Raptors at Rockets game-day Dino-bytes

Our now-traditional, weekday-game, post-shootaround look at the Raptors game.

 

TORONTO (3-11) at HOUSTON (6-7)

Toyota Centre

TIPOFF: 8 p.m.

TV: Sportsnet; RADIO: FAN590

 

Probable starters

Toronto: Jose Calderon Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Dom McGuire, Andrea Bargnani, Jonas Valanciunas; Houston: Jeremy Lin, James Harden, Chandler Parsons, Patrick Patterson, Omar Asik.

 

Key backups tonight

Toronto: Ed Davis (does Sunday’s energy carry over to Tuesday?), Terrence Ross (can he have an offensive impact); Houston: Marcus Morris (young big man averages about 10 ppg), Toney Douglas (has been struggling from the field).

 

Previous meeting

First meeting this season; Raptors have lost five straight in Houston.

 

What happened this morning

It’s all about Kyle

As you’d expect, ex-Rocket Kyle Lowry was all the rage at shootaround.

He denies there’s any special motivation tonight going against his old team but what he says and how he acts may be two entirely different things.

Toronto coach Dwane Casey knows this and mentioned this morning how he’ll have to make sure Lowry doesn’t try to do too much too soon.

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Who guards Harden?

No one said it out loud but the Raptors are sure to have small forward and solid defender Dom McGuire spend at least a little guarding Houston’s Harden, who averages about 25 points per game.

Can McGuire be successful? Few are on their own, he’ll need help.

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In memoriam

The Rockets will wear black patches on jerseys for Sasha McHale, the 23-year-old daughter of coach Kevin McHale, who died on the weekend.

And they will travel as a team to the funeral tomorrow after getting special – and correct – dispensation from the league to detour from their game in Oklahoma City.

They’ll get to Oklahoma City sometime tomorrow afternoon, normally, the league would insist they travel tonight.

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No old friends

Ex-Raptor Carlos Delfino is out and injured for the Rockets and the guy Houston got in the Kyle Lowry trade – Gary Forbes – has been released.

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Canada connection

Kelvin Sampson, the assistant who is handling Houston’s coaching duties in the absence of Kevin McHale, is an assistant on Jay Triano’s Canadian national team staff.

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Another warning

Houston’s Patrick Patterson is the latest NBA to get an official warning from the league for flopping.

It was an especially egregious performance as this link shows.

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Esoteric stat of the day

Raptors swingman DeMar DeRozan is averaging 18.7 points per game this season; he ranks second in scoring among playersfrom the 2009 NBA draft class.

First? Houston’s Harden.

 

 

 

 

Comments

[gdr]

Lowry not listed as a possible starter or a key backup. Did I miss something? He is playing tonight, right?

Blogger's note: Fixed; brain cramp

[LeeZ]

Wee brain cramp this afternoon, I'm afraid: you wrote José's name instead of Kyle's as probable starter. Wouldn't want some of the nastier anti-José Irregulars to form a posse and hunt you down!

Blogger's note: Fixed; brain cramp

[recommended reading]

THE STAR main page say that this is a preview for the bobcats raptors! Doug, you are in the wrong city!!

Blogger's note: Better change my flight

[LakeSimcoe]

I would send you to Judge Hackland next time if ....well, I mean, we should send our Judge to the league so that he could do a lot of great jobs when the zebras....

[Penguin]

Sorry and surprised to see Gary Forbes released. No interest in him around the league (including, I guess, the Raptors)? He seemed to bring more energy and scoring off the bench than a lot of our current crew. Seems like he'd be an upgrade over the SFs we currently have, unless Fields shows more after his surgery. What are his principal flaws that have caused this lack of NBA interest?

Blogger's note: Basic lack of depth of skills