First Night of B2B
Projected Starters
NOTES
• The Toronto Raptors host the Cleveland Cavaliers at Scotiabank Arena on Friday night. The Raptors have an opportunity to secure a season-series victory against the Cavaliers for the first time since 2015-16. Toronto is a combined 4-0 against last year’s NBA Finals participants.
• Friday’s game will mark the 200th consecutive sellout (including playoffs) at Scotiabank Arena since Nov. 11, 2014 – the longest streak in franchise history. Both the arena single-game benchmarks have been set during this streak – 20,050 Nov. 16, 2016 vs. Golden State (regular season); 20,906 May 5, 2016 vs. Miami (playoffs). The Raptors currently rank third in NBA average attendance, averaging 19,824 through 16 games.
• Toronto enters Friday’s game with an NBA-best 24-9 (.727) record. The Raptors currently lead Milwaukee by 1.5 games in the Eastern Conference standings. Toronto needs five more wins to match the franchise-record for victories through the fist 41 games, which was set last season (29 wins).
• Toronto continues a stretch of six consecutive games against Eastern Conference opponents – Dec. 19 vs. Indiana (W 99-96), Dec. 21 vs. Cleveland, Dec. 22 at Philadelphia, Dec. 26 at Miami and Dec. 28 at Orlando. TheRaptors are currently tied for the second-best win percentage within the conference with a 14-5 (.737) record. Milwaukee leads all teams with a 13-4 (.765) record. Toronto is tied with Philadelphia for the best win percentage against the West, 10-4 (.714).
• Toronto improved to 6–0 on the second night of back-to-backs with a 113-93 victory Dec. 12 at Golden State. The Raptors have won their last eight games on the second night of back-to-backs dating back to last season, which is the longest active streak in the NBA. San Antonio won nine straight games on the second-night of back-tobacks during the 2016-17 season.
• According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Toronto is second-best in the NBA in field-goal percentage on two-point attempts at 56.5 percent, behind only Milwaukee (57.2%). The Pacers rank third in lowest field-goal percentage allowed on two-point attempts at 48.80 percent; the top two are the Heat (48.6%) and Bucks (48.79%).
• According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Kawhi Leonard’s 659 points through his first 25 games is the most by any player in franchise history. Overall, it’s the third-most by a player to start a season, trailing only Vince Carter (725) through the first 25 games of the 2000-01 campaign, and DeMar DeRozan (701) in 2016-17.
• INJURY UPDATE: Kyle Lowry (questionable) has missed the last three games (Dec. 14-19) with a thigh contusion after a hard fall Dec. 12 at Golden State. Serge Ibaka (questionable) did not play Dec. 19 vs. Indiana due to a swollen right knee. Jonas Valanciunas left in the second quarter with a dislocated left thumb Dec. 12 at Golden State. He had surgery following the game and will be in a cast for the next four weeks.
Projected Starters
Cavaliers (8-24) | Raptors (24-9) |
Collin Sexton | Fred Van Vleet |
Rodney Hood | Danny Green |
Cedi Osman | Kawhi Leonard |
Larry Nance Jr. | Pascal Siakam |
David Nwaba | Greg Monroe |
• The Toronto Raptors host the Cleveland Cavaliers at Scotiabank Arena on Friday night. The Raptors have an opportunity to secure a season-series victory against the Cavaliers for the first time since 2015-16. Toronto is a combined 4-0 against last year’s NBA Finals participants.
• Friday’s game will mark the 200th consecutive sellout (including playoffs) at Scotiabank Arena since Nov. 11, 2014 – the longest streak in franchise history. Both the arena single-game benchmarks have been set during this streak – 20,050 Nov. 16, 2016 vs. Golden State (regular season); 20,906 May 5, 2016 vs. Miami (playoffs). The Raptors currently rank third in NBA average attendance, averaging 19,824 through 16 games.
• Toronto enters Friday’s game with an NBA-best 24-9 (.727) record. The Raptors currently lead Milwaukee by 1.5 games in the Eastern Conference standings. Toronto needs five more wins to match the franchise-record for victories through the fist 41 games, which was set last season (29 wins).
• Toronto continues a stretch of six consecutive games against Eastern Conference opponents – Dec. 19 vs. Indiana (W 99-96), Dec. 21 vs. Cleveland, Dec. 22 at Philadelphia, Dec. 26 at Miami and Dec. 28 at Orlando. TheRaptors are currently tied for the second-best win percentage within the conference with a 14-5 (.737) record. Milwaukee leads all teams with a 13-4 (.765) record. Toronto is tied with Philadelphia for the best win percentage against the West, 10-4 (.714).
• Toronto improved to 6–0 on the second night of back-to-backs with a 113-93 victory Dec. 12 at Golden State. The Raptors have won their last eight games on the second night of back-to-backs dating back to last season, which is the longest active streak in the NBA. San Antonio won nine straight games on the second-night of back-tobacks during the 2016-17 season.
• According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Toronto is second-best in the NBA in field-goal percentage on two-point attempts at 56.5 percent, behind only Milwaukee (57.2%). The Pacers rank third in lowest field-goal percentage allowed on two-point attempts at 48.80 percent; the top two are the Heat (48.6%) and Bucks (48.79%).
• According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Kawhi Leonard’s 659 points through his first 25 games is the most by any player in franchise history. Overall, it’s the third-most by a player to start a season, trailing only Vince Carter (725) through the first 25 games of the 2000-01 campaign, and DeMar DeRozan (701) in 2016-17.
• INJURY UPDATE: Kyle Lowry (questionable) has missed the last three games (Dec. 14-19) with a thigh contusion after a hard fall Dec. 12 at Golden State. Serge Ibaka (questionable) did not play Dec. 19 vs. Indiana due to a swollen right knee. Jonas Valanciunas left in the second quarter with a dislocated left thumb Dec. 12 at Golden State. He had surgery following the game and will be in a cast for the next four weeks.
Sounds like no Kyle Lowry for the Fri-Sat back-to-back, per @ekoreen. Serge Ibaka questionable. Makes complete sense with recent break/3 days off ahead to get guys extended rests to get back to 100 for second half.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) December 20, 2018
Comment