Raptors at Thunder game-day Dino-bytes

Our post-shootaround look at tonight’s Raptors game

 

TORONTO at OKLAHOMA CITY

TIPOFF: 8 p.m.

TV: TSN; RADIO: FAN590

 

Probable starters

Toronto: Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Landry Fields, Andrea Bargnani, Jonas Valanciunas; Oklahoma City: Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins.

 

Key backups tonight:

Toronto: Alan Anderson, Ed Davis; Oklahoma City: Kevin Martin, Nick Collison.

 

What happened this morning

Much concern over Oklahoma’s mood coming into the game after the Thunder faltered in the second half and lost at home on Sunday.

Dwane Casey brought out a stat that says the Thunder are 36-4 following losses and here’s one for you:

The last time the Thunder lost two games uninterrupted at home (not a home loss followed by a road game followed by another home loss) was Nov 1-3, 2009. That’s a long time ago.

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In case you care, or know one of these guys, the officials for tonight are Ron Garretson, Brian Forte, Eric Dalen. The league provides refereeing assignments each morning for that night’s game.

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As Darnell Mayberry in the local paper points out, there’s even more incentive for the loudest fans in the NBA should be cheering even more loudly against the Raptors.

A future Thunder draft pick rides on the Raptors having a bad season.

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Here’s a pertinent quote, given the way games have started this season:

"We can't be in cruise mode at the start of games. It shouldn't have gone back and forth. We're a defensive team and we just can't have that many breakdowns in a game, we just can't.”

Dwane Casey?

Nope.

Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant after the Thunder started Sunday’s loss slowly.

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The only Raptor we spoke with at length this morning was Kyle Lowry and, yes, he did vote through an absentee ballot.

Dwane Casey, who also cast his ballot, said he hadn’t polled the players but he figures a majority of those eligible got their voting job done.

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Raptors lost here last season in the only 2011-12 meeting between the teams and are 4-12 on the road against this franchise. That includes the time the club was in Seattle, too.

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Comments

[martin]

tonights game will be on NBA TV in the States... whens the last time the Raptors were on national TV in the US?

Blogger's note: Last Saturday

[Ryan]

Whats the vote tally on the team?

Blogger's note: Wouldn't presume to ask, none of my, or your, business

[john]

Hmmm, Dino Bytes and Tator Tots.... Thanks for the subliminal meal planning...

[TJ]

Hi Doug, can you ask Casey if Mcguire will get some burn against KD?

[doug]

listening to the Q today and they mentioned that it was Sax Day, thats right not sex day but international Saxophone day and all request lunch was dedicated to songs featuring the sax....why today (glad you asked) well I learned something, today is the inventor of the Sax's b-day Adophe Sax who was born on this day in 1814....there you go something to impress Super Son with....cheers...

Blogger's note: Outstanding intel. Thanks

[Paul]

so what Doug is trying to say is they are due for a win here ;)

[Ben]

loving the pre game post doug - can we make this a regular thing? (especially liek the details like officials for the game and pre game info / jump out stats like the one dwayne casey pointed out

Blogger's note: Yes, will be a regular mid-afternoon thing