nothing but important games ahead and it will take all hands on deck to slow down Towns, Wiggins and a young Timberwolves team.

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Game Day: Raptors vs. Timberwolves

Karl-Anthony Towns made a pair of free throws to put the Timberwolves up five with four seconds remaining. Towns helped lead Minnesota in a second-half comeback as the Raptors dropped a 117-112 decision heading into the All-Star break. With the loss, Toronto falls to 35-17 on the season.

Bismack Biyombo left the game late in the first half after a nasty fall and landing hard on his back. After slowly getting to his feet and walking off, the team announced that he had suffered a bruised lower back, but that he would be available to return in the second half and he did. The All-Star break will be good for Biyombo and the rest of the roster to rest up and heal the bumps and bruises that come at this midway point of the season.

Toronto led 68-55 at the half and then allowed the Timberwolves to shoot 57 percent (making 12-of-21 field goals) in the third while they went cold offensively. The Raptors connected on just 35 percent of their shots in the quarter as Minnesota outscored Toronto 33-21 to trim Toronto’s lead to one going into the fourth.

The Timberwolves didn’t cool off in the fourth, shooting 53 percent from the floor to Toronto’s 40 percent. Andrew Wiggins scored 13 points in the quarter, and the Wolves made 12-of-16 attempts from the line to complete the 18-point comeback.

It was another efficient night for DeMar DeRozan, even if he didn’t get to leave the court with a victory. DeRozan finished with 35 points on 11-for-19 shooting and was 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, and 10-for-13 from the free throw line. He added three rebounds, four assists, a steal and a blocked shot in 39 minutes.

Bismack Biyombo toughed it out after hurting his back in the first half to play 20 minutes and finish with six points, six rebounds, six blocked shots and a steal.

“Our whole disposition, we came out like this team was going to lay down and it’s a great example to everybody that if you don’t come out and perform and do your job, any team in this league can beat you. We aren’t good enough to come out and throw out press clippings and our record on the court and not perform. We came out and played like that in the second half.”- Dwane Casey summing up the loss

46… Points in the paint for the Timberwolves, compared to 34 for the Raptors.85… Combined free throws attempted in this game. Minnesota tied an all-time opponent high in regulation with 43 made free throws on 53 attempts at the line. Toronto made 24-of-32 free throws.11… Points off the bench for Terrence Ross who has scored in double figures in 10 of his last 12 games.35… Points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots for Wolves rookie Karl-Anthony Towns. Andrew Wiggins added 26 points.20… Second chance points for Minnesota, 12 for Toronto.8… Points for Norman Powell in his fourth straight start. Powell shot 4-for-6 from the floor in 12 minutes of action.

“We didn’t feel it. We started fighting, but it was just one of those games where we’ve been so good getting ourselves out of holes. We get in the hole and now things weren’t going our way. We couldn’t get a stop, we continued to put them on the free throw line. We couldn’t get any calls to go our way. I guess the luck was against us tonight.”- DeMar DeRozan on if he felt like it was a trap game with All-Star around the corner“They came out with a lot more energy. They were hitting shots, beating us to the 50-50 balls. Outrebounding us, getting a lot of second chances. Getting to the foul line, getting a lot of easy points on the board and we weren’t able to get into a rhythm of things. They came out, hitting us in the mouth and when we tried to start picking it up, they already had the momentum and kept pushing on it.”- Cory Joseph on the Wolves turning things around in the third quarter“I don’t know if it’s a step back, it’s a step in human nature. It’s a fact that if you don’t come out and perform and play…I thought we tried to make a stand in the first half, but it didn’t continue. We got in foul trouble. You put a team on the line 53 times, that’s not focus. That’s not down in the stance. You can’t win that way. And then 20 second-chance points, that’s the ballgame.”- Dwane Casey when asked if the loss was a step back for his team

The Raptors will get some much-deserved time off during the All-Star break. While Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan will be representing Toronto in All-Star festivities, they will also get a break after the weekend is complete. The team will meet in Chicago to play the Bulls on Friday, Feb. 19 at 8 P.M. ET.

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Game Rap: Raptors 112, Timberwolves 117

Tonight is the final game before the All-Star break for both teams when Toronto (35-16) takes on the Timberwolves (16-37) in Minnesota. The Raptors will be gunning for their fourth straight win after toppling the Pistons in Detroit the other night. The Wolves had their own two-game streak snapped Monday at home in a loss to New Orleans.

Karl-Anthony Towns – It’s been an impressive rookie season so far for Mr. Towns. Last year’s number one overall pick has proved his worth averaging 17 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks a game in his maiden season in Minnesota. At 7’0” and 244 lbs, Towns entered the league with an NBA-ready body allowing him to battle against his peers in the paint. He also possesses a soft touch and the ability to shoot from distance. The Raps frontcourt will have their work cut out keeping the 20-year old in check.

Kyle Lowry&lt;/strong – Lowry has been a nightmare for opposing defences this season. Not only is he averaging more than 21 points and six assists a game, he also sits top five in the league in rebounding (4.9) for point-guards. The 29-year old is at the top of his game and the NBA community has noticed, naming him Player of the Month for January and the starting point-guard for the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Look for Lowry to be in attack mode tonight if guarded by Ricky Rubio who is not known for his man-to-man defence.

Following a victory in Portland last week, the Raptors set a franchise record to open a season with their 34th win after 50 games played. Tonight they will try and do 			    one better by entering the All-Star break sitting 20 games above .500.

Standing in their way is a Minnesota team that has struggled on and off the court this season. Prior to opening day, the NBA family received the terrible news that Minnesota head coach Flip Saunders had lost his battle to cancer. Former Raptors coach Sam Mitchell stepped in and has remained at the helm for this young Wolves team.

The Timberwolves were always going to find it difficult to compete in a deep Western Conference as they tried to develop young stars like Towns, Zach LaVine and 	     Andrew Wiggins.

Lately they have been playing some good basketball and prior to their loss to New Orleans, had recorded impressive wins over the Bulls and Clippers.

Toronto meanwhile has bounced back nicely after their previous 11 game winning streak was snapped in Denver on February 1st. The Raps have since reeled off three-straight victories and with a win tonight, can add to their Eastern Conference best road record.

With the lure of some well-deserved time off just around the corner, coach Casey stressed to his team to finish the job during his postgame press conference against the Pistons.

“Like I told them (the players), the All-Star break doesn’t start until Thursday and let’s not start it tomorrow."

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Game Day: Raptors @ Timberwolves

An inbounds pass sailed through Patrick Patterson’s hands with 18 seconds remaining and the Raptors trailing Minnesota by three. After the turnover, the Timberwolves extended their lead to five points and went on to steal an 89-87 come-from-behind victory in Ottawa. The loss moves Toronto to 3-2 in the preseason.

Two days after setting a franchise record for preseason scoring with 40 points  — also against the Timberwolves — Kyle Lowry sat out Wednesday's meeting with Minnesota to get some rest. After Monday’s memorable performance it was much deserved. Cory Joseph started in his place.

Terrence Ross left Monday’s game with a sore left ankle and did not make the trip with the team to Ottawa.

Anthony Bennett got his first start as a Raptor and had 10 points and eight rebounds while collecting an assist and three steals in 23 minutes against his former team. Bennett shot 3-for-5 from the floor and 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Raptors head coach Dwane Casey has repeatedly praised Bennett’s work on the defensive end of the floor through preseason and training camp, but he got a chance to show off his shooting touch at the Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday night.

Delon Wright got some extended run on Wednesday, playing 21 minutes off the bench. The rookie showed some nice drives to the basket and scored 11 points on 5-for-6 shooting to go with three rebounds and three assists. Bismack Biyombo had his second straight game of doing all of the little things, finishing with 10 points, six rebounds and a blocked shot in 19 minutes of action.

“We have a lot of scorers in this locker room. That’s not the issue. The issue is playing defence. That’s where we have to put a lot of emphasis and get better at that. Once we can take a step forward and play better defence I think we’ll be great for the season.”
- Bismack Biyombo on the importance of focusing in on defence through the preseason

12… Made three-pointers for the Timberwolves who shot 50 percent (12-for-24) from beyond the arc, compared to 38 percent (9-for-24) for the Raptors. This marks the second straight preseason game that Toronto has attempted at least 24 three-pointers.

48… Percent shooting for the Timberwolves, a number that will not thrill Casey who has been continuing to stress the importance of setting the tone defensively.

13… Points scored in a brutal third quarter for Toronto. While Minnesota didn’t fare much better (scoring 17 points), the Raptors had a six-minute scoring drought and the Timberwolves turned a 15-point deficit into a seven-point one to end the quarter.

11… Points for Canadian Andrew Wiggins, playing in Ottawa for the first time in his professional career.

13… Once again, 13 players logged minutes in the game as the coaching staff continues to evaluate the roster. Look for this number to go down as the end of preseason edges closer.

“Just knowing that I was going to play today, have a role, that helps me coming into the game. I have to get used to it, my role is changing from college to the NBA, so I have to get used to that.”- Delon Wright on getting to play extended minutes tonight

“The thing is, when we get to talk early on and we get to communicate with one after another one and we help each other, it makes a big difference. Sometimes we don't do that. Obviously when I get on the floor it’s an obligation for me, to remind the guys that we’e got to keep talking and we’ve got to communicate. That’s the only way we’re going to get better on defence.”- Bismack Biyombo on how the team will improve defensively

“Just doing everything I can defensively. Trying to rebound as many basketballs as possible. Just run the floor, run the plays.”- Anthony Bennett on his approach in Wednesday’s game
“That’s great for Toronto. It’s a great sports city. We have the greatest sports fans — bar none — around the world. Now the world’s going to see it in baseball and also in football.”- Dwane Casey reacting to big nights for the Blue Jays and Toronto FC

The Raptors head back to Toronto where they will prepare for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Air Canada Centre at 6:00 P.M. ET.

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Game Rap: Raptors 87, Timberwolves 89

It’s Round 2 as the Raptors (3-1) tip-off against the Timberwolves (0-3) at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa as part of the NBA Canada Series.  Despite the game once again being played north of the border, Minnesota is classified as the Home Team.  This will be the second game for both teams in the NBA Canada Series with the Raps beating the Clippers in Vancouver and the Wolves falling to the Bulls in Winnipeg.

Andrew Wiggins - Back in his hometown on Monday, Wiggins put on a show in front of friends and family.  He opened the game with a quick three-pointer and a thunderous dunk, and despite only playing 18 minutes, managed to put up an efficient 21 points on 60% shooting from the field.  The reigning Rookie of the Year is the focal point of Minnesota’s team and they will be relying on him heavily once again this year.

Kyle Lowry - Instead of trying to describe Lowry’s performance on Monday, we’ll just let you watch…

After acknowledging Lowry’s strong play in the preseason, Coach Dwane Casey went right back to focusing on how his team can get better. “We have to play aggressive defence without fouling and that is something we did not accomplish tonight.  That’s something we’ve been harping on,” said Casey postgame on Monday.

He was also asked about experimenting with different line-ups but told the media, “I wouldn’t look at anything as far as rotations, we’re just trying to get guys some minutes on the court more than combinations.”

In her Game Rap https://www.nba.com/raptors/gamerap-101215,  Holly MacKenzie singled out Luis Scola as the Raptors underrated player of the game vs. the Timberwolves.  The Raptors coach has liked what he’s seen so far from Scola and he knows what he’s getting from the veteran every night

“Experience.  He plays an old-man’s game.  He’s always doing what he’s supposed to do,” said Casey.

Unfortunately Casey won’t be able to see more of Terrence Ross tonight as the Raptors guard did not travel to Ottawa due to a sore ankle.

Terrence Ross will not travel to Ottawa due to a sore left ankle sustained in last night's game
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) October 13, 2015

Toronto fans have gotten used to Kyle Lowry performances like his one on Monday night, but this year they get the chance to see what the team's other point guard, Cory Joseph, can do as well.

“Cory is a guy who’s come from a great system.  He get’s to the paint, he makes the right plays early and when it’s time to make his shots, he takes advantage of it,” was Lowry’s assessment of his new battery mate.

Fans have also seen both point guards play together at times this preseason and the results are, so far so good.

“I feel like it gives us a different dynamic with Kyle and I out there on the court together,” said Joseph. Dwane Casey agreed and added, “I like their toughness, that combination could be good for us with those two together.”

Barely after arriving in Ottawa, Joseph headed over to the Taggart Family YMCA to participate in the NBA Fit initiative with local youth.

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Bruno Caboclo hit a long three-pointer to put the Raptors ahead by 11 with 9:29 remaining. Although the Timberwolves would hang around, they were unable to cut into Toronto’s lead and the Raptors moved to 3-1 in the preseason with a 112-105 victory over Minnesota.

Kyle Lowry put on the performance of the preseason when he dropped 40 points in 28 minutes against the Wolves and set a Raptors franchise record for points in a preseason game. Chris Paul matched Lowry’s output in a preseason game in 2013, while the last player to top it was Monta Ellis who scored 41 points in overtime in a 2010 game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Through three preseason games, Lowry is averaging a league-leading 30.3 points on 68 percent shooting and has scored a league-leading 91 points in 75 minutes of game action.

DeMar DeRozan sat out Monday’s game to rest. With head coach Dwane Casey confident in the ability of veterans like DeRozan and Lowry to be ready for regular season, the time off allows the coaching staff to try different lineups and see what some of the new Raptors can do.

Terrence Ross left the game with a sore left ankle.  An update on his status was not available immediately after the game, but he will be reevaluated Tuesday morning.

As if this could be anyone other than Kyle Lowry. In a performance where he topped Vince Carter’s franchise record for points [38] in a preseason game, Lowry finished with 40 points in 28 minutes on an absurd 13-for-18 field goals. Lowry was 6-for-9 from beyond the arc and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line to go along with three rebounds and three assists.

Luis Scola came off the bench to score 12 points in 21 minutes of action. He shot 4-for-6 from the floor, 4-for-4 from the free throw line while pulling down four rebounds. After the game Casey praised Scola’s experience and basketball IQ.

“He was unbelievable tonight. He was making everything. He could have probably turned backwards and threw it at the rim.”
- Cory Joseph on Lowry’s big night

45…Rebounds for the Raptors compared to 38 for the Timberwolves.

25…Attempts from beyond the arc for Toronto. Casey mentioned the lack of three-point attempts in the previous few games and expected the numbers to go up as the team became more comfortable playing with new lineups. Lowry accounted for six of the team’s nine made three-pointers.

13…players logged minutes in the game as the coaching staff continues to evaluate the roster.

“I want him to save some of those [for the regular season.] He’s hot as a firecracker.”- Dwane Casey on Lowry’s performance

“Cory's a guy who is comfortable in the system. He makes the right plays early and when it's time for him to make layups and shots, he takes advantage of it.”- Kyle Lowry on playing alongside Cory Joseph

“I’m just trying to create opportunities, whether that’s for myself or my team.”- Cory Joseph on his last two performances

“We’ve just got to get better defensively. Getting back defensively, shrinking the paint. Our number one goal tonight was not to foul and play defence without fouling and we didn't accomplish that. They were in the penalty early. We’ve got to play defence without fouling.  We want to be a good defensive team. We held them to 45 percent, took away the three’s in the second half, but we can be better without fouling.”- Dwane Casey on improvements needed on the defensive end of the floor.

The Raptors head to Ottawa to face the Timberwolves again on Wednesday  at 7:00 p.m. ET at the Canadian Tire Centre.

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Game Rap: Raptors 112, Timberwolves 105

Time: (7:30pm ET, 4:30pm PT - NBATV Canada)

The Raptors (2-1) tip-off against the Timberwolves (0-2) at Air Canada Centre on Thanksgiving Monday.  Fittingly, tonight’s matchup has a Canadian theme with the teams rostering a total of four players born north of the border.  Cory Joseph, Anthony Bennett and Toronto will be hoping to get the better of the Wiggins brothers and Minnesota.

Cory Joseph - After a quiet but efficient start to his Raptors career, Joseph broke out Thursday against the Lakers compiling 18pts &amp; 3rbs on 8-13 shooting with 13 of his points coming in the decisive 4th quarter.  Toronto won the game 105-97 and improved to 2-1 in the preseason.

Karl-Anthony Towns - The No. 1 overall pick in the draft this past June has gotten off to a fast start to his Timberwolves career.  Towns debut against the Thunder resulted in an 18pt, 5reb performance and he followed that up with a double double in Minnesota’s second game against the Bulls with 13 points and 10 boards in 23 minutes of action.  Despite their rookie’s efforts, Minnesota enters tonight’s game winless in two tries this preseason.‎

Where to begin… Oddly there are many ties between these two teams, from former players, teammates, and coaches, to a not-so-fondly-remembered rival.

The obvious connection is the Canadian one and, as mentioned above, there could be up to four of them playing tonight at once.  There is also Bennett and Wiggins who both were No. 1 overall draft picks. Both played in Cleveland and Minnesota with Bennett now finding himself in a Raptors uniform.  Throw Cory Joseph in the mix and all three of them played together this summer in the FIBA Americas tournament representing Team Canada.

Let’s not forget a very memorable character here in Toronto in former coach Sam Mitchell, who has taken over Minnesota’s coaching duties whilst Flip Saunders recovers from illness.  Sam was the sixth head coach in Raptors history where he spent the better part of five seasons and led Toronto to its first Atlantic Division title in franchise history in 2006-07.

Finally a not-so-memorable character returns to Toronto with Kevin Garnett now wearing a Timberwolves jersey back where he began is NBA career.  Garnett was famously part of the Brooklyn Nets team that narrowly defeated the Raptors in the first round of the 2013-14 Eastern Conference Playoffs.

This is technically Toronto’s second home game of the preseason however it will be their first appearance at Air Canada Centre.  The home opener on October 4th was played in Vancouver as part of the NBA Canada Series.  The Raptors will look to win at Air Canada Centre in back to back preseason openers with the last defeat coming against the Timberwolves in 2013-2014.

The players spoke with the media after practice yesterday and expressed their excitement at being back home, “It’s a great feeling just to be back in this gym, we’ve been on the road for a long time,” said DeMarre Carroll.

“I’m definitely excited and amped up to play out there (Air Canada Centre) tomorrow," added Canadian Cory Joseph.

Not only is this the first time the team will be playing at home, it will be a first time for everyone playing on a brand new court.  Check it out…