Big Men Dominate - 93-89 Raps

NBA.com Recap

Player of the game:
Jermaine O'Neal - 20 points (7-15, 6-6), 9 rebounds, 5 blocks. This is exactly the reason we traded for a player like him, and he certainly showed what he can do. While it'll be difficult for him to keep up stats like this for the whole season (mostly in terms of blocks) if he can keep his scoring around 18 and rebounds at eight or nine, the Raptors will be happy, and we'll get a lot of results like last night's.

Notables:
- Chris Bosh - 26 points, 11 rebounds, 9-9 from the free throw line. Bosh had a game we're used to seeing from him. Excellent numbers at a great percentage.
- Kris Humphries - 12 points, 4 rebounds, one steal, one block. Stepped up with a solid game off the bench. Most importantly, he shot 5-9 from the field and 2-2 from the line, and we all know Humphries can take some really "ill-advised" shots, so it's important for him to make easy buckets.
- Roko Ukic - 8 points, 3 assists, one steal. Played a very nice game in 15 minutes, as well as playing 5 more minutes than Solomon. Shot very well (2-3 from the field, 4-5 free throws) and a game like this will really help him in trying to claim the backup point guard job.

Full box score

Stat of the game:
The Raptors got to the free-throw line 33 times to the Clippers' 17. As well, the Raptors made 27 (81.8%) while the Clippers made 9 (64.3%). With a perimeter-oriented team like the Raptors, it's important to pound the ball inside to Bosh (9 FTA) and O'Neal (6 FTA) as well as the guards penetrating (Graham 6 FTA, Ukic 5 FTA, Solomon 3 FTA).

Preseason Game Six vs. Clippers

Tonight is a 7:30 tip off against the new look Los Angeles Clippers. This begins the Raptors 3 game preseason road trip to the West. Unfortunately, as this is not a home game, the game will not be available on Raptors NBA TV. However, it is still available on NBA League Pass.

What to watch for:
- The new look Clippers said bye bye to Elton Brand and hello to, most notably, Marcus Camby and Baron Davis. It will be interesting to see how Camby and Kaman work together in the post, along with Baron feeding them the ball.
- The battle over the Raptor's back up point guard continues tonight. Last game, Will Solomon got three times as many minutes as Roko. Despite Solomons rocky game with 5 turnovers and shooting a miserable 3 - 15 last game, and Roko's less than impressive play, Sam Mitchell assured his guards that "they're doing fine", and all they need to do is keep practicing and working hard.
- Joey Graham came back from his hamstring injury with a bang. Starting last game, in 27 minutes he was able to put up 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. Will Joey start tonight? Or if he doesn't, will he be able to keep his production up coming off the bench?
- The Raptors get their first look at Clippers' first round draft choice, Eric Gordon. In his Freshman and only season playing for Indiana University, he averaged 20.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, making 33.7% of his three-point shots and leading the Big Ten in scoring. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and to the First Team of the Big Ten Conference.