Raps Slam Kings - 113-97 Raptors

Last night was another triumphant night for the Dinos, albeit over a very poor Kings team. Each of the Raptors big men put up impressive games, and the backcourt of Jose Calderon and Anthony Parker was brilliant. Nathan Jawai even made his debut for the home crowd. With the Raps on a little two-game winning streak, hopefully we can take some confidence into a tough stretch of games.

NBA.com recap

Player of the Game:
Last night it was the franchise, Chris Bosh. He tore apart the Kings frontcourt, giving Jason Thompson and Brad Miller fits, both of whom ended the game with 5 fouls. Christopher put up 31 points on 12-22 from the field and 7-8 from the line and added 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. Whenever CB4 asserts his dominance in a game, he's nearly impossible to stop.

Notables:
Andrea Bargnani - 24 (7-14 FG, 2-4 3FG, 8-10 FT), 7 rebounds. He can hardly go a day without at least a Notables entry, as he's been on fire lately. Another excellent performance from Il Mago.
Jose Calderon - 16 points (6-9 FG, 1-2 3FG, 3-3 FT), 8 assists. In just his second game back, Jose was spectacular once again, putting up great numbers in just 27 minutes. Along with Anthony Parker in the backcourt (11 points, 7 assists) the Raps guards were very effective.
Jermaine O'Neal - 11 points (4-6 FG, 3-4 FT), 10 rebounds. Not an overwhelming game for JO, but he was effective on the glass, didn't force shots on offense and for the first time in a while, looked confident out there. A step in the right direction.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
The Raptors were ahead in almost every statistical category last night, but one thing stands out. The Raps were plus-11 (25-29 for 86.2%, versus 14-17 for 82.4% for the Kings) at the line. This really shows that the Raps are making a concerted effort to get the ball inside. It's certainly a testament to coaching and Bargnani's confidence that he made 10 trips to the line, actually finishing with more attempts than Bosh.

Next Game: Wednesday, January 28th, 7:30 PM at New Jersey Nets

Raptors Host the Dethroned Kings

Today the struggling 10-34 Sacramento Kings fly in to Toronto to face our beloved Raptors. This will be the Raptors first time coming off of a win since January 9. More importantly, the Kings are an astounding 0-17 against Eastern Conference teams. On the whole, the Kings are sitting last in the Pacific Division and have lost their last 4 straight. The game goes at 6 o clock and will be available on TSN, the Fan 590, and on channelsurfing.net

W2W4:
- For the first time since December 31, Jose Calderon was able to play the full game. He finished with 23 points, 10 assists, and 0 turnovers, completely changing the Raptors game for the better. Even Jay Triano agrees that "it’s completely different with him on the floor".
- Amidst lingering trade rumors and the outstanding recent play of Andrea Bargnani, Jermaine O'Neal, centrepiece of Brian Coleangelo's offseason, has been cast to the bench and finding himself to be much less influence in a game. Hopefully he will adjust to his new, not-so-flattering role.
- Sacramento has dropped 14 of its last 15 on the road, and bring the leagues worst road record to Toronto at 3-19. The Raptors simply need to capitalize.

Offensive Burst Powers Raps - 107-101 Raptors

Jermaine O'Neal was unstoppable on offense and had one of the most effective offensive games the Raptors have had in a long time allowed them to come back and take the lead for good with about 5 minutes left. It was the first Raptors win in Sacramento in over a decade as the Dinos had lost ten consecutive games at Arco Arena dating back to their last win on March 13, 1997.

NBA.com recap

Player of the Game:
Jermaine O'Neal had one of the most efficient games by a Raptor this season. He had a season-high 36 points on amazing 15-19 from the field and 6-8 from the line, adding 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists and 2 blocks. JO carried this team.

Notables:
Jose Calderon - 16 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, one turnover. A very nice game establishing the offense and had one very pretty play in which he snuck behind the defense for a rebound and putback.
Chris Bosh - 13 points, 7 rebounds. finished the game with 5 fouls and as a result only played 27 minutes, luckily JO picked up the slack this game.
Jason Kapono - 10 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds. Jason hit a couple big shots and moved the ball well. Hopefully he'll keep shooting to allow JO and Bosh to operate.

Full box score

Stat of the Game:
The Raptors shot incredibly well this game, hitting 55.1% (38-69) of their field goals, 36.4% (4-11 ) of their threes and 75% (27-36) of their free throws. Their efficiency helped overshadow the 16 turnovers and the Kings' 40% (8-20) shooting from behind the arc.